I am considering ordering this after-market center armrest console: http://www.armrest-autoaccessories.c..._545b0632.html

It appears to be of good construction and short enough not to get in the way of shifting gears.

Does anyone have this model, and what are your thoughts on it?

Thanks!

 

No, but it looks nicer than the stock one. Atleast you have some storage with the one you are looking at.

 

I installed one of these in my wife's 05 cabrio. She likes it and it was a lot cheaper than the OEM ones. It's not quite as solid as the one in my car but it works. She really likes the storage space. It was easy to install but after about 6 months I noticed one issue. As she pulls up the e-brake when she parks the plastic on the arm rest is wearing a hole thru the boot. When I noticed it I thought I should move the arm rest a little farther back. I would need to cut (file) some of the plastic of the arm rest to fit around the cup holder. My wife said not to bother, so I left it as is. It's her car after all. I would either move it back or put some felt on the edge over the e-brake boot.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! Did you have to do any drilling? I see the holes and was hoping I wouldn't have to drill through the console/plastic.

Alos, does your wife have a manual? I read in another thread that some folks are bumping their elbows on their armrests when changing gears ....

 

Yes, you have to drill 4 holes for the mounting screws. She does have the six speed and she says shes never had that problem. Here are a few pics.

 

OK. I see what you were talking about. Thank you for the pics! That really helps. I think I should factor in the future cost of a replacement boot ...

The big thing is that your wife likes it. And, if it works well, then why not?

CC, thanks for your time and response. Very helpful ... as most NAM folks are!

 

hey Chubby, can you snap a pic of the holes that your need to drill too? I am looking for a armrest too but I dont wanna do any damage (or little damage) to the car I looked at the euro 1 and it was nice that it use the rail screw hole to hold the armrest but the leg looks pretty ugly in the backseat =P

 

My wife has her car at work right now, but here are some pics I took the other day. You can see three of the four holes needed. The front 2 holes were the hardest (not too hard, but not as easy as the rear holes). I had to position the seats in the best place and drill the holes at a slight angle. The second pic shows where I would trim the arm rest base to slide it back further. I think that would stop the boot from hitting the arm rest. As a note this is installed in a 2005 cabrio, so the problem might not exist on the R56s. ChubbyChecker has the factory arm rest. But as I said before my wife likes it and that's what counts, (happy wife = more toys for me).

 

I have one also. The magnet didn't hole very well (in fact I think a piece was missing) so I just bought a magnet and glued it in place.

The mount is real solid (I wouldn't yank on it though), but the armrest seems loose and wobbles a bit. Seems to be in the hinge between the armest and the mount. I may have got a lemon, but it's pretty cheap. I do like the height of it though...I can rest my arm without interfering with the shift.

 

Chubby, thank you so much for those pics and the trouble you went to. They are really helpful.

SinMINI, thanks for your insight on the hinge. Maybe I can tighten it a little ... A wee bit concerned about the drilling and wondering how hard it might be to remove the seats.

Odobo, those two long legs on the other model is actually why I like this one. It looks more finished and more comfortable.