LeatherZ Mark4 Armrest

[Aries326]

Anyone here have the Mark4 Armrest? I\'m interested in picking it up but wanted to see first if anyone can give me any feedback. Thanks!

[vachss]

Pros: Comfortable, Good looking, well made, extra storage is handy

Con (and a fairly big one): Emergency brake handle tends to hit the bottom front of the unit when pulled up. I suppose this can be fixed by adjusting the E-brake, but there isn't a lot of room provided for E-brake throw.

[Aries326]

Perfect! Thank you very much! Since I won't be doing any drifting and frequent e-braking, this should work out for me.

[Twisted Six]

Originally Posted by vachss

Pros: Comfortable, Good looking, well made, extra storage is handy

Con (and a fairly big one): Emergency brake handle tends to hit the bottom front of the unit when pulled up. I suppose this can be fixed by adjusting the E-brake, but there isn't a lot of room provided for E-brake throw.

I was under the impression that the Z4 handbrakes were NOT adjustable ?

I too have the Leather-Z armrest. which is being hit by the lever when used.

The plastic will have to be trimmed to help this. But even then..the leather lid hits.

This should have been engineered out when R&D was being done. I'd imagine the cable has stretched beyond the tolerance of the design.

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by Dark Schnitzer

I was under the impression that the Z4 handbrakes were NOT adjustable ?

I too have the Leather-Z armrest. which is being hit by the lever when used.

The plastic will have to be trimmed to help this. But even then..the leather lid hits.

This should have been engineered out when R&D was being done. I'd imagine the cable has stretched beyond the tolerance of the design.

The armrest is designed so that if the ebrake handle contacts the plastic base, you know that the ebrake is out of alignment. We designed it so it is 1 'click' above within BMW specs.

The brake may lift the leather covered lid. When I designed the Mark4, we tried a version with less lip on the lid and it looked horrible. In this case, I went with form over function.

[Aries326]

@AndyM

Thank you for clarifying! Will order some stuff now from LeatherZ!

[Aries326]

So, I just got the LeatherZ armrest and it looks great! I use it to keep my sunglasses and wallet in. I hate driving with my wallet in my back pocket.

Anyway, it stays on with some 3M double sided tape. It holds pretty well. The only thing wrong is it is slightly off color. I did email AndyM on it and he said he's send me a sample of Imola Red as I thought maybe my car has Imola Red, not dream red. He assured me that I have dream red as my model did not come in Imola Red. He stated that his leather is probably lighter since it hasn't been exposed to the sun nor has it been treated. Well, because I was so impatient and trusted Andy's knowledge, I just went ahead and installed the armrest before getting the sample Imola Red to compare. Anyone else have a problem with matching colors?

I do not have any problems with the parking brake hitting the Armrest or not being able to pull it up far enough so the parking brake engages. It would be nice if there was a lock on the armrest compartment so you can just leave your top down without worrying about people go through your stuff. Other than that, it was a good deal. It feels like it was really meant to be part of the car. My right arm naturally rests on it. Here are some pics:

[ZStig]

Some people have sold theirs because they didn't like their elbow/arm being up so high compared to the shifter

[DevilM]

Looks perfect. Beautiful interior in red. Wish I had it.
Agree about wallet in back pocket. Before the M coupe, it was always there, since October '07 when I got the car, never there.

[Loogey Clapp]

I too have the LeatherZ Mark 4 armrest and the door armrests in Dream Red. They do seem a bit lighter in color than my seats but nonetheless, they do look good and add a nice touch to the interior. I didn't find any problem getting adjusted to my arm being up a bit higher when shifting.

The only thing I noticed is that on the door armrests,it was a tad wide up front and overhangs just a bit. Also, even though I had waited until we had some warm weather here in the northwest, the tape did not hold. I went to the local hardware store and got some double-sided tape and replaced what was on the back of the armrests. Now they are securely stuck. I thought that was odd because it seemed like the same tape that was on the Mark 4 which was securely attached.

One thing I really do like is about having both the Mark 4 and the door armrests, my elbows are even with each other when they are both on the armrests. That makes it very nice on long drives. Also, the padding on the door armrests is much more comfortable than the stock armrests.

[Aries326]

Did treating the leather on the Mark4 armrest darken the color any way so it is closer in color to your seats'?

[ShakyDog]

Anyone trim down the height? or is that even possible?

Steve

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by ShakyDog

Anyone trim down the height? or is that even possible?

Steve

How much lower do you want it? Any lower and you will have issues with the ebrake. I can make a run that is shorter, but I would need a significant commitment before I would even consider it (read 150-200 orders).

I designed it so it matches the height of the door armrests, this way you sit straight up and down with both elbows on the armrests. This decreases fatigue over time and makes for a more enjoyable driving experiences. It also maximizes the amount of storage, something that is lacking in the Z4 to begin with.

[Twisted Six]

Originally Posted by ShakyDog

Anyone trim down the height? or is that even possible?

Steve

You could peel off the leather and use a turkey electric knife to trim off a few 1/4"s or so . Cut only the bottom so you won't have to sand.
Then use 3M spray adhesive to refit the leather-(might require leather trimming).

[Loogey Clapp]

Originally Posted by AndyM

... I designed it so it matches the height of the door armrests, this way you sit straight up and down with both elbows on the armrests. This decreases fatigue over time and makes for a more enjoyable driving experiences. It also maximizes the amount of storage, something that is lacking in the Z4 to begin with.

I agree with AndyM. My arms are much more comfortable with both being level. I find that with resting my elbows on the Mark 4 and Andy's door armrest, it also puts my hands in a comfortable spot on the steering wheel. I can't imagine wanting resting elbows to be uneven. I am really glad that I added the Mark 4.

In response to Aries326, Sorry, but I have not tried treating the leather yet to see if it would darken the color a bit as I just recently installed it. I will do that this weekend as I will be heading out on a roadtrip next week.

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by Loogey Clapp

I agree with AndyM. My arms are much more comfortable with both being level. I find that with resting my elbows on the Mark 4 and Andy's door armrest, it also puts my hands in a comfortable spot on the steering wheel. I can't imagine wanting resting elbows to be uneven. I am really glad that I added the Mark 4.

In response to Aries326, Sorry, but I have not tried treating the leather yet to see if it would darken the color a bit as I just recently installed it. I will do that this weekend as I will be heading out on a roadtrip next week.

Loogey, did you treat your leather yet? I'm still waiting for my leatherique cleaner before I store my car for the winter. Just wondering if treating the leather made it look closer dream red.

[boydgti]

I have a black one also in my closet but didnt install it because the colour didnt match perfectly to the interior of my car.

[Loogey Clapp]

Originally Posted by Aries326

Loogey, did you treat your leather yet? I'm still waiting for my leatherique cleaner before I store my car for the winter. Just wondering if treating the leather made it look closer dream red.

Sorry for the late reply. Yes I did and no it didn't. I used Zaino's on it. Same color as before. The difference between the center armrest (I also have the matching door armrests) and the seats is very subtle. It did not take me long to get used to the difference. Now, I just blame it on the lighting and shadows. Passengers have either not noticed or not commented.

[Aries326]

Originally Posted by Loogey Clapp

Sorry for the late reply. Yes I did and no it didn't. I used Zaino's on it. Same color as before. The difference between the center armrest (I also have the matching door armrests) and the seats is very subtle. It did not take me long to get used to the difference. Now, I just blame it on the lighting and shadows. Passengers have either not noticed or not commented.

I just cleaned the leather in my car as well with some leather cleaner from Meguiar's. Leather didn't change color. You're right. You can blame the off color on lighting.