DIY - Removal of Armrest (and reinstall of 2-way opening later armrest)
06-11-2009, 12:54 AM
#1
Out Of Control!!
Thread Starter
DIY - Removal of Armrest (and reinstall of 2-way opening later armrest)
So, have had an armrest in my closet ever since Citruscoupe (I think that was his name) had Steve and his crew install an updated one (the one where you can open up the armrest from either side). The details were always sketchy, with the saying "better have someone who has done it already handle it". Well, I've had the ccoupe layed up for a couple of weeks now, waiting on a possible cheap fix on the fading cluster problem. Unfortunately, BBA couldn't do sh*t with it, so I will be getting back tomorrow to reinstall.
Anyway, first of all, I would like to give props to the deuschbag at my local dealership for leading me totally down the wrong path to getting this done. According to him, I needed to completely remove the entire center console from the top vents down to the armrest, then get to the armrest once the whole assembly is loosened.
So I started by removing the trim piece around the shifter, then the ashtray, then the clips at the bottom of the trim piece around the radio/hvac, then started to remove the vents like in sessions' world-famous A10 instructions.
Then I sat back and realized that the guy was totally full of sh*t, and decided to just look at the whole armrest assembly, and try to mess around with things on my own.
So, the first order of business is to remove the armrest. If you take a medium-sized flathead screwdriver (a plastic trim tool would probably work better), and insert it at the end of the armrest in the ridge between the armrest and the rear vent area, you'll be able to pop the armrest out from the groove the lip is in.
On this pic of the two armrests above (left is the new one, which I had recovered in gray alcantara), look at the old armrest - you can see the lip that you need to get to with the screwdriver to remove the armrest right above the block with the numbers on it. Once you muscle that lip out of the hole it rests in, the rest is basically simple.
One thing that I should have done first was to remove the trim ring that is around the entire hole for the armrest (the trim piece you can see when you lift the armrest out in total) - it's held in by metal expandable clips all around - I was able to remove the old armrest with it still in place, but it needs to be removed to put in the new one, so it's a good idea to get it out of the way first.
You can see this trim piece in the above pic; it's a pic of the end of the armrest cavity and the furry part is the trim piece that I'm talking about.
Once you've got that done, you have to remove the wiring for the top portion; just remove the trim piece and thread the wiring down through the armrest to the cavity for now. I don't have a phone connection, so I'll just be zip tying it in the bottom of the cavity and leaving it. You'll need to do more if you have a phone cradle.
Will go from this:
to this:
You can also see the trim piece that I've been referring to - as you can see, it is one piece that goes around the whole top of the cavity.
Anyway, the next part is just the reverse of the above part; you need to put the new armrest's rear hinge at such an angle that you can get the two prongs at the outsides of each side of the bottom of the hinge into the two holes in the rear wall of the cavity.
You can see the two holes on either side of the rear wall in the above pic. Then basically it's just press down on the armrest to get the piano hinges to mesh between the armrest and the top of the cavity, replace the trim piece around the cavity, and you're golden.
Final pic:
Sorry for the questionable quality of the pics; the car's in the parking garage that I use to store the car that I'm not currently using, so they're a bit dark. The whole procedure should have taken me about 30-40 minutes, but because of faulty directions, it took much longer.
Oh, and a little langiappe for y'all:
If you broke the accordian-style cover for the cupholder/ciggy lighter area (like my idiot brother did on my car), it's pretty easy to replace, once you know how.
In this pic:
you can see the general area. To get to that stage, I removed the old cover, the cupholder, and the rubber bottom of the cupholder (all pressed into place, and not hard to remove). Then you take the ciggy lighter assembly and lift it slightly and pull it backwards. There's a little lip you have to get the plastic over, and then you'll be able to lift out the entire piece. The wiring for the ciggy lighter is a little tricky; it looks like you have to pinch the assembly to get the wiring to pop off, but all you really have to do is hold the assembly with one hand, then with the other hold the black end of the wiring assembly - then move the back end of the wiring assembly from left to right, and it will unplug - it's a 3-prong plug. Set the ciggy lighter assembly aside. Take the new accordian cover, thread it through the opening in the tracks that you have now created by removing the ciggy lighter, and push the cover all the way back. Now plug the wiring back into the end of the ciggy lighter, and press everything back into place. Viola - you now have replaced your accordian cover, and can now open and close it til the cows come home.
Any questions, post 'em.
Anyway, first of all, I would like to give props to the deuschbag at my local dealership for leading me totally down the wrong path to getting this done. According to him, I needed to completely remove the entire center console from the top vents down to the armrest, then get to the armrest once the whole assembly is loosened.
So I started by removing the trim piece around the shifter, then the ashtray, then the clips at the bottom of the trim piece around the radio/hvac, then started to remove the vents like in sessions' world-famous A10 instructions.
Then I sat back and realized that the guy was totally full of sh*t, and decided to just look at the whole armrest assembly, and try to mess around with things on my own.
So, the first order of business is to remove the armrest. If you take a medium-sized flathead screwdriver (a plastic trim tool would probably work better), and insert it at the end of the armrest in the ridge between the armrest and the rear vent area, you'll be able to pop the armrest out from the groove the lip is in.
On this pic of the two armrests above (left is the new one, which I had recovered in gray alcantara), look at the old armrest - you can see the lip that you need to get to with the screwdriver to remove the armrest right above the block with the numbers on it. Once you muscle that lip out of the hole it rests in, the rest is basically simple.
One thing that I should have done first was to remove the trim ring that is around the entire hole for the armrest (the trim piece you can see when you lift the armrest out in total) - it's held in by metal expandable clips all around - I was able to remove the old armrest with it still in place, but it needs to be removed to put in the new one, so it's a good idea to get it out of the way first.
You can see this trim piece in the above pic; it's a pic of the end of the armrest cavity and the furry part is the trim piece that I'm talking about.
Once you've got that done, you have to remove the wiring for the top portion; just remove the trim piece and thread the wiring down through the armrest to the cavity for now. I don't have a phone connection, so I'll just be zip tying it in the bottom of the cavity and leaving it. You'll need to do more if you have a phone cradle.
Will go from this:
to this:
You can also see the trim piece that I've been referring to - as you can see, it is one piece that goes around the whole top of the cavity.
Anyway, the next part is just the reverse of the above part; you need to put the new armrest's rear hinge at such an angle that you can get the two prongs at the outsides of each side of the bottom of the hinge into the two holes in the rear wall of the cavity.
You can see the two holes on either side of the rear wall in the above pic. Then basically it's just press down on the armrest to get the piano hinges to mesh between the armrest and the top of the cavity, replace the trim piece around the cavity, and you're golden.
Final pic:
Sorry for the questionable quality of the pics; the car's in the parking garage that I use to store the car that I'm not currently using, so they're a bit dark. The whole procedure should have taken me about 30-40 minutes, but because of faulty directions, it took much longer.
Oh, and a little langiappe for y'all:
If you broke the accordian-style cover for the cupholder/ciggy lighter area (like my idiot brother did on my car), it's pretty easy to replace, once you know how.
In this pic:
you can see the general area. To get to that stage, I removed the old cover, the cupholder, and the rubber bottom of the cupholder (all pressed into place, and not hard to remove). Then you take the ciggy lighter assembly and lift it slightly and pull it backwards. There's a little lip you have to get the plastic over, and then you'll be able to lift out the entire piece. The wiring for the ciggy lighter is a little tricky; it looks like you have to pinch the assembly to get the wiring to pop off, but all you really have to do is hold the assembly with one hand, then with the other hold the black end of the wiring assembly - then move the back end of the wiring assembly from left to right, and it will unplug - it's a 3-prong plug. Set the ciggy lighter assembly aside. Take the new accordian cover, thread it through the opening in the tracks that you have now created by removing the ciggy lighter, and push the cover all the way back. Now plug the wiring back into the end of the ciggy lighter, and press everything back into place. Viola - you now have replaced your accordian cover, and can now open and close it til the cows come home.
Any questions, post 'em.
03-17-2010, 05:12 PM
#3
MBWorld Fanatic!
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 3,206
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes
on
5 Posts
2002 C230K, 2013 BMW 328, 2015 BMW X5
Good write up. I like the alcantra. Where did you get it from?
How much space is underneath the armrest? I'm looking to put a small approx 1.5 inches high module somewhere and this just might be the spot.
Ed
How much space is underneath the armrest? I'm looking to put a small approx 1.5 inches high module somewhere and this just might be the spot.
Ed
03-17-2010, 05:40 PM
#4
Out Of Control!!
Thread Starter
The first step is to open the ashtray. Then you lift on the top of the trim piece that goes from the ashtray to the armrest. If you haven't done this before, it make take a bit of force to get the front to pull up. Once you do that (and I'm trying to have you avoid removing the trim piece from the shift boot assembly here), you can move the trim piece a bit forward, then swing out the end of it that was underneath the armrest. Then lay the trim piece as much off to the side as can be allowed, and you'll now be able to see the accordian cover in all its glory. Take a minute to marvel at the overengineering, then get back to work.
There are front stops for the cover that you'll need to get around to fully remove it; it should be fairly self-explanatory. Be careful, though - the tabs break easily.
Ed - got it from a local guy who did it as well as some a pillar trim pieces and my Momo seat for my crx. I don't think that the armrest was too expensive on its own. Sorry, but he got the fabric, not me, so don't know any more.
Are you talking the space between the armrest part that moves and the bottom of the cavity, or between the bottom of the cavity and the tranny hump (boy, that just sounds wrong
). I didn't fully remove everything, so not sure how much room there is underneath the entire trim piece, but don't think there would be 1 1/2" between the armrest box being fully down and the bottom of the cavity, if you can picture what I'm saying.
Is your ashtray full? My scanguage fits in there perfectly - that might be a better answer.
There are front stops for the cover that you'll need to get around to fully remove it; it should be fairly self-explanatory. Be careful, though - the tabs break easily.
Ed - got it from a local guy who did it as well as some a pillar trim pieces and my Momo seat for my crx. I don't think that the armrest was too expensive on its own. Sorry, but he got the fabric, not me, so don't know any more.
Are you talking the space between the armrest part that moves and the bottom of the cavity, or between the bottom of the cavity and the tranny hump (boy, that just sounds wrong
). I didn't fully remove everything, so not sure how much room there is underneath the entire trim piece, but don't think there would be 1 1/2" between the armrest box being fully down and the bottom of the cavity, if you can picture what I'm saying.Is your ashtray full? My scanguage fits in there perfectly - that might be a better answer.
