We put a deposit down today on an 05 plate MCS conv which the other half is looking forward to. It doesn't have a centre armrest but can one be retrofitted?
Yup, it sure can. I've done one, and it's not the easiest process, the armrest is made up of several bits, but you also need to replace the handbrake console too. I did mine in about an hour once I'd all the parts.
There's also an option to fit the simpler armrest MINI sell, it's still an original item, but it bolts under the seats and sits inbetween. It's not as pretty, but you'd have it installed in about 5 minutes.
I would prefer the look of a factory optioned armrest. Presumably if it can be retro-fitted I could take the car into a Mini dealer and have them do the job as new.
I bet it'll be a damn site more expensive than the £100 factory option.
I'm actually looking at a parts accessories book now (while writing this) and it actually says it's approx £100.00 for the "Front centre arm-rest with storage compartment" inc vat @ 08/2005, however this does not include the fitting, your main dealer will do it for you (fit it), this also doesn't mention the centre hand-brake console but as it's a main dealer book I'm presuming that it's included in the kit (I may be wrong ) as it doesn't say in conjunction with anything else .
The cabriolet armrest, hand-brake console is different to one fitted to hard-top models , it's shorter .
Destined to live life £5 behind. Disclaimer
Any advice given is my opinion only, if you decide to act on any advice / info I've given, it's at your own risk!
Hmm looks interesting, does anyone have any fitting instructions for the 2005-02 version shown above? Would be interested to see what it looks like from behind too.
I don't have instructions as such, but the Haynes manual was helpful when i tried to fit one to my Cooper.
I never kept it though as i accidentally bought the wrong version for my year. However, i sold it to a guy in Italy and managed to turn a nice little profit on it which lessened the blow!
Someone said that recently in a thread I was posting in, and I checked part numbers for both the Cabrio and the Hatch, and they appeared to be the same.
It may have been me who said that, I actually had one of the genuine factory fitted ones that had been removed from a cabriolet version of the MINI, I tried to fit it to my other ½'s hard-top, I then realised that it was actually shorter, by this I meant the handbrake console part of the kit and not the actual armrest (I think in the other thread, the person was thinking of buying a used one of eBay, so I mentioned it so that they would be aware ), this is due to the shell being strengthened in the cabriolet and you loose about an inch approx 30cm in floor space hence the handbrake console is shorter on the cabriolets to the hard-tops .
If you get the parts diagram up off post #5 provided by "MINIAC" bottom pic "2005-02 Version - Factory or Retrofit" the parts that are actually different in length are #2 & #6, #15 & #16 may also be different, as I said I think the actual armrest will be the same, but as a kit, the kit will be different for cabriolet & hard-top models (inc sun-roofs) .
The 1st pic in post #5 by "MINIAC" top pic "2004-09 Version - Retrofit" is the one that fits under the rear of the front seats (I don't actually like this one myself), due to the way it fits in it'll fit in any 1st Gen model soft-tops & hard-tops .
Destined to live life £5 behind. Disclaimer
Any advice given is my opinion only, if you decide to act on any advice / info I've given, it's at your own risk!
Do' no!?????? The Internet can be a good and bad thing, but it would've been hard in the past to do stuff like this, if not impossible, It was only the other day that me & a friend was talking about getting our 1st mobile phones, now everyone has one & couldn't work without them in most cases .
I'm glad the info may have been some help, it's always nice to get a Thanks! & it makes you feel like the post worth doing . THANKS!
Destined to live life £5 behind. Disclaimer
Any advice given is my opinion only, if you decide to act on any advice / info I've given, it's at your own risk!
They can be lifted up in-to the vertical position out of the way (you can get to the hand brake easier, move it out of the way), if that's what you mean, this one does anyway (2005-02 Version - Factory or Retrofit) , I've never actually come across one of the other type .
Destined to live life £5 behind. Disclaimer
Any advice given is my opinion only, if you decide to act on any advice / info I've given, it's at your own risk!
There's one fitted in my MCSC and I find it a bit of a pain, I suppose never having had one in my previous MINIs I forget I've got it and it's permanently up out of the way. In the two months I've had the car I've never once rested my arm on it
I'd take it out but I think I'll be left with holes showing
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) as it doesn't say in conjunction with anything else 
, it's shorter 
Destined to live life £5 behind. 
