vettdvr

actually I would do that if I knew how to open it up.

skokkosis

yea but that's the whole point of this heat and ice routine... b.c. no one knos how to open the damn thing, i went to mercedes they told me since i dont have the warranty anymore, they cant cover it and that i need to purchase THE whole compartment (as in both flaps, the part that comes upward wen u pull it, and the whole base that goes all the way down) pathetic... there are wood grain covers that people add for looks it doesnt look very nice i rather have the leather, but it is a second possibility to having the leather pushing upward, but then that area will be all wood it didnt fancy me as much

cmarshack

I just spent an hour pulling the whole center column apart and there is no way to get the pads off. No screws, no pins, nothing!!! I am so pissed, I am about to just rip them open to find out what the F is keeping them together, but I would like to have the replacments in hand first.

Total mystery...

skokkosis

believe me i tried SO much there is NOTHING to get to that *** thing i even pulled out like these small rubber plugs thinking theres screws behind it NOTHING its a total mystery kinda like the lochness monster! are screws there or not? :p

vettdvr

Nope BTDT.. I looked behind the rubber plugs also.

skokkosis

yup that's wat i said me too! its a complete mystery im telling u! haha

boghos

wow that looks great! mines not that bad lol its just starting but ill give it a shot. I just hope it doesn’t make it worse... or ill just have to keep heating and icing. I cant drive comfortable anymore, im always like ahhh I cant put my elbow here its going to mess it up.

Dzul

Bump!

Anyone tried anything new for this?

vettdvr

No and I am tired of the bubble. One solution trade the car.

Efivehundred

I have a fix... in theory. When I get my car back from the dealer I will put it into practice. If it's successful for a long term solution I will post a tutorial with pictures.

vettdvr

I'll be here waiting.

Chicago_Buckeye

I gave up on trying to resolve this issue and opted for a wood cover. It's been in place now for almost 2 years and looks as good as new.

vettdvr

Ok, I really like the cover,, where did you find it. Much better than bubbled armrest.

Dzul

Chicago,

That is nice and agree with vette, it looks so much better than the blister/bubble.

Chicago_Buckeye

I bought it a couple of years ago from Performance Products; however, I don't believe they sell them anymore. I've seen them as well elsewhere, just google them and you should find one.

Cost is rather high (around $250-$300), but it's a PERMANENT solution to the Arm Rest Nightmare and they look OEM, so I believe it's worth it. Good luck

nopcbs

The wood on the roll-top cover or what?

Efivehundred

My attempt to permanently fix the bubble did not go as well as I hoped. The wood "cover" looks good, but I really like the OEM look.


The bubble




After I "fixed" it.




After I replaced it with a new one




It wasn't that difficult to change and the price was well worth it IMO.

There isn't any way to take this apart

vettdvr

Do you have a part number for the new arm rest? Price?

Efivehundred

The part number for the charcoal color is: 211 680 36 39 9C09
It cost me $232.30 + shipping from parts.com.

You get the whole compartment that swings up. You'll have to swap the catch and the electronic internals over from the old one.

The service DVD has good instructions but I found a few of the steps to be a lot easier if they are done out of order.

epress655

I just talked with an auto upholstery guy who said he has fixed several armrests in the past...said he removes the armrest then replace the leather. I plan to go and see him tomorrow morning. Over the phone, he said that he will charge $300.

epress655

Where did you purchase the replacement armrest. Can you provide contact info? Thanks

cmarshack

I was going to say, just buy the new one.

SkiMiester

How about getting a Syringe with a needle on it...fill it with some glue and squirting it into the bubble. The hole should not be noticable when finished.

vettdvr

Good suggestion I thought superglue thin from a hobby shop in a syringe might be the trick. The down side is it won't shrink the cover and there could be a bigger wrinkle

But for the one who bought new,, why not really take the bubble one apart by any method to see how from the inside it is built. I suspect there are tangs that extend down into the rest that lock into place but without one to "attempt to open" I won't do this with the one in the car in use.

SkiMiester

Don't use super glue it will no stick to leather. Also, if the bubble is not to stretched then there should be no resulting wrinkle.