BearMcPear
Member
A few weeks ago I ordered a Braccioli armrest for the Audi A2 (88 euros) in black fabric (+2 euros).
My hope for this item was that it would be a quality armrest and be an attractive alternative for people who don't feel confident finding and fitting a second-hand Audi armrest.
In this post I will give my initial impressions, the install procedure, how it works inside the car and a brief conclusion.
Initial impressions
In short, it does not feel like a premium or high quality product, even though they frequently describe it that way. The materials used feel quite cheap, and it does not feel well thought out or carefully put together. The armrest slightly digs into the metal mount when it is fully rotated upward, and said mount is slightly offset on mine. Additionally, the last sentence in the installation instructions is cut short, presumably because it didn't fit on the page.
The cupholder inside is cheap-looking (albeit sturdy feeling) clear plastic and is not intended to be removable, although you can slide it out of the way.
This is important, as the storage lid itself does not open far and is also not detachable. It is also fairly difficult to slide open, but this gets easier with use I imagine.
Now we have got the bad out of the way, here are some good first impressions. The cloth feels quite soft and I do appreciate that they have carpeted the bottom of the storage cubby. I am also glad they have included a cup holder, as I am a bit wary of using the normal ones as they are above all the dashboard electronics.
Also the whole thing does actually feel solid. I don't expect it to break easily.
Install procedure
In this section I list the steps of the installation procedure that I followed, which deviates from the one proposed by them. They propose cutting into the large plastic piece the handbrake is attached to, however I wanted it to be reversible so made a slot in the ashtray itself. This piece is much more easily replaced down the line, if you are unhappy with the armrest.
Time:
Approximately 1 hour.
Tools:
Minimum: Drill with 4mm bit, stanley knife, PH2 screwdriver, marker
Recommended: Drill with 4 mm bit, metal saw or dremel, sand paper, PH2 screwdriver, marker
Skill level: Beginner. All the tools are easy to use, although drilling into the car may feel a bit unnerving.
My hope for this item was that it would be a quality armrest and be an attractive alternative for people who don't feel confident finding and fitting a second-hand Audi armrest.
In this post I will give my initial impressions, the install procedure, how it works inside the car and a brief conclusion.
Initial impressions
In short, it does not feel like a premium or high quality product, even though they frequently describe it that way. The materials used feel quite cheap, and it does not feel well thought out or carefully put together. The armrest slightly digs into the metal mount when it is fully rotated upward, and said mount is slightly offset on mine. Additionally, the last sentence in the installation instructions is cut short, presumably because it didn't fit on the page.
The cupholder inside is cheap-looking (albeit sturdy feeling) clear plastic and is not intended to be removable, although you can slide it out of the way.
This is important, as the storage lid itself does not open far and is also not detachable. It is also fairly difficult to slide open, but this gets easier with use I imagine.
Now we have got the bad out of the way, here are some good first impressions. The cloth feels quite soft and I do appreciate that they have carpeted the bottom of the storage cubby. I am also glad they have included a cup holder, as I am a bit wary of using the normal ones as they are above all the dashboard electronics.
Also the whole thing does actually feel solid. I don't expect it to break easily.
Install procedure
In this section I list the steps of the installation procedure that I followed, which deviates from the one proposed by them. They propose cutting into the large plastic piece the handbrake is attached to, however I wanted it to be reversible so made a slot in the ashtray itself. This piece is much more easily replaced down the line, if you are unhappy with the armrest.
Time:
Approximately 1 hour.
Tools:
Minimum: Drill with 4mm bit, stanley knife, PH2 screwdriver, marker
Recommended: Drill with 4 mm bit, metal saw or dremel, sand paper, PH2 screwdriver, marker
Skill level: Beginner. All the tools are easy to use, although drilling into the car may feel a bit unnerving.
- Remove the ash tray behind the handbrake. Can simply be lifted out.
- Optional: Unscrew the screw between the mount and armrest, and gently tap or wiggle out the little caps. The two can now be separated, and it's not top-heavy like the full assembly.
- Place the bottom of the mount on the aluminium surface containing the VIN, in the middle with respect to the ashtray and as far forward as possible. Mark the holes using your pen and drill them out. On my car it didn't look like there was anything you can hit below the holes, but it still pays to be careful.
- Screw the mount in place, being careful not to drop any screw (oops).
- Cut a 66mm wide slot for the mount in the ashtray, 33mm both directions from the centre, for which I used the circle on the bottom as datum point. I cut it all the way to the bottom, but this is not strictly necessary.
- Sand the sides of your slot until it fits snugly around the mount, with a smooth finish.
- Optional: To make the hole look nice, I want to fit it with some automotive carpet. Probably not necessary if you didn't cut to the bottom, but it's something I wanted to do anyway.
- Optional: If you followed step 2, now is the time to reattach the armrest to the mount.
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