# Trying to figure out what this is **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987 "2021-11-30T22:13:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zacharymoris99\_178421](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8dc957/32.png) [@zacharymoris99\_178421](https://community.cartalk.com/u/zacharymoris99_178421)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/1 "2021-11-30T22:13:40Z")
Just got this used Toyota Sequoia. Strange piece attached to instrument panel. Anybody know what this is?? ![20211130_152816](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/3/0/30817afee933a039719b9b76e46b589d70a3b772.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/2 "2021-11-30T22:16:12Z")
it might be a mic for a phone the previous owner installed. hard to tell from picture. ---
**Author:** ![ledhed75](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f6c823/32.png) [@ledhed75](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ledhed75)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/3 "2021-11-30T22:18:58Z")
Definitely not OEM/factory… ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/4 "2021-11-30T22:58:15Z")
Does it press or twist? If so, might be a owner-installed work-a-round for a failing dashboard control. Could also be some sort of security device to help prevent car break-ins, or a thief attempting to steal the vehicle. My brand new Corolla had a non-oem gadget installed at the bottom edge of the dashboard, right from the dealership. That turned out to be to prevent someone from starting the car while it was on their sales lot. It later caused me some grief, preventing cranking. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/5 "2021-11-30T23:18:08Z")
You didn’t notice that eyesore and ask about it when you bought the vehicle ❔ ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 11:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/6 "2021-11-30T23:20:20Z")
Depends on the price 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/7 "2021-11-30T23:41:59Z")
> [@PvtPublic](#): > > You didn’t notice that eyesore and ask about it when you bought the vehicle ❔ That would have been the logical thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/8 "2021-12-01T03:12:55Z")
What year? What happens when you push it? ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 3:44am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/9 "2021-12-01T03:44:01Z")
Be careful previous owner may have been Her Majesty’s Secret Service! Might launch a missile, drop an oil slick, or eject your passenger. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 6:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/10 "2021-12-01T06:33:54Z")
Heh heh. I’d have a hard time not trying it out to see what it does. Never know. On one car I was trying to figure out why the trunk wouldn’t open when I hit the button. I was close to tearing things apart when I flipped this little switch in the glove box. Valet switch. Actually I’d be inclined to take the trim off to see what is behind it, especially since it looks like something is stuck on the edge. ---
**Author:** ![zacharymoris99\_178421](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8dc957/32.png) [@zacharymoris99\_178421](https://community.cartalk.com/u/zacharymoris99_178421)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/11 "2021-12-01T20:27:58Z")
It does not press or twist. ---
**Author:** ![zacharymoris99\_178421](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8dc957/32.png) [@zacharymoris99\_178421](https://community.cartalk.com/u/zacharymoris99_178421)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/12 "2021-12-01T20:30:18Z")
Bought it from my aunt. She didn’t install it, it came from a previous owner. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/13 "2021-12-01T20:31:36Z")
Could be an infrared sensor for a DVD remote. ---
**Author:** ![zacharymoris99\_178421](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8dc957/32.png) [@zacharymoris99\_178421](https://community.cartalk.com/u/zacharymoris99_178421)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/14 "2021-12-01T20:35:39Z")
1. Nothing about it in manual… It isn’t a button or knob… It doesn’t appear to do anything. It hangs down off dash, too. You can see the residue around it from someone trying to re-glue it to dash… ---
**Author:** ![zacharymoris99\_178421](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8dc957/32.png) [@zacharymoris99\_178421](https://community.cartalk.com/u/zacharymoris99_178421)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/15 "2021-12-01T20:38:34Z")
Ok, thanks for the input. Something is drawing power/draining battery, I suspect this might be the culprit. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/16 "2021-12-01T20:39:26Z")
Is there a DVD player installed? ---
**Author:** ![TheWonderful90s](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thewonderful90s/32/29584_2.png) [@TheWonderful90s](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TheWonderful90s)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 4:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/17 "2021-12-02T16:10:51Z")
Is that a wire going inside the car somewhere from that thing? Anyway it looks like some kind of mount for a GPS or such thing. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/18 "2021-12-02T16:29:11Z")
Looks like a fan speed switch to me. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/19 "2021-12-02T16:33:54Z")
Only way to really know what it does is to trace the wires coming out of it. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2021, 11:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987/20 "2021-12-02T23:37:33Z")
> [@Rod-Knox](#): > > Looks like a fan speed switch to me. That’s what it looked like to me too, but OP says it neither twists nor pushes. If it has a clear glass-like surface on the front, Nevada above may be correct, an optical pickup for a remote control for the CD player, stereo, etc. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/trying-to-figure-out-what-this-is/180987.md?page=2)