The top piece does remove...and it's actually pretty easy. The hardest part is just being careful not to lose any screws. A magnetized screw head and/or a pair of tweezers, or needle nose pliers will avoid the frustration of dropping a screw.

Sorry I took no pictures....I basically just experimented. But basically if you remove the plastic underside of the top portion...which is 4 screws...plus two that hold the piece which is the handle used to lift the top piece...plus a single screw in the middle near the hinge...the plastic underside is lose...you can move it out of the way by simply hinging it down towards the base. Then the top portion reveals the metal portion of underside of the top....slide that forward...or since it's hinged...up...and 4 screws will align with 4 holes...remove those...and the very, very top portion simply comes off..with a little jiggling. The usual disclaimer of proceed at your own risk applies. But basically it's just carefully removing the screws.

I got my top piece back from the upholstery shop. I had it redone in dark grey leather.

To be honest? The color match is so close to the original that it doesn't look that much different than the original piece did when it was brand new. Perhaps smoother and a little less visual texture. I think it feels much nicer...and looks much nicer than the wrinkled, blistering original as it deteriated.

I'm VERY happy as I thought my original piece had deteriated so bad, that it looked horrible.

I think if you already own the console and experience this deteriation, the best thing to do is to simply have that piece redone. I'm hoping real leather, will offer more durability and longevity.

I do not offer this as fact, simply overheard opinion. BUT the guy at the upholstery shop said they were getting a LOT of similar type of work from all car makes. Seems on newer cars, new ecologically friendly vinyls, that are produced using less petroleum, don't seem to be holding up as well. He said I was "lucky" as GM had a big arm rest/console in one of their SUV's that was deteriating very quickly and they had already redone several.

I have no idea...but I was surprised at how quickly the vinyl on my piece seemed to deteriate.

Anyway, I'm back in business...I think it looks great, it certainly feels better...now I just hope it lasts a little longer than 15 months.

 

my 09 came with it when i bought the car late 2008. still looks like new. you guys may have gotten a bad batch?

anyway i noticed on my '12 that it comes with a built-in armrest on the driver seat (kinda minded me of a minivan... not cool) but it's functional so i dont plan on getting the optional one. not ever sure if they would even fit on the '12.

 

Fitchet- thank you so much for the super detailed removal description! Looks like you picked the right place to do the job. Looks stock just like you said. Nice when things work out. Thanks again.

Kenchan- the console comes with a little plastic plug for installs on sport models so you can remove the factory arm rest and cover the hole. Not necessary on base models.

 

Now I'll be taking a really close look at mine I haven't noticed any issues with it, but I never look at it, never clean it, just use it.

Please let us know how the re-upholster job goes and what it cost.

Jim

 

My armrest too was getting stretching and bubbling, it did make it almost 5 years though. I got it right when I bought my 2009 at the end of '08. It was really bothering me and I didn't want to buy a whole new armrest just for the top pad. It actually wasnt that bad getting it off. First open the armrest and you will first see two screws on the underside, carefully remove them so they don't drop into the armrest. Next there is one screw near the hinge, and finally the two screws on the lock, for a total of five. Now the underside should come down exposing the bottom of the armrest. Slide the pad up or forward two clicks, and you will see four screws, the same type that were holding bottom covering. One those are removed the top pops right off with a little bit of wiggling. I just searched for furniture repair shops in my area and found a guy to do it for $45 in real leather. Although when I picked it up he conceded I got the deal of the week as it was alot more work than he expected. A little more padded than stock and I went with black stitching as the car is cloth anyways. I have pictures if anyone wants to see, just nowhere to host them so hit me up and I can email them to you.

 

Old thread, but the arm rest on my 2009 is torn to shreds. It is in very bad shape. Material hanging out on all sides. My shift cover is also torn up. I will definitely recover the arm rest. Thanks for the info on how to take the top part off.

 

I think they sell an accessory leather shift knob. I also had to use jb weld in the driver and passenger armrests inside the door panels because those cracked just from normal use. Had to pull them off first though of course. I no longer have the car. Same about the interior material quality.