Photos of installed armrest

[gryphon]

I had, in great anticipation of my smart's arrival, purchased the overpriced SEAT MOUNTED armrest. Now that I actually have my smart, I went to do the actual installation, only to find that it can't be mounted to the seat.

It theoretically should mount to the seat hinge bracket on the right side of the driver's seat as shown by a picture I located in an earlier post but, my smart's configuration is not the same as shown in the picture. That location is occupied by the seat tilt adjuster knob. There is virtually no way to mount this armrest!

Unless I get very creative or someone else has an idea, I'm going to be out the ~$300 (the order with SmartsRus was a real hassle) this thing cost me. If you are looking go the seat-mount route, be warned.

[Smart Enuf]

Originally Posted by gryphon

I had, in great anticipation of my smart's arrival, purchased the overpriced SEAT MOUNTED armrest. Now that I actually have my smart, I went to do the actual installation, only to find that it can't be mounted to the seat.

It theoretically should mount to the seat hinge bracket on the right side of the driver's seat as shown by a picture I located in an earlier post but, my smart's configuration is not the same as shown in the picture. That location is occupied by the seat tilt adjuster knob. There is virtually no way to mount this armrest!

Unless I get very creative or someone else has an idea, I'm going to be out the ~$300 (the order with SmartsRus was a real hassle) this thing cost me. If you are looking go the seat-mount route, be warned.

Perhaps someone with access to the smart OEM parts catalog can post a schematic of the seat? That might let you know if there's a way to mount the armrest in the same location as the tilt adjuster without interference. Or it might even let you know if switching the adjuster from one side of the seat to the other is possible.

[smartxs]

Originally Posted by whalepirot

Crap. I wished that I had seen that. I have one on the way. I guess it seemed rather reasonable priced.

Ahh, well, the car is rather flimsy, being inexpensive.

The armrest is loose where it connects to the base. With three screws in each side on the base, the base is reasonably solid.

As for the trimming, it wasn't mounted right or he wouldn't have had to trim the side.

when installing it, make sure you are mounting it far enough back that you can pull up the e-brake to the fullest, BEFORE you screw it down!

Because of the seat offset, the front of the armrest is easily used by the driver and the rear by the passenger.

It DOES make finding the seat belt anchor a bit difficult, but raising the armrest eliminates that problem as they are CLEARLY exposed when it is.

I LEAN on my armrest, and so far it has held up beautifully. My only plan for it is to put a magnet under the arm rest and on top of the lower frame so it is easier to open the rest to the storage area (which also has a magnet, so the one under the storage to hold it down will need to be stronger).

For $99, plus shipping, it isn't a bad buy, especially considering it is not only a space saving feature as well as a space creating feature. Holds the dog tennis balls and other miscellaneous items nicely and the storage is accessed often, hence the reason to facilitate lifting the lid.

Though the car is plastic, I have yet to find anything that is really flimsy about it, especially when compared to cars in the same price range. This is a solid, fun driving small car loaded with technology and practicality. It is so nice not to have a huge hood leading the way and an azz following behind!

enjoy!

[james_e_moore]

Originally Posted by smartxs

The armrest is loose where it connects to the base. With three screws in each side on the base, the base is reasonably solid.

As for the trimming, it wasn't mounted right or he wouldn't have had to trim the side.

when installing it, make sure you are mounting it far enough back that you can pull up the e-brake to the fullest, BEFORE you screw it down!

Because of the seat offset, the front of the armrest is easily used by the driver and the rear by the passenger.

It DOES make finding the seat belt anchor a bit difficult, but raising the armrest eliminates that problem as they are CLEARLY exposed when it is.

I LEAN on my armrest, and so far it has held up beautifully. My only plan for it is to put a magnet under the arm rest and on top of the lower frame so it is easier to open the rest to the storage area (which also has a magnet, so the one under the storage to hold it down will need to be stronger).

For $99, plus shipping, it isn't a bad buy, especially considering it is not only a space saving feature as well as a space creating feature. Holds the dog tennis balls and other miscellaneous items nicely and the storage is accessed often, hence the reason to facilitate lifting the lid.

Though the car is plastic, I have yet to find anything that is really flimsy about it, especially when compared to cars in the same price range. This is a solid, fun driving small car loaded with technology and practicality. It is so nice not to have a huge hood leading the way and an azz following behind!

enjoy!

Where did you find an arm rest for only $99????