Guys I have beenhaving problems w/the arm rest. It is also the cover for the cup holder. I lean my arm on it allthe time and people that sit in passenger seat do too and now it gets stuck when I try to slide it over to use thecup holder. If apassenger is resting their arm on it or I am and then I have to open it up then I have to raise it a little every time I want to slide it open otherwise it is stuck and wont move back. Is mine broken worn out already or does everyone have this porblem? I didnt think something like this would happen untilthe car is like 4 years old!!

 

Already been discussed in this thread.

 

I read that post and nothingever was solved about it. Why is there such a crappy console in the Rx8? I know its supposedto look cool when you slide it back for cupholder and then lift it up to get to storage compartment but it gets stuck all the time! I also dont like how I can only fit 5 thin cd cases like the guy said in your post for the middlecompartment. Why couldnt the compartment have been deeper or longer? Guys I knowI sound likean ******* by saying all this bad stuff in the car but Im not trying to. I think the interior in my Rx8 is cool looking. It just isnt helpful at all and I think a lot of space was wasted and they could have had much better storage.

 

Is it an armrest or bodyrest? I personally have not had a problem with it. I just know not to try to hold my entire weight on a piece of plastic that is made to slide back and forth and has a hinge on it.

 

I agree its not the best but I havent had any problems with it.

 

as far as where to keep the cd cases- i got a nice 24 cd carrier that fits very well in the door pocket.

 

unfortunately, this is a case of "you get what you pay for."

The fit and finish isn't the best in the RX-8, as compared to say that of a car twice as expensive.. The reason is obvious.

It may also be that alot of plastic was used to reduce the weight of the car so as to have better performance out of the very small engine. Most luxury cars don't have this problem since they have much bigger engines to handle the added weight of higher quality parts.

It would be nice to see an aftermarket manufacturer make an auxiliary armrest that can fold up and down, above the original cover... similar to the TT's aftermarket armrest shown here and here .

In the meantime, the only thing to do is to keep off of it, unless you want to wear the plastic rail and cover bottom or misalign it by jarring it with our heavy force.

 

The first week I had to take mine apart to find out where one of the runners fell off. The slide and snap design runs on plastic runners. These plastic clip runners seem to be made to only work well with equal pressure while sliding. I learned to slide from mid point (with palm) while pushing the button. It helps a lot.

As far as other cars go, my '96 BMW had a really cheap console - looked like something out of Wal-Mart. My friend, who has an Explorer Sport has a broken arm rest - it fell apart. I think that many companies pay little attention to this area. It took the longest time for many of them to add cup holders.

Our console looks good. Perhaps someone can come up with a fix to make it better. I believe that those slider snaps could be made stronger. The front of the top seems to go down a little. They could easily redesign another snap glide.

 

No disrespect to Squid or the TT, but I don't know how anyone can look at that TT aftermarket thing and then diss the 8's console.

That aside, I've had no problems with the '8 center console. As was said above, this is an armrest, not a body rest. I don't put much weight on it. As for having to raise your arm to slide the cover, well duh! I dispose of CD cases as soon as I buy CD's and keep 'em in a wallet along with their covers. Do this, and bring dozens along plus 6 in the in-dash changer. If you want a $40-50,000 console, buy a $40-50,000 car.

 

i find myself leaning on the top of the console cover as i first get into the car. over time im sure this will be detrimental to its operation.

 

"dis"??? heh, maybe, i don't mean to just stating the clear fact that console isn't really that solid.. you said it yourself below

Quote:

If you want a $40-50,000 console, buy a $40-50,000 car.

(my thoughts exactly that was the point I was trying to make...)

But aside from that, the aftermarket alternative (when available) may keep your original console from getting broken if you're "heavy armed"...

 

I find that the rear cupholder is a great place to charge the cell phone while driving, so normally have mine open all the time....but I have experienced this problem. Guess we just need to treat the center console with a little TLC. As far as CD storage goes, I purchased a visor 10-CD holder which velcros around the sun visor. It keeps the CDs close at hand and even has a place to hold a pen. I think it cost around $5 or $6 at Target.

 

Duplicate thread, closing...

---jps