orderd one on monday 12/15

 

Great and thank you for explaining the meaning of it

 

Excellent

If you need any tips on the installation or which Torx size bit socket to use to remove the seat rails the information is in this thread and always feel free to ask any questions that you may have.

 

Has anyone figured out a way to stop the usa version from always sliding open?

 

Some have posted that they had it replaced under warranty to correct it from sliding open when leaning on it.Now whether or not the replacement one does the same thing I do not know though.

 

Does the Euro armrest rattle any? My stock has started to and it's driving me nuts.

 

This worked out great for me. Simple, cheap, and effective.
See post #38.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-closed-2.html

 

Not at all plus it is firmly bolted to the left and right back seat rails where the factory armrest is attached to the back of the center console.

 

Caution - HiJack Alert!

I had a loaner yesterday with the factory armrest and noticed that when folded up, it is not perpendicular to the floor, so it got in the way of my arm.

I saw a comment on here about the "Euro" version having the same problem.

Are there ANY armrests that fold completely up out of the way?

HiJack off!

 

I guess it all depends on how long you right arm is.

Honestly I believe all of the center armrests for the Mini Coopers will intrude a bit when folded up,some more then others.Although there may be one designed out there that doesn't.

 

it's the 23rd,got my euro arm rest today.20mim install really happy thanks minispeed

 

Excellent!!

 

any one going to minis on the dragon?

 

Pilot,
I just ordered some Wet Okole seat covers - so please tell me how you did the lovely arm rest cover.
I can order an extra 1/2 bolt of cloth from Wet Okole to do the same - but I'm not crafty in any way.

thnx.

 

I've got the Euro arm rest on my R53 - I love it, with one minor exception...I wish it would raise a bit higher. It's still in the way when in the UP position.

It was easy to install, does not rattle, holds a bunch of stuff, and the lid does not pop open.

 

Really easy job, the Wet Okole Material has a huge amount of 'stretch' built in.

With the Euro Armrest lid open, you will see six phillips head screws to remove and the existing padded part comes off.
The existing leatherette padded cover is just held in place by 'double-stick' and can be easily removed.

For my 'padding' I was using Memory Foam and first effort seemed a little sparce for me
(see my Gallery photo dated 07/23/2008;
this had been 3/4" x 4" x 11" Memory Foam over the existing padded cover material).

Job that pleased me started with 2 3/8" x 4 1/2" x 12" Block of 5 Lb Memory Foam alone.

Memory Foam is expensive and hard-to-find, I went to a local Custom Foam Shop
and bought what I needed (a lot) from their 'remenant' pile.

You place this foam block in the freezer for twenty minutes and then you have about a minute of very stiff material
that a 60 grit power sander can easily round the edges and corners.
(An Electric Carving Knife or a Band Saw or Jig Saw also make excellent tools for cutting and trimming foam,
never tried a 'hot' wire, but it may work as well by using some coat hanger in your Soldering Gun.)
I then used a little adhesive to hold it 'still' on the pad frame.

To attach the Wet Okole cover, I used Weldwood Contact Cement, you coat frame and material
and then wait 15 minutes+ (less than two hours) and then where it touches, it sticks.

Given the resistance of the Foam, I felt that the old 'double-stick' was not sufficent adhesion.

The two long sides were fastened first and then the ends were gathered, stuck and trimmed
(You can look at the old Leatherette cover and see how they made the 'V' cuts inside at the corners,
be sure to trim enough to fit the padded part back into the lid).

Those six Phillips Screws need to be started while you apply hand pressure to hold the frame to the Lid,
then draw those screws tight and you are done!

 

Santa got me mine

 

Warranty fixed my slidy american one, same damn thing but it is less slidy. As time goes by I am sure it will crap out and I will go for the euro one. looks real nice and I can stash my weed in it.

 

That is great to hear

That is what happened on my former '08 MCSa I told my SA that the lid on the factory armrest keeps sliding back and he said the replacement one will end up doing the same thing.What is nice about the Euro armrest is that it has a latch in front to keep the lid closed.

 

Got my late Xmas present today: the Euro Armrest from Minspeed. The package got a little lost on a malfunctioning UPS railroad flat car somewhere.

It went in pretty easily and I like it. I was worried how it would effect my shifting hand but I don't have to adjust much at all. Extra storage is nice and it is very sturdy. I am glad I decided to forgo the factory version which didn't entrall me during the test drive.

 

Congrats and great to hear that!!

 

Don't know why, but after driving my Mini for 2 weeks, I finally noticed the lack of a center armrest on the way to work this morning. I was all fidgety b/c I didn't have a place to put my elbow

Glad I found this thread. Big problem now is that Mini raised the price of this thing to $260! Absurd....but I'll probably end up getting it as I've read elsewhere that the aftermarket ones have some other issues I don't want to deal with.

Question about the install: Do you have to use a ratchet torx driver or is a regular torx screwdriver okay? From the pics, it looks like it'll be okay as long as I have an extension.

 

I ended up using a 3/8" drive torx driver with an extension. The bolts were on there too tight for me to undo with a torx screwdriver.

 

+1

 

Thanks for your post. I thought the arm rest lacked something. But I never though it would be this easy to change. I did mine in about 15 min or so at a cost of $3.52 in vinyl found at a local fabric shop. What a difference it makes.

After


Before....seems to lack some "pop"