DIY - OEM Armrest Install (Hybrid/more secure method)
 

I've had my eye on this armrest since I bought the car and kept putting off buying it since it's 200 bucks. I found these OEM look-alike versions for around $150 and was hesitant about the quality/fitment, plus I'd rather spend an extra $50 for the OEM variant. I then found a seller on eBay, based in the UK, selling OEM units for $160 shipped. I bought it, and within 8 days it arrived.

While doing research I found a guy that bought one of the OEM look-alikes on Amazon and in his review he mentioned that he installed the armrest by taking out the center console and securing the bolts using wing nuts on the underside of the center console instead of relying on the rubber anchors that come with the arm rest. The install instructions have you drill holes in the center console and insert these rubber anchors that widen and secure themselves when you put the bolt through. The armrest is not securely attached to the car.

Toyota's method of installing this requires that you drill 11 holes. First using a 5mm bit, and then an 8mm bit -- in the end you have 11 8mm holes. 3 of these holes are filled with 3 plastic anchors on the underside of the armrest. In the other 8 holes, you insert a rubber anchor that when a bolt is driven through it, they expand to secure the arm rest in place. So the armrest is never securely anchored down, it could be lifted up if pulled hard enough.

The hybrid install: To make the install more secure, I used only 4 of the rubber anchors and the other 4 bolts are secured using a lock nut on the underside of the center console. This method does require that you remove the center console but IMO its easier to drill holes and do the install with the center console out of the car. With this method, the armrest is installed permanently and will never come loose. To install this way, you need to drill 4 5mm holes and 7 8mm holes. 4 of holes (5mm) have to be just wide enough to get the bolt through. The other holes have to be 8mm to accommodate the rubber anchor and plastic anchor on the armrest frame. The 4 5mm holes are the ones on the front-most and rear-most sides of the armrest (2 on front side, 2 on rear side) -- see pics below.

Link to armrest: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350825608542
The seller is burrowscarparts. The invoice is from an actual Toyota dealership -- Burrows Toyota Sheffield.

The goods
http://i.imgur.com/rVX4q3y.jpg

Some before pics
http://i.imgur.com/wwLSKPa.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/3wy5G2F.jpg

Center console removed and ready for install
http://i.imgur.com/byhC7nI.jpg

Paper template taped to center console. This was a little annoying to get just right. I moved/re-taped a few times until I was happy with the placement. I started with drilling holes right through the paper for the 3 plastic anchors on the underside of the armrest (see 3 holes drilled in below pic).
http://i.imgur.com/epbmcOx.jpg

You need to remove the cushion of the arm rest so that you can access the bolts and secure them. Test fit
http://i.imgur.com/0AxJcvO.jpg

I then proceeded to drill the remaining 8 holes. I drilled the 5mm holes right through the armrest to make sure I had no issues with fitment. Be very careful and make sure you are not drilling on an angle. Once done, I removed the armrest and screwed the bolts in place to make sure they would fit through. I then re-drilled 4 of the holes with the 8mm bit. The front-most 2 holes and rear-most 2 holes need to remain at 5mm.
http://i.imgur.com/I7XBFC8.jpg

The 5mm holes will be secured with lock nuts so no rubber anchor is used. The larger 8mm holes have been fitted with the rubber anchors.
http://i.imgur.com/syJgkYl.jpg

You can only easily secure it with 4 lock nuts because there is padding that is in the way on each side on the underside of the center console. You could remove this padding and reinstall it if you really wanted to use 8 lock nuts to secure it, but in my opinion it is plenty secure with using only 4 lock nuts. Also, the rubber anchors were more secure than I expected when I gave it a tug prior to adding the 4 nutted (lol) bolts.
http://i.imgur.com/muGccO1.jpg

I then started bolting the armrest to the center console, starting with the bolts that use the rubber anchors. Be careful to not over tighten these. I then installed the bolts that are secured with a lock nut. The front-side bolts are circled in green.
http://i.imgur.com/BX3HK76.jpg

The rear-side bolts are circled in green.
http://i.imgur.com/ctZSCAn.jpg

Armrest pad reinstalled and it's ready to go back in the car.
http://i.imgur.com/5P4EirU.jpg

Done
http://i.imgur.com/JFTagEx.jpg

This is the hardware I used from Home Depot. 4 nuts and 4 washers = $2.54
http://i.imgur.com/Eof0ZU8.jpg

And 5 gallons of a dogfish head 60 minute IPA clone I brewed 2 weeks ago.
http://i.imgur.com/9KZt8Aw.jpg

Looks good, that should have been a standard option.

I don't understand why this isn't standard. The interior looks rushed/unfinished without it. Plus logically, why would they not include it? Are Americans known to not like armrests?

All your pics are dead atm. Can you reupload so I can see this DIY goodness? @B-R-Z

They work for me..they are all on Dropbox. Can anyone else not see them?

Thanks for the tutorial but where did you buy your seat heater trim? I like the carbon and red brz look.

Looks great! Thanks for the write up. I plan on installing one of these when my car is paid off.

I bought that years ago, maybe 2014. I think Diode Dynamics but not 100% sure.

Pics are down for me too.

Thanks. I guess dropbox killed my public links. Images have been fixed.

Nice write up, but I'm more interested in your Dogfish 60-minute clone recipe. All-extract, or did you mash? Willing to share? I've never had great luck brewing IPAs.. my yeast always gives out once the alcohol content gets high.

Thanks!

It didn't come out as good as I was hoping. It has a nice hoppy flavor and ~6.5 ABV, but the nose isn't there so it doesn't drink like DFH 60 minute does. This was an extract recipe -- I have not advanced on to grain yet. I used this recipe, which has instructions for both: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=25709

A few weeks back I brewed Northern Brewers Off The Topper, which is a Heady Topper clone. I gave it a taste when I moved it to the secondary and it tasted awesome, just hoping the dry hopping works out this time to give it the nice aroma. http://www.northernbrewer.com/off-th...a-homebrew-kit

I've used Safale US-05 yeast for all of my brews so far and have had good luck with it.

Without removing the center console, could I use the template to drill just the 3 holes for the anchors, then insert the arm rest into the three holes then drill the rest of the holes, while the anchors are inside for better accuracy?

Yes, the official instructions do not require that you remove the center console. I think it's safer to drill right through the armrest holes so you do not have any surprises when you go for the final mounting.

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