I ordered my 05 MCS with the optional factory armrest and I must say that I am disappointed.

After seeing it at the dealership I wasn't totally impressed but I got it so that I could have a "little" more storage and so that I could have somewhere to lean on longer highway drives.

After spending a little while with it now i realize it is worse than I thought.

My issues with it:

- it sags a little so it is not perfectly horizontal.

- it feels a bit flimsy and seems like it could break if someone puts their weight on it. Some passengers do this to help get in and out of the car

- the storage is way small (I knew this when I got it, however)

- the lid seems to always slide open accidently


Does anyone else feel this way? Has anyone attempted to remove it? Can it be done?

 

i'll trade you for a stock 05 console w/o a armrest if it bugs you that bad!

 

I had this issue for the first few days, but I must have adjusted to it as it happens less often. I have thought about trying to permanently close the lid as there is so little room to put anything in the armrest.

 

No offence, but how did you not notice all of that ahead of time? It pretty obvious as soon as you touch/try it.

 

I'd recommend the $50 elbo landing device. It's easy to install and works and looks fine. Of course, it won't handle your full weight either, but it has no problem with an elbo.

 

This is my biggest problem with it. After a few weeks of use, the lid doesn't close well.

 

It does open. Because to open you have to slide the top back, which is a natural movement when settling your shifting arm after a shift.



But I don't like the others offered, and overall I think it's tons better than none at all... Sooo... , even if just barely.

 

I noticed that it wasn't perfect at the dealership but it is worse than I expected.

I simply had no way of knowing that the lid would accidently slide open which is what annoys me most.

 

This may be the way to go. Any thoughts on the best way to permanatly seal it shut?

 

i don't like armrests on MT cars so never even considered one..

Outmotoring has some cool armrests if you want to get a different one.

www.outmotoring.com

 

Here's another option for you:

Mini Mania Armrest

Let me know if you have any questions.

Ken

 

My biggest complaint about it is it makes the real cup holder almost useless.

 

I like that one a lot....I think you have a future customer

 

I saw the Minimania one but it looks as though you are going to have to swing the armrest out of the way any time you want to pull up the emergency brake (which I do whenever I park). That would mean that I would have to swing it down everytime afterward. Seems a little too much for an armrest!!

Is this the case?

 

A lot depends on the seat position and the 'rake' of the armrest (which is adjustable). I'm 5'8" and my seat position allows me to reach around the armrest and pull on the hand brake - see here. Even if you like your seat further forward, you can still reach around the armrest, pull up on the hand brake, and this motion will cause the armrest to move up as you lift the handbrake, but will drop back down as soon as you let go of the hand brake.

Of course, the alternative is to flip it up for unobstructed access.

ken

 

does it fit an 05?

 

Yes, it fits the '05 and all previous models. The photo in my last post was taken in an '05 cabrio.

ken

 

I let my dad drive my 2005 MCS with the new armrest. He is used to using the one in his car to adjust hiself into his seat. He put a little too much weight on it and jamed the lid on it. I finally managed to get the lid off and then put back on properly after about 20 mins! You have to fuss with the thing forever just right to get the little clip things back into the track just right. Also, all of this is made very cheaply. If you are not super careful you are going to break on of this things and then make it even more useless. It's okay to lay your elbow on it and nothing more. It could have been made out of much better material for the price of the car.

 

I'm glad I ordered and installed the "original" OEM armrest from MINI that they discontinued before adding the current one. It is very strong (enough that I can lean on it to adjust my seating position), has a good amount of storage room, and doesn't ever open on it's own. It also allows for great access to the stick shift and the emergency brake.