Optional Armrest Factory Fit

[Jestingstorm]

Hi Guys,

I'm just about to order my new Polo and the salesman tells me that if I want an armrest on a Match, it'll have to be a factory order because they have none in stock with one, and it's a factory fit. Looking at this forum and other sites, its clearly not. It just bolts on from what I can tell.

Is the salesman having me on? Can I order it as a part to be delivered to myself?

Any help greatly appreciated.

lee.

[SRGTD]

Hi Guys,

I'm just about to order my new Polo and the salesman tells me that if I want an armrest on a Match, it'll have to be a factory order because they have none in stock with one, and it's a factory fit. Looking at this forum and other sites, its clearly not. It just bolts on from what I can tell.

Is the salesman having me on? Can I order it as a part to be delivered to myself?

Any help greatly appreciated.

lee.

Welcome to the forum Jestingstorm.

There are various threads on the forum where members have retro fitted the front armrest to their car. The armrest wasn't part of the standard spec on my car and I chose not to have it, as some owners have said with the armrest in the 'down' (horizontal) position, it hinders the operation of the handbrake, and I've found in previous cars with a centre armrest, I've never used it.

If you do plan on fitting it, many of the non-OEM versions seem to be of equal quality to the VW version, so you may be able to save yourself some money by buying non-OEM.

viewtopic.php?t=67751

[RUM4MO]

I agree fully with the above, wife has an August 2015 SEL so gets the armrest, not that she would ever use it as she is about 5 feet tall, so has the seat well forward.
Interestingly, when the car was in for its first service and investigation into the Peeeeeping noises from the EVAP pipe, it came back out with the armrest down!
I find that I can't live with it down either, though the small stepped section where the pivot is has a short flat part when the armrest is up, so I just use that as an armrest when driving, when stationary, ie parked up, if I drop the armrest down, 9 times out of 10 it will not engage its ratchet, so I need to drop the handbrake off to allow it to rotate fully down at which point it will always engage the ratchet - design and/or manufacturing issue!
I used to have a 2001MY Passat 4Motion and I always drove with the armrest down as that car was long enough to have space for an armrest and be (just) able to operate the handbrake - whenever it went into VW for an MOT it always came out with the armrest up!!
Now I drive an Audi S4 and its armrest though adjustable up/down and in/out, is just a bit too short! And that car has an electric handbrake, so why make the armrest so short? When all cars end up getting electric handbrakes (yuk!), armrests will be okay for everyone short or tall!

Editted to make sense!

[fivelittlefish]

I retro fitted an armrest on my GTI and it's so far the best thing I've done to the car. It just flips up when you need the handbrake and otherwise gives you somewhere to rest your left elbow.

An absolute pain to retrofit (on the GTI anyway, because of the cupholder) but I think it's well worth getting it specced from new.

[Jestingstorm]

Thanks for the responses guys. Much appreciated. It seemed strange to me that he didn't offer for the dealership to just fit one when it arrives? Do vw just not like to do it ?

[SRGTD]

Thanks for the responses guys. Much appreciated. It seemed strange to me that he didn't offer for the dealership to just fit one when it arrives? Do vw just not like to do it ?

In my experience, dealers don't usually offer to do things like this; they might if you you ask them though, especially if you tell them it's a deal breaker for you. Maybe you can negotiate with them to supply and fit it for free as part of the deal?

[Jestingstorm]

I did think about going down that route with the 'deal breaker' option....cool thanks again.

[RUM4MO]

I not 100% sure here, but I don't think that an official VW supplied retro fit kit exists, so that would stop a supplying main dealer being interested in fitting it to a newly supplied car due to the risk of damage to existing fittings. I'm sure that they would only retro fit kits listed for that car in the accessories catalogue.

[Maribo90]

I retro fitted an armrest on my GTI and it's so far the best thing I've done to the car. It just flips up when you need the handbrake and otherwise gives you somewhere to rest your left elbow.

An absolute pain to retrofit (on the GTI anyway, because of the cupholder) but I think it's well worth getting it specced from new.

What armrest did you use for this? Is it perminant?
I have the car on lease and have to be carful what I do to the car (mod wise) would love a arm rest in my gti.

[fivelittlefish]

I retro fitted an armrest on my GTI and it's so far the best thing I've done to the car. It just flips up when you need the handbrake and otherwise gives you somewhere to rest your left elbow.

An absolute pain to retrofit (on the GTI anyway, because of the cupholder) but I think it's well worth getting it specced from new.

What armrest did you use for this? Is it perminant?
I have the car on lease and have to be carful what I do to the car (mod wise) would love a arm rest in my gti.

This one: http://tinyurl.com/zfpxqtq

[Willni]

Here's a cheaper but the same kit as the one above

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Armrest-Cente ... SwBLlVMMdM

[Jestingstorm]

I not 100% sure here, but I don't think that an official VW supplied retro fit kit exists, so that would stop a supplying main dealer being interested in fitting it to a newly supplied car due to the risk of damage to existing fittings. I'm sure that they would only retro fit kits listed for that car in the accessories catalogue.

That pretty much sums up what I surmised. I thought he would of offered that option if it was one. Appreciate the response.

[HappyGoLucky]

I retro fitted an armrest on my GTI and it's so far the best thing I've done to the car. It just flips up when you need the handbrake and otherwise gives you somewhere to rest your left elbow.

An absolute pain to retrofit (on the GTI anyway, because of the cupholder) but I think it's well worth getting it specced from new.

Why was it such a pain to fit? What did you have to do with the cupholder?

[fivelittlefish]

A lot of the dash fascia and forward cupholders have to come out, because the centre console extends in one piece to the dash and is screwed to it. I don't think it's the same in non GTI models. You need to be able to move the whole thing enough to get the armrest support under it, which is not possible without dismantling a lot of stuff. It's fairly straightforward, just takes some time.

[slicendice]

I retro fitted an armrest on my GTI and it's so far the best thing I've done to the car. It just flips up when you need the handbrake and otherwise gives you somewhere to rest your left elbow.

An absolute pain to retrofit (on the GTI anyway, because of the cupholder) but I think it's well worth getting it specced from new.

Do you know if there's a kit available for a 6C GTi? I've been trying to find one but the only thing I can find is a kit for a 6R from supplier in India!