Has anyone seen both the armrest offered by minimania (http://www.minimaniauk.co.uk/web/Ite.../InvDetail.cfm) and the mini European armrest offered by minspeed.net??? If so any comments on quality etc

 

They are probably the same thing. Many of these places sell the OEM equipment at slightly reduced prices or in some cases items that a US dealer is not allowed to sell as it is designed for the Euro market only.

 

That UK Armrest attaches to the (one) seat, not beneath the seat rail tracks (like the Euro Armrest).

From the pix, it looks smaller and fastened to the seat would not be as sturdy.

Advantage would be that it would move forward with the seat and it appears to fold up further.

I would rate the quality of minspeed's Euro Armrest to be excellent and it is made by MINI.

From the photos, the UK Armrest looks like high quality, but may ristrict access to the seatback 'rake' lever.

 

TOPLABDOG I just recently installed the MINI Euro center armrest that I bought from minspeed.net and it is very sturdy,has great build quality and very comfortable to rest your right arm on while driving.I highly recommend it.You can read my thread in this Sub Forum.

 

Thanks for the input. I will order the Mini Euro Arm rest. Has anyone done a DIY re-upholster to match the color line ?

 

Sure, I wrote my DIY on this post:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...49-post41.html

here is one photo:


Click here to open a different (larger) photo in new tab/window.

Easy to do with material of your choice,

minspeed has photo of theirs done in Montecarlo Leather.

 

Nice writeup. I am excited to try it

 

Yowza - both of those armrests are a little spendy for me! ($215+) $215 for a stupid armrest, you gotta be kidding me!

I went with one I picked up off FleaBay, $85:http://cgi.ebay.com/Armrest-Console-...em190176001957

The guy promised 9-14 days delivery and it got to me in about 4 days - wow! It's sturdy enough, mounts fairly easily - screws into the console. The only problem I had was that the screws could have been a little bit longer. I got it to work using the supplied screws, but I may replace them with some longer ones later.

It matches my interior perfectly, has a padded lid that opens, and the armrest tilts back if needed.

All in all I'd say it's a better buy than the other ones. And my drive in this morning was oh so comfortable with a place to put my right elbow

-RW-

 

The Minspeed armrest itself looks really nice, but the base where it attaches to the car looks very cheap. Although it does open up the third cupholder for the rear passengers, they could have done a better job at hiding the metal. No offense, but I feel like I can make one myself by bending metal and punching holes.

 

Hate to bust your bubble, but I bought the same one. It wore a hole in the e-brake leather. It also developed a wobble in the hinge not long after installation. I went with the Euro armrest instead and it is WAY better. It mounts under the four seat bolts (2 on each side).

 

>> Hate to bust your bubble, but I bought the same one. It wore a hole in the e-brake leather. It also developed a wobble in the hinge not long after installation.<<

Bummer! I HATE it when my bubbles get burst! However, I don't see how mine could possibly wear on the leather, it makes no contact with it. In addition, I almost never lift it up and back so the hinge is not getting any workout.

I do appreciate your input and will keep a close eye on the items you mentioned. Keeping my fingers crossed...

 

I will be purchasing this EBAY armrest shortly and will provide feedback. I can't fathom paying $200 for the stock armrest. On a sidenote, I was at the Chicago Auto Show last night, and one of the Mini's, with the stock armrest, was already ***** boxed. Translation: The armrest was broken and the top cover was m.i.a.

 

only thing i'm not too happy about with the stock armrest is that it deflects a bit when you put weight on it... the other ones are way too big for me to comfortably drive a stick, so it was either stock, or nothing.

 

DO you ever lift the e-brake? That's when mine rubbed.

And I hardly ever lifted mine either because the magnet wouldn't hold the lid closed and I didn't want to dump the contents. I did however rest my arm on it a lot and I'm sure the stresses from moving my arm constantly (manual shift) is what caused the hinge to get loose.

 

I have one of the original armrests that mounts under the console, thriough the rear cupholder (you open up the bottom of the cupholder and it mounts in the resulting opening). I never installed it because I have gotten used to the rear cupholder and thought about selling it. when I recently "discovered it" in the garage.

 

Sin Mini wondered:
"DO you ever lift the e-brake? That's when mine rubbed."

I use the e-brake EVERY time I park the car - even on flat ground. Old habit from driving manual transmission cars for 35+ years. I do not see any way it could rub the leather. My armrest is working perfectly for me and I'm quite satisfied with its form, function, and, especially, price.

The only downside is that it's a bit difficult to open it up to get to items stored within, I have to use two hands - one to hold it down and the other to lift the lid. However, I rarely do this so it's NBD for me...

 

Just installed the euro armrest and it is really sturdy, talked the dealer into throwing it in to seal the deal.
Asked the parts guy to send which ever one is the best, the oem or this one, he sent this one, said it was sturdier.
I do agree the mounting bracket is ugly, when I have some time I'll pick up some vinyl, padding and velcro and make up a cover, should look better.

 

Does the Eruo armrest rattle like the OEM US-Spec armrest. This would be the only reason for me to change mine out. The rattle is driving me nuts!

 

The Euro armrest doesn't rattle "so far", and has two mounting points that go under the back two seat bolts, it's pretty secure, I can't see it starting to rattle anytime soon.

 

The Ebay one....It literally screws INTO the plastic of the console!?.. Im talking like the top surface of it...or are they down low on the side?

Id love one, but not if I have to do that lol

Anyone snap pics of it?

 

>> The Ebay one....It literally screws INTO the plastic of the console!?.. <<

Yes, it does. In four different places. All of them are out of site unless you get down on your hands and knees and crawl about the cabin. I was hesitant at first, too,

But once I got two of them installed and saw that it would provide the stability and security I wanted, I went ahead and completed the job. It's worked out quite well and I do not regret my decision one bit.

It looks great - matches my interior *perfectly*, is fairly sturdy (I wouldn't stand on it, but you can certainly lean against it without fear of breaking it loose), it sits at the perfect height to provide some much-needed elbow/arm support on longer trips, it folds out of the way when needed, and it has a nicely-sized little stash compartment. All in all I'd have to say that I'm quite pleased with my purchase and would do it again in an instant. And at $89 vs. $229 for the factory armrest it's a no-brainer, IMHO...Oh yeah, the eBay vendor was quick to respond to my inquiries and he shipped immediately upon receiving the PayPal payment. A very pleasant buying experience, a rarity nowadays on FleaBay...

 

cool. i may do it. you have leatherette?.

Another question while looking in your sig for leatherette lol... Whats the seat tilt mod?

 

I just put the OEM armrest in a few minutes ago. I like the fact that I have something to rest on now while driving but it sits a little to far foward and kinda makes shifting a little difficult. You guys got any ideas?

 

IWashMyCar wondered:
>> cool. i may do it. you have leatherette?. Another question...Whats the seat tilt mod? <<

Yes I have leatherette. And it pains me to consider just how many leatherettes were killed to provide me with such a nice interior.

As for the seat tilt mod, here is a link to a post from the first member to do it:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-any-mini.html

I used a 5/8" spacer for a bit more tilt, but otherwise the same. This is an easy mod and really does make a positive difference in the comfort of the seats. I did NOT change the front bolts, I found them to be plenty long enough to accommodate the spacer and still have 8-10 threads gripping the bolt. Maximum shear strength of a bolt is achieved once you have 4-5 threads gripping, So, 8-10 gives you a good margin of safety.

I have now been riding with the seats tilted this way for 3 months and I'm quite glad I did it. I am decidedly more comfortable and feel like I'm more cossetted (there's a British word for ya) by the seats than before.

Go for it!

 

bwaahahaha. made me lol