Usually, I don't expect plastics to survive an initial break/repair. But the fact it broke in the first place in less than a month, hell, less within a couple days. ouch.

 

I just got mine yesterday. Put it together in 5 minutes. it's flimsy and totally not stable for my arm to rest on, but then again, I havent screwed the two screws into the cup holder yet. Not sure if I will.

 

This is the Zeta one? I've been worried about the stability mainly. I hate to drill holes, but then again you have to take whole thing apart to put in the OEM so I guess you have to put in screws no matter what if you want it put in right...

 

I have the Zeta one and have yet to affix it with screws. Have had it for a year and half. If a 20 lb puppy jumped on it it would not break, but might fall over, so I would need to put it back in the cupholder. It seems solid and sturdy.

 

The zeta one does not require any drilling. It has one screw that replaces an existing one in one of the cupholders covered in a felt material.

The ones off eBay have skinny necks as opposed to a nice thick neck. I can put my weight (6'5'' 280) when getting in the the car without a problem. The thing doesn't move. The wife and I agree it was an excellent purchase and passes our overly critical opinion on products. 100 bucks may not seem like a lot, a nice night on the town costs as much these days, but I work too hard for crap products.

 

sweeeetttt i need a rest for my big arm!

 

no...ebay one from china. I thought it was the screws that had to be screwed in, but last night, i tried holding the bottom part down while moving the armrest and it still had a flimsy feel to it. Just going to leave it alone for now. Does it what it needs to do. Maybe once I install my clazzio car covers, it will be affixed better.

 

So the Zeta one is the way to go it sounds like. Has anyone hear from "Mr Zeta" lately? It doesn't look like he's been active here in a while. I emailed a question to them last week through their site and have not gotten any response.

 

I have a Base and the Chinese Ebay one looks fine with the interior.

I leaned on mine today- and was reminded it is def only an arm rest, and nothing more. haha. Still holding up though!

 

UPDATE: mine broke yesterday, BUT i fixed it and it's much better now. Basically, it broke off at the base where the screws connect to the armrest, but it didnt physically break off. It's just that the screws that came with it are too short. In the original package, theres a bunch of short black screws and two silver screws which are supposed to be used for drilling into the cup holder. I definitely didnt want to drill it into the cup holder, instead used those two silver screws to secure the base. Now, it's much much more stable. Liking it! =)

 

Do not try to install this yourself unless you have some type of experience in doing these things and have all the tools specified in the manual.

I tried doing it myself and ended up ruining the console, scratching the A/T shifter and putting a slight mark on the armrest itself.

You really need to have all the tools in the instructions and you have to have done something like this before.

 

^^Are you talking about the OEM or the Zeta? The Zeta seems totally straight forward.

 

Im talking about the OEM. The OEM requires that you drill two permanent holes into the base of the console which is not a clean easy task unless you have the equipment to do it. Basically you need a drill, the right drill bit which is basically a 20mm bit and a little bit of dexterity. If you are not careful, than you can ruin the console.

 

You're making this sound a lot more complicated that it actually is. How hard is it to drill two holes? Use a push pin like the instructions say to mark the location for the hole, and then drill a hole.

The only accessory that could possibly be easier to install yourself is a shift knob.

 

I am not even close to being a mechanic, but I try to do some things myself, usually with some difficulty and a lot of cursing. I put in the oem armrest myself without any problem. I made sure to use the proper tools based on the DIY guide I found on this board, watched the collegehills DIY video a couple of times, and I TOOK MY TIME with it. And you have to drill 4 holes, two with a hole saw.
The oem armrest is solid, and very comfortable. I'm glad I spent the extra money for the oem.

 

DIY guide
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...t-install.html

 

My Ebay special is still in one piece and looking sharp btw.

 

Mine too. Didn't screw it into the bottom of the back cupholder, and it's still plenty sturdy for me...and if for some strange reason I wanted to take it out it would just lift out. It has a snug fit in the cupholder...it will shift slightly when I put significant force on it with my arm, like if I'm shifting in the driver seat...but so what?

I wanted a place to rest my right arm, and would have been haoppy with the Sport armrest had I bought the Sport. But I bought a base Fit...and the eBay armrest works fine, glad I didn't pay $200 + $100 installation for the OEM one.

Paul H

 

The ebay site says that it doesn't ship to United States. Thoughts?

 

I did the OEM arm rest in about an hour. You don't need a 20mm hole saw, btw, you just need a Dremel with a cutting stone, and the hole doesn't have to be *exactly* 20mm. The rubber button/stopper just has to fit into it. All it's for is to get your socket through to tighten the mounting bolt, then you cover the hole forever.

Really like the factory OEM arm rest. I didn't realize it slides forward until reading this thread, but sure enough, it does!