At least the shine from the protector will make the damage less evident, and it would be a cheap fix.

 

i know it's not leather. none of the c class's have leather armrests. most likely vinyl.

 

i'm gonna be daring and clean mine with formula 88 degreaser, lol, i'm serious, i clean everything with it, and nothing bad's happened yet, my armrest is clean where my elbow goes but dirty everywhere else

 

where do u get vinal protecter?

 

You'll find vinyl protector in the car wash,wax, polish section of any auto store.

 

Anyone have problems with the plastic armrest cover? I found that one 3" circle area on the surface was a bit tacky, literlly tacky. So i tried to clear it up, and it got WORSE! Not its got a pasty white crust spread around the entire back half of the arm rest. Only way to get rid of a little is to rub it with your fingers, then it pills up like an eraser...any solution to this? warranty? :S what a shameful product in a "luxury car"

 

Same happened to mine. It has no shine to it anymore. Peeled off.

 

Have you tried your dealer yet?

Thanks

 

I've got this exact same problem in my car; clean it with interior cleaner and it looks okay for about a day, then it's worse.

I'm going to give the dealer a shout tomorrow and see what they say.

 

You may be able to get it covered under warranty, but I wouldn't guarantee it, since it can easily be considered wear and tear. If you can't get it replaced, you can get it sprayed with a dye to return it back to its original condition.

 

wait, which 3" circle area???

I seriously have no idea where you guys are talking about.

 

just saying the affected spot was 3"'s in diameter, now its grown to over half the armrest surface.

 

If it's a defect in the plastic, the dealer will replace it under warranty.

 

I have that starting too...I thought it was sweat/dirt from leaning my arm on the box...

Erik

 

I saw the same problem on my coupe before it crashed. It must be a problem with the material.

 

maybe u need one below for upgrade...

 

That wouldn't go so great with the aluminum trim in my car!

I talked to my dealer, RBM, and they sounded as if it would be under warranty, pending inspection by a service advisor. They were hesitant until I mentioned that other people online were complaining of the issue.

They can go ahead and give me the 2004 top if they'd like; having to lift that thing back in order to get stuff out is cumbersome (relatively speaking.)

I've got an appointment tomorrow a.m; I'll let everyone know my progress on this.

 

Does anyone have a picture of the affected area?

 

this is happening in both of our C-classes. let me know if the dealer replaces it.

 

I spoke to my dealer as well, they sounded as it would be a not problem warranty fix. I will stop by and show them next week. They said they could easily order in a new top.

This IS a common problem, as you can see all the people posting here. Dont take bs from your dealer. Glad mine is nice

 

oh...so u guys are talking about the center console armrest. Mine doesn't have that problem maybe because I clean it every time I was the car. I hate the greasy elbow mark on there.

 

Had the "skin pealing" effect on the lid of the center console armrest. It started as one small spot but quickly spread the more you rubbed it, end up an area about 3" square, would have got bigger the more you rubbed it.

Dealer replaced to lid - no problems at all.

 

Cleaning aggravates the condition (even using the MB Interior Cleaner). This is an issue with the finish that is used there. I use the interior cleaner every month; it makes the spot disappear, but you can still see the rub spot. Once the cleaner dries completely, it's back to a white spot.

My dealer just called me and let me know that two part numbers came up for the armrest. One is out of stock US and out of stock Germany; the other is in stock in US and is on its way. Whether it is the 2004 armrest cover or the 2003, they do not know. My bet is that it is the 2003 cover.

 

can we have a pic?

 

how about customizing center armrest with leather insert?
at least ur elbow will like it... ;-)
only problem is finding the exact leather that matches interior...
should cost at least less than the wood version...
not sure if it's worth it or not...