speedkar9

Here's how to upgrade your armrest with a custom leather stitched and padded armrest cover. I did this on my Solara and realize the ES300 has a much nicer armrest already. However if yours is worn out you might want to replace or refashion the armrest to bring things back to new again.


The stock padding in the Camry / Solara is not very soft and has gotten flat over the years.



First step is to remove the armrest by the two hinge screws:



Then remove the 6 screws holding the plastic backer on:



Then peel back the rubbery cover:



As you can see there's a very thin layer of sponge underneath the rubbery cover:



I'm using leather from the seat (stripped from a junkyard car) to match the interior color of my car. Its genuine leather backed by a sponge material, which I removed before stitching:



Next, measure the armrest to cut your material:



Make sure you leave 1/2" extra for double stitching and at least 1" to tuck underneath the armrest:



Sew your material together. I opted for two perforated leather pieces along the top, with the solid leather on the sides to match the pattern of the seat. They're stitched together first:



Then folded back and double stitched along the seam:



Cut off the extra material from the fold:



I reused some sponge from the leather seat cover to give the armrest a much softer backing:



Then slip on the stitched cover:



I used clips to hold the leather in place:



Then use some hot glue to secure the edges and trim the excess:



Armrest all trimmed up:



And reassembled to be put back in the car:



Installed armrest:





Enjoy!

mugencivic

nice, i like how it turned out. i've been pondering on how to replace or fixed the arm rest leather. thanks for sharing