I'm trying to remove the door panel and am lost. I removed three screws and when I went to remove the fourth. I can't find it. I removed them in my previous MINI but this one unlike the last has a larger arm rest. Extending to the point where I believe the fourth screw is at. Is this the case? They covered the fourth screw with the armrest? If so, how do I get to it? I've tried removing the armrest but feel no clips or screws holding it in place.

The red dot is where I believe the screw is located. It makes sense that the screw is still there since that area refuses to budge. I do have the manual covering 02-04 and it shows the screw. This is an 06 so I am not positive it is there but I believe it is.

 

The screw is there.
You need to slide something thin and non-scratching under the opposite edge of the armrest, to release a clip hidden underneath; then you can slide the armrest forward and free of the door panel, to give access to the screw ...

Here is a pic of the door panel tube with armrest removed, showing the clip:


My Gallery page has a couple more pics including the mating clip on the back of the armrest ...
http://www.gbmini.net/gallery/GBMINI3stereo?page=3

 

 

Take a hacksaw blade and run it across a grinder to remove the sawteeth. That ought to be thin enough and still stiff enough to do the trick.

Rawhyde

PS Lemme know if this works in case I have to remove mine!

 

Interesting, I just removed both my door panels and installed Dynamat and didn't ever remove this screw...I removed the other three, then just worked the tabs off...

Did I miss it and just yank it out of its mount?

 

Probably!

 

how do u re attach the leather door armrest? mine keeps falling off because it must've not been attached correctly?

 

Thanks for this thread!! I was looking for the same screw last night and knew it was back there somewhere... off to the garage again =)

 

The procedure is to simply squeeze the armrest very tightly against the bar and slide backwards. As you slide, make sure that the top and bottom tabs along the bar (visible in GBMINI's photo in post #2) slide into the matching catches in the armrest.