Armrest removal

[CAA]

Has anyone just completely removed this thing?
The hinges in mine have cracked and I've always felt it's pretty
much useless as when it's down it's a bitch to shift gears. I
want to take it out but just can't figure out how to pull it. Has
anyone done this successfully?

[killer8424]

Yeah, its real easy. You need to pull the ashtray behind the armrest and from there you can unbolt it. Its a single bolt holding it in and you should be able to get to it from there. You might need to remove the seat heater controls/ central locking button to get at it. The bolt is in this picture right behind the loop of cable:

[Alister]

For what it's worth you'll end up with a hole in your centre console tunnel if you remove the armrest.

[mattlqx]

I had thought about this as well. I don't think it would be too hard to cover the hole and make it look nice. Ultimately though, I'd like an armrest with a small chunk taken out of it so the parking brake doesn't lift it. I can't believe nobody in the aftermarket world has come up with something like this. Annoying as hell to have to reset the armrest position after EVERY TIME you park.

[eneq]

Do anyone really use it? Mine is always in the upright position and I never have it down and most often get annoyed if a passenger brings it down.

[whartung]

Mine is always down. I just pull the ebrake one notch

[Devitan]

Mine is always down. I just pull the ebrake one notch

Same except I usually do 2-3 notches. Just until it touches. Leaving in first FTW.

[Beelzeebub]

i never really use the ebrake so the arm rest is usually down. Plus i have all sorts of shit in there so I have to keep it down or else shit inside gets jumbled up.

[sakimano]

I had thought about this as well. I don't think it would be too hard to cover the hole and make it look nice. Ultimately though, I'd like an armrest with a small chunk taken out of it so the parking brake doesn't lift it. I can't believe nobody in the aftermarket world has come up with something like this. Annoying as hell to have to reset the armrest position after EVERY TIME you park.

hahaha...it's the worst piece of automotive design in Audi's history. Even the A8 had that problem

We just picked up a B8 A4 Avant last night. It has solved the problem...(electronic parking brake)

[Beelzeebub]

hahaha...it's the worst piece of automotive design in Audi's history. Even the A8 had that problem

We just picked up a B8 A4 Avant last night. It has solved the problem...(electronic parking brake)

'grats on the B8.

[charliemike]

I actually wish the armrest was a little higher but I use it all the time. I hate when it's up.

[VR2V8]

Same except I usually do 2-3 notches. Just until it touches. Leaving in first FTW.

Same here. 3 clicks on the e-brake and leave the tranny in first.

It must have something to do with driver height, seat position, etc. My armrest is ALWAYS down. I don't think I've ever tilted it up once in the 2 years I've had the car. With everything adjusted the way I like, I can shift comfortably...........even with my arm resting on the armrest if I choose.

[diablo1287]

i love mine, but its so damn annoying with the e-brake lifting it every time.

Plus, how are you supposed to use your shitty cup holders with it down?!?! I mean I guess I could use the one that doesnt hold hardly any cups securely and if it spills it goes all over your head unit. I need to get the B7 center console....

[mattlqx]

Same here. 3 clicks on the e-brake and leave the tranny in first.

It must have something to do with driver height, seat position, etc. My armrest is ALWAYS down. I don't think I've ever tilted it up once in the 2 years I've had the car. With everything adjusted the way I like, I can shift comfortably...........even with my arm resting on the armrest if I choose.

You must not prefer the armrest in the tilted down position. Like that, it only takes one brake click to start pushing it up. :(

[kodiak1]

I just test drove a B6 S4 last weekend and my only big complaint was the armrest...it sits so high on the seat that it seems totally useless while driving a manual. I am coming from an M3 and I must say BMW's armrest design is way better. it sits lower and has the little cutout for the ebrake to come up.

see pic...I wonder if a bmw armrest could be retrofit? I used my armrest everyday in my M3 and would like to be able to in my S4.

not trying to start a bmw vs audi war...just seems audi failed on this piece of the car.

anybody come up with a fix for this or do you guys just live with it?

[mattlqx]

That's similar to what I was thinking about...

[ngng]

i think you can adjust your parking brake, i've never had an issue with this

[Dr.quattro]

Me neither. I rst my elbow and forearm on the armrest and shift using just my finger. My vendetta with the armrest is that the hing holding the cover in place always opens when I flip the armrest up, spilling all the contents into the back.

i think you can adjust your parking brake, i've never had an issue with this

[rxbike]

I like my arm rest but it creaks like hell however. Any fixes for this or do I just need to do something simple like tighten the bolts ? Also, if I lose my arm rest, I wont get to use the ultra shitty location of a cup holder in the arm rest device !

[Lugi20]

My armrest is always up, the only thing in it is the case for my sunglasses. I just can't comfortably shift when its down... but my dad has driven my car for a month or so at one point and he always had it down. Didn't bother him at all, and we are almost the same dimensions (i'm 1" taller @ 6'1").

[rxbike]

Take a look at this one on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Armre...2:317|240:1318

[WinterRunner]

Take a look at this one on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Armre...2:317|240:1318

That looks decent, anyone gonna step up and try it?

[Dr.quattro]

Not this route. Although I have an armrest cup holder I took out of my allroad. It actually fit inside the armrest and is an Audi OEM part. I need to check the fitment in the S4.

That looks decent, anyone gonna step up and try it?

[Gingerkid]

Take a look at this one on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Armre...2:317|240:1318

That might be a winner if it wasn't carbon fiber...

I'm so glad I found this thread. That is one of my biggest beef's with the audi interior.

Subscribed.

[a4cruiser]

One side of the latch on my armrest has been broken for the past 2 years. I have just been really careful with it. However, one night I stopped at a gas station to get something to drink and left my friend in the car. Sure enough, I come back and now it is broken. I might try that velcro fix for a little while.

[spector]

That looks decent, anyone gonna step up and try it?

Did anyone end up trying this armrest? It looks like the cupholders come out the back rather than the front? I guess we aren't destined to have cupholders in the front.

If anyone tried it, how did it work? How did the the carbon fiber look w/your interior? Do you have gray/black/beige?

[WinterRunner]

I had thought about this as well. I don't think it would be too hard to cover the hole and make it look nice. Ultimately though, I'd like an armrest with a small chunk taken out of it so the parking brake doesn't lift it. I can't believe nobody in the aftermarket world has come up with something like this. Annoying as hell to have to reset the armrest position after EVERY TIME you park.

X2 I'd buy it up in a heartbeat!

[Irish311]

Proposed Armrest Solution for B6 & B7 owners:

Recently drove a B8 and as you know, they have solved the eBrake issue by moving to an electronic eBrake. But, they have also modified the arm rest -- not only can you adjust the height, but the top part of the arm rest (the part your arm actually touches) slides forwards and backwards to accomodate different height drivers (at least, I'm assuming); so if I were 6'5" let's say, I'd have to put my seat back further than someone who is 5'7" and the stationary armrest in the B6/B7 cars might not be in a comfortable position. In the new B8, I would be able to slide that arm rest back to match my body position.

What I'm getting at here is that if someone could find a way to retrofit a B8 armrest into a B6/B7 car with the FWD/BKWD functionality, it would solve the eBrake problem AND the cupholder problem (where the cupholders are under the arm rest). Am I making sense here?

[justinperkins]

Man I must be in the minority here, I love that armrest and haven't found it to be in the way at all when pulling the parking brake. Shouldn't the parking brake just go up a few clicks? It's not like you're pulling that thing up to a 45 degree angle or something ... unless it needs an adjustment.

Now what I hate is that stupid drink holder placement. In the armrest? Really? I love smacking my drink with my elbow when shifting into an even gear. BTW my center console cup holder is kaput.

[spector]

Man I must be in the minority here, I love that armrest and haven't found it to be in the way at all when pulling the parking brake. Shouldn't the parking brake just go up a few clicks? It's not like you're pulling that thing up to a 45 degree angle or something ... unless it needs an adjustment.

Now what I hate is that stupid drink holder placement. In the armrest? Really? I love smacking my drink with my elbow when shifting into an even gear. BTW my center console cup holder is kaput.

Yes, the E-brake is only part of the problem. I have a tiptronic and I live in south, so I never use the E-brake. My gripe is with the poor placement of the cup holder (fortunately I have that slot one above my radio) and the lack of any type of center console storage or hiding for mp3 players, change, etc.

That and the shoddy construction. Add my name to the list of the hundreds of people here whose armrest clips are broken and the thing won't stay shut.

That carbon fiber one looks generally promising (though I'm not a fan of the CF... ) and I'd be curious to hear someone report how they liked it.

[iconoclast]

I had thought about this as well. I don't think it would be too hard to cover the hole and make it look nice. Ultimately though, I'd like an armrest with a small chunk taken out of it so the parking brake doesn't lift it. I can't believe nobody in the aftermarket world has come up with something like this. Annoying as hell to have to reset the armrest position after EVERY TIME you park.

bmw thought of it ages ago:

[iconoclast]

Recently drove a B8 and as you know, they have solved the eBrake issue by moving to an electronic eBrake.

not to sidetrack here but, what exactly is electronic ebrake? (aka the e-e-brake)

[justinperkins]

off-topic

I have a tiptronic and I live in south, so I never use the E-brake.

does not compute

parking brake is for parking

[spector]

off-topic



does not compute

parking brake is for parking

Is this a thing? I grew up in Florida and NO ONE -- I repeat, NO ONE -- sets the handbrake/parking brake/ebrake unless they have a manual. Is there a benefit to using it while parking?

[CoDRoX]

I feel your pain, OP. What the hell were they thinking??
As much as I love my car, there are lots of little idiosyncrasies here and there that make no sense to me.
And I still haven't figured out the A/C controls yet..

[dparm]

The center console is a joke, I never fold mine down.

[cuerna]

it would be nice having one of those M3 arm rest on my A4 B6, I have a manual tranny and it is a ankward seting the handbrake up every time.

[ozo101]

I actually wish the armrest was a little higher but I use it all the time. I hate when it's up.

x2, i need that armrest , driving without it feels weird :o)

[PetrolDave]

The center console is a joke, I never fold mine down.

I've used mine 3 times in nearly 5 years - when on a long French autoroute drive.

The rest of the time I find it gets in the way when changing gear.

[s4mwell]

Is this a thing? I grew up in Florida and NO ONE ** I repeat, NO ONE ** sets the handbrake/parking brake/ebrake unless they have a manual. Is there a benefit to using it while parking?

I am not a lawyer but my understanding is that technically you are legally responsible if your car pops out of gear and rolls down the hill into something and damages it unless you have properly set the ebrake. Then it is the fault of the ebrake manufacturer or no one... Not to mention you probably don't want your car popping out of gear and smashing into something...

edit: you might notice that valets usually set the ebrake - this is why...