A3(8P) armrest fixing - please help!

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ren

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the armrest for my a3 has arrived ... i have drills, hacksaws and a fine selection of tools ready to do the job - but one thing is confusing me: how exactly does it fix??!

i have the armrest, a bolt and a car. the bolt goes through the armrest and then into a hex-shaped hole in the centre console, but there is nothing for the bolt to tighten into as far as i can see.

am i missing a nut-type part? or am i missing something really clever which happens?!

another user has suggested that the bolt expands as it is tightened. this would be great although looking again at the parts i have to work with, i can't see how this could be the case.

does anyone who has fitted an armrest to their A3 remember how the bolting works??!

thanks for any pointers any of you may have. i have tools all ready and am gagging to get this fitted today before hitting the road!
 
did you buy you armrest second hand? or from the dealer
if you brought it from the dealer then you would have had a kit that allows you to tighten the supplied retaining nut in place buy pulling it up and securing it, then you just fit the arm rest and securing nut in place. i brought the retrofit arm rest and it all came supplied,will look for more details tonight
 
Sorry to go off topic slightly but how much are these arm rests? I wasn't allowed to spec one in mine (company car) but could do it retrospectively on the QT.
 
thanks, andy. as i suspected, i am missing a retaining nut which would fit into the recess i can feel underneath. i've managed to secure the bolt with a square nut and hex nut i have which fit pretty well. it feels completely solid for now - i'll see how it goes over the next few hundred miles.

in the meantime - where can i get hold of the proper retaining nut do you think?!

mr white - i bought mine from vagparts and it is - quite incredibly, given the greyness of my black leather - a perfect match ... apart from missing retaining nut. it cost £200. if you're after a cloth one, they are a bit cheaper.
 
Thanks Ren, mine is cloth so will hopefully be cheaper. May have to invest.
 
Mr white drop me a PM to remind me as I priced these up but the prices are on my company laptop and I'm in the office tomorrow.

The prices came up better than £200 for leather and cheaper still for the cloth!

Generally the prices are the same as Vag parts minus the Vat...
 
Why thank you. £133+£8.50 P+P is that price unbeatable then? Will the "cloth" cover match the black & red standard sport interior? I'll ask the seller also me thinks.

Cool site this, I think I'll stick around.
 
Mr white,
cheapest i have seen on Ebay as a buy it now option£129 this was through an audi dealer, the cloth will match your standard black aand red interior
 
audi upgrades
Thanks Andy, do you know if removing the armrest at a later date will cause any damage or will you never know that it had been there?
 
You will never know it has been there except for the 5" by 6" hole that will be left in the centre console. ;)
 
quick update on my original post ...

thanks to you who pointed me in the right direction - thanks to d3fy, vagparts have located the missing retaining nut for me and have put it in the post.

so i'll be removing the armrest and my custom-made nut creation in the next few days and putting the right stuff back in ... and i thought i'd take some photos and make a template of the hole while i'm at it and post it up here.

mr white - it would indeed leave a ****** gaping hole. but more like 4"x2". i wonder if there isn't a perfectly-sized 'compartment' thing with a rubberized bottom which VAG group makes which you could plug the hole with afterwards.
 
Ren

I am looking into investing in one of these for my A3 but i cannot find anyone who has the fitting instructions that I can look at before I buy. Please can you explain how it is fitted so I can assess wither it is a job for a garage or me.

They have quoted £210 Inc delivered with leather. I assume this is the correct price.

Thanks

DK :sm4:
 
if anyone is wondering if they should buy one or not then end that wondering and just buy it!!

i couldn't live without the armrest, i use it probably 99% of the time i am driving, the other 1% is when i pick my nose in traffic!!!
 
im planning to buy one from audi shortly - i agree it is a must! (£120 from audi)

but would you recommend getting them from elsewhere? a scrappy? a replica?
 
I have one as standard on my SE but I find that I very rarely use it. I tend to drive with both hands in the steering wheel all the time. It is useful for when I'm just sitting in the car when I'm not driving, like on the Shuttle going under the Channel and I do fold it down and put my PDA/GPS in when I leave the car when it is parked.

I find the problem with having it down when I'm driving is that it gets in the way on using the handbrake. But with the number of cars I stop behind that have their brake lights on the whole time they are stopped, the use the handbrake is a dying art!
 
audi upgrades
i think the A3 looks bare without one - you have this massive central area and the armrest finishes it off nicely

plus you get a small compartment area which would do nicely for a custom ipod holder!
 
Ren, D3fy

Thanks guys. Arrived Monday and I fitted it today. Less than 1 hr. Looks great. Once again thanks all for your help.

DK
 
I think it finishes the car of and without the space just looks wasted. Would not live without mine now.
 
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