Centre armrest won't stay down

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evoke
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Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by evoke »

I've got a slight problem with my centre armrest. It seems to be secured down using small Velcro pads and the glue has become very weak. The upshot is that it sometimes opens upwards by itself and causes the alarm to go off (as the interior motion detectors get triggered when it springs open).

How is the centre armrest supposed to be held down? Surely there must have been some sort of a latch but my one has very small Velcro pads?
2008 Citroen C5 2.2 HDi Exclusive
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Old-Guy
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by Old-Guy »

You need to say what car you have. Why not put the details in your Signature so anyone can see every time you post?
2011 Grand C4 Picasso VTR+ 1.6HDi in Kyanos Blue
1995 Xantia Estate SX 1.9TD in Vert Vega "The Green Lady" - after 11 years now owned by XanTom
1998 Xantia 2.1 VXD Estate in Mauritius Blue - R.I.P. (terminal tin-worm)
evoke
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by evoke »

Oops, so sorry! It's a 2008 Citroen C5 2.2 HDi Exclusive.
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qprdude
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by qprdude »

2008 must be the new shape. Mine has a latch of some sort, not Velcro but it's snowing heavily here and I'm in me jamas! I take it yours is the type that has a small lever that lifts the whole up and forward as an armrest, or can be left flat and just opened by a lever on the opposite side? If it's the "moveable type, it has a proper latch but I can't remember what it is, just that I open it with a lever nearest the passenger side and it closes with a solid click. :)
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2013 Citroen DS 5 D/Sport
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evoke
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by evoke »

Yes, it's a new-shape C5.

I had a good look at it this morning and there is a small latch. It looks like the prong on the underside of the armrest has snapped so it doesn't engage into the latch on the base of the armrest, which is probably why the previous owner used Velcro pads. It looks like the small prong isn't a separately available part so will necessitate the entire armrest to be replaced so i'll stick to Velcro pads unless I can find a stick-on magnetic catch of some sort.
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Old-Guy
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1998 Xantia 2.1 VXD Estate in Mauritius Blue - R.I.P. (terminal tin-worm)
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by Old-Guy »

evoke wrote:.... It seems to be secured down using small Velcro pads and the glue has become very weak.
I know a bit about Velcro having sold it for over 20 years; so the key questions are:
1.) the pads are parting from each other (so not genuine Velcro but a pale imitation 'hook-and-loop') or
2.) the pads are staying hooked together and the adhesive on the back of one ad won't stay glued to the relevant surface?

Important facts to consider.
  • Genuine branded Velcro grips much better and is much longer lasting than imitations (that really aren't that much cheaper)
    Self-adhesive Velcro doesn't stick well to anything other than a smooth surface (which must be cleaned and degreased/de-siliconed)
    If needing to stick Velcro to surface that isn't smooth, use Sew-On Velcro and an adhesive that will penetrate and/or gap fill both surfaces (e.g. flexible PVA on fabrics)
    The holding ability of both the adhesive and the Velcro is proportional to the area (try a bigger pad).
2011 Grand C4 Picasso VTR+ 1.6HDi in Kyanos Blue
1995 Xantia Estate SX 1.9TD in Vert Vega "The Green Lady" - after 11 years now owned by XanTom
1998 Xantia 2.1 VXD Estate in Mauritius Blue - R.I.P. (terminal tin-worm)
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qprdude
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by qprdude »

Had a look at mine today and it looks like a fairly vulnerable little toggle. With the lid open, it would be easy to knock it off. It looks like a lot of these thinks and I'm wondering if it would be possible to source one from a hardware store. I'm sure I've seen similar shaped plastic ones used on cabinet doors etc. Maybe they could be filed to the right shape and superglued in place of the broken bit.
Rick.

2013 Citroen DS 5 D/Sport
2007 Renault Clio Campus sport. 1.2l

Sometimes the change doesn't work.
evoke
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Re: Centre armrest won't stay down

Post by evoke »

qprdude wrote:Had a look at mine today and it looks like a fairly vulnerable little toggle. With the lid open, it would be easy to knock it off. It looks like a lot of these thinks and I'm wondering if it would be possible to source one from a hardware store. I'm sure I've seen similar shaped plastic ones used on cabinet doors etc. Maybe they could be filed to the right shape and superglued in place of the broken bit.
I'll look into fashioning a similar-shaped prong as I have a Dremel tool at home.
2008 Citroen C5 2.2 HDi Exclusive
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