Has anyone removed the factory armrest that came with their car? I just picked mine up last week and realized I made the mistake of spending the $200 on the armrest. Is it easy to remove? By removing it will it leave the console unfinished? Any help would be appreciated.

Yes, I did this. You have to get a new ebrake console and frame piece to replace the one that comes with the OEM armrest. And don't forget to order the rubber inserts and the trim ring for the rear cup holder (chrome or silver). The install is simple. You have to remove the armrest, then the ebrake handle and boot, then there are some screws underneath to remove the console. Here is an exploded view:

I've owned a car with a flip-up armrest before, thus I really appreciate marksmith's comment about not being able to drive with it up. That's the same complaint I had with the one on my A4 Audi and the primary reason I didn't order it with my R56.

If anyone comes across with a fold-back-out-of-the-way armrest, please let the rest of us know. If you often use your parking (emergency) brake the armrest just becomes a big PITA.

Thanks Mini Bee

Hmmmm. The ONE thing I like about the OEM installed armerest is that I CAN move it out of the way. I guess I will have to wait for something better.

The Euro armrest does fold up, almost straight up as a matter of fact. I had the OEM armrest and found it to be nearly useless. It was too low to comfortably rest your arm when cruising, the storage compartment was too small for anything significant, it did not fold all the way out of the way and it practically made the rear cup holder unusable.

The Euro will not stay in the folded position on its own, however, but I don't think the OEM would do that while driving either. I suppose you could secure it someway to keep it up if you need it out of the way to use the ebrake while driving.

I'll make some pictures of it in my MINI in the up and down positions and post them soon.

Here are the photos of a Euro armrest installed in my 2006 Cooper Cabrio: