09 Install tips center console & aftermarket armrest
Hi folks,
I just put my new aftermarket armrest in (and love it) to my base 09 Fit. After following the crappy directions, I wanted to give a few tips that I wish someone had told me first. My apologies for no pictures (we didn't have a camera) and for the fact that this info may be somewhere on the forums already (I looked but couldn't find it). These notes are made from an install on a base 2009 automatic and should supplement the directions that come with the kit:
1. When removing the center console plastic clips at the front left and right, mine had a standard (flat) screwdriver face. The screw face seems at first to be loose and simply for looks, BUT if you loosen the screw (lefty-loosey, and reach behind the plastic and lightly pull the console outward at the same time---so that it has the pressure to de-thread) it will collapse the expanding plastic and pull right out. No need to break the clip. The clips act essentially like a plastic mollie (sp?) bolt.
2. When "gently pulling out" the long center console piece, the directions tell you to put the shifter (automatic) into neutral. The reason for doing this, which my directions failed to mention, is to help facilitate pulling the console out around the shifter. But you can make it even easier by sliding the (automatic) shift knob to D3 and lower during the removal. This helps even more once you get the console piece partially off/out. Moving the parking brake helps too. The same is true of the reinstallation process. But, make sure you are on a flat surface!
Now, on the diagram of that long center console piece there is a centered dotted line and attachment point that is marked but not explained -- what it is a sliding clip point located just behind the shifter knob, but on the underside and invisible to you until the whole thing lifts off. So, when you take the long center console piece out, make sure you nudge the whole unit back toward the rear of the car, straight and even at first so that the little hidden horseshoe-shaped tongue disengages from that clip point. Mine came off fine, but someone might try to go the other direction and crack something .
3. Lower the parking brake to the down/disengaged position before loosening the parking break cable bracket guide bolts (there are two, in an inline pattern) and removing that little metal bolt bracket piece (which you do not reuse). Tension on the bracket makes it hard to unbolt, and more likely you'll blunt the bolt threads.
4. On the parking brake cable line is a fine-tune adjustment screw that ties into the Y-split. If you rotate it (lefty-loosey) toward the rear of the car it gives more slack to the parking break handle. This does two things: first, when you remove and later reinstall those two inline bolts (mentioned in my #4) it helps to have no tension on the cable/plates/holes. Second, if you don't like how tight and hard Honda parking brake handles are usually set, you can adjust the throw more to your liking (I added maybe 6 turns of slack, myself).
That's about it. Anyway, I hope someone finds this even mildly useful.
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