Leather Z door armrests Installed

All,

My name is Andy and I am the owner of LeatherZ. Hopefully I can answer most of the questions raised in this thread, but feel free to email directly if you like. Mods- I hope I am not stepping over the boundary of posting here, I just want to get the information out.

I can make door armrests in just about any thickness you like, but since the pad is 1/4“ thick, it would need to be in 1/4” increments. The leather and base would add another 1/8". Keep in mind that the thicker the armrests, the more expensive they are based on the amount of padding you want me to use.

If you do not want leather, I can look into matching Alcantara to the interior cloth colors but need samples to work off of.

I consider installation permanent. I have removed them from Z3’s in the past without issue, but the Z3 has vinyl door armrests to begin with. I do not know what will happen with a cloth armrest and do not know how well the tape will hold to cloth. The tape I use is a 3M VHB (Very High Bond) tape (it is not the stuff sold in stores-it is much stronger). I have had customers in very hot climates (Arizona) as well as very cold climates and the tape holds extremely well. I can not remember any customer who said they fell off in the 10+ years I have sold them. The key to installation is prepping the area properly prior to install.

As for the center armrest, I can look into coming up with something. If there is anyone in the Cincinnati area that can let me take a look at their car, it would greatly help the development. I typically give a free unit to anyone who can provide this type of assistance.

AndyM

Just a quick update for those who wanted to know...2-weeks of normal use and the armrests are perfectly tight. They have not and will not move or come off. In addition there has been no compression of the foam material beneath the leather.

They look great and have made a big difference in my comfort...I now drive more with my right hand.

I sent Andy my center armrest for recovering and EXTRA PADDING...will report back here with hi-res pics.

I don't even have my Prius yet and I'm totally planning on doing this. I've gotten too used to leaning on my right elbow with left hand on the wheel to let a poorly padded center rest ruin my fun.

How much of the center armrest did you remove and send? Just the covered part like this guy modded? Or the whole sliding part?

He sent me the covered part. I stripped it, added 1/4" of padding and recovered it in Dark Gray Alcantara. I am very happy with the color match we got (the nap of the Alcantara shows whiter in the picture)

Andy,

The work looks awesome. I like how you hide the box seams in a professional way. Do you have the price for this mod yet on your website? would it be same price alcantra or leather? I would be interested in matching the black leather I ordered for the doors.

Once I get pics from Bagwell I will add the center armrest to my site. I am still figuring out the pricing.

I can vouch for Leather Z / Andy from way back / 10 years or so when we had the Z3 .. he has been a fixture of bmw z subculture for a loooong time ... hth! cant wait for center armrest pricing ... keep it up!

anxiously awaiting my FEDEX package!!!!

Thanks in advance to Andy!!!

bagwell, looking forward to your pics and review!

update: rcvd everything last night and installed....now just waiting for a semi-sunny day to take pics.

as you'll see, the color match is pretty darn close (note - I have the dark gray interior not the lighter 'misty gray').

the standard 1/4" foam is fine, but you may want to opt for the 1/2" thick stuff for extra cushion since that was the point of all this anyway.

I would guess the "Katzkins" of the world would sell just their interior covers (center console, door insets - front and back, even rear side inset (over battery vent etc) for close to the same price.. THey would be vinyl (as I'm guessing these are), put totally replace all the cloth, and come in whatever color you want...

Downside is pulling the cloth off, spraying adhesive, and getting stuff back together... These look like they just cover the arm - but not the cloth.

Of course, best idea is swapping out all cloth at around $1K (from many manufacturers - Bartlets, Katz, etc)...

pics...

note - I installed the door armrests the opposite direction of the OP because my elbow rests all the way back...right near the back of the armrest.

again, my goal here was to ad padding to the rock hard center and door armrests....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED....thank you Andy for your help.

I'm sure he will chime in here but if you want gray or black leather (definitely NOT vinyl) its do-able.

I chose the alcantara material because I don't eat or drink in my car, have no kids, etc.

Looks great! Alcantara is an excellent choice. Very little maintenance and very stain resistant.

For anyone interested, I have both the center and door armrest now available. use coupon gobble when checking out to receive $10 off a $100 purchase. Colors are pretty limited for the time being, but if there is group interest in specific colors, I can do a group buy.

I can’t post a link but they should be easy enough to find them on my site.

Do these fit a Prius II?

I can post the link where I ordered...

NOTE -- the center armrest recovering is only $50 if you send your current one....for $140, he sends you a 100% new one.

LeatherZ: Z3 Door Armrests

http://leatherz.com/Merchant5/merch...uct_Code=PriusArmrest&Category_Code=Gen3Prius

Very nice...I really like the Alcantra and I wish I had had the courage to install the Armrests the way you showed them ( I was following the way the looked in the Leather Z websie for the Z3). I will definitely order my center armrest now...Is there a trick to getting the center armrest off and how did you ship it to Andy?

YES!! it IS tricky to remove it!!!

this thread helped me out....

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...5-centre-armrest-cover-mod-2.html#post1117279

see post #11


just the actual cloth covered armrest comes loose with 8 screws...after that I fedex'd to Andy in a small box.

Just tried removing center armrest and found it real easy after referencing the tread. Just 8 screws.

Thanks Bagwell for pioneering the center armrest. Can't wait to upgrade!

Really excited to see the armrest upgrades on the Leather Z website for the Prius. Any Idea how long I will be without the armrest?