Many of us who are not lucky to have the 2009 interior with their padded arm rests and console covers wish we had an alternative to spending bucks to cover them in leather, and then we worry about the not so OEM look if the leather cover has wrinkles, etc.so___
Not sure if anyone has done this but it sure works great!

The 2008 40th center lower map box, cup holder console is fairly hard vinyl with a rubber pin like undercoating to grip the smooth white plastic cover.
The trick is to add resilient padding that will not shrink or change with pressure applied over time. I stumbled across a roll of left over building sill sealer plastic foam. This is the white 1/4 inch thick by 5 3/4 inch wide roll that is used to seal the home foundation cement wall to the wood sill plate. It compresses a bit and has air pockets with the back side having 7-8 raised ribs.
process:
1. Remove the screws holding the cover together, remove the latch 2 screws and set aside.
2. Carefully, use a thin small blade screw driver to gently lift back the oem cover starting at the rear and do the sides only. Leave the front attached as it should have a sticky glue like tab holding the black vinyl cover.

Now get the scissors and cut a length of the foam sill sealer to amlength of within 1 inch of the sides and round the edges . This will alow for the stretching and edges to not leave a sharp edge showing from undernetah the OEM cover. The rubber nibbed backing on the black vinyl cover will hold the sill sealer piece while you slide that piece underneath the oem cover. reattach and your have a padded cover!

 

sweet ima try this

 

post pics, some people need pictures

 

I am not sure a pic will look any different than the stock OEM cover but I will go take one. it is so sweet and I am pissed that for the past 2 months I have endured this crappy hard cover on my elbow. Hopefully most know what a sill sealer foam roll is that is used for home foundations?

The padding feels perfect, doesn't dent . I tried a 15 lb dumb bell across the edges of the foam roll before attaching it to be suere it would not leave a dent from the elbo..it was perfect_ what freekin luck!

I might see about taking the leather needle on a sewing machine to run a double stitched seam across the top edges of the oem vinyl cover since it seems to be decent vinyl leather like texture. then the cover would match the leather seats.

I don't know if all 2004-2007 have the same center arm rest cover attachment method. Mine had perfect wrapped over edges that are rubber edge bound like a form fitting gasket on the cover's edges that grip underneath the plastic inner cover-plate.
I'll get a pic or two and see if I can post it here from the pc. if not, send me an email and you can post it for me? Thanks!

 

can't upload a pic from here..ack_ where can I send the 3 pics to?

 

This stuff?

http://www.toolboxsupply.com/Product...?SKU=10643869&

 

yes, that will work. Best to cut the foam piece a good 1" less overall than the backing plate's dimensions. The whole job takes 5 minutes.

 

Gonna do this today as long as I can find some good foam for it.

 

Why would you do this? Or why do people buy those aftermarket console covers? Mazda could have put a steel plate there and I wouldn't care. It's not a lazy boy.

 

^ Why not you might as well be a little more comfortable, anyway I did this earlier I had some thick double sided foam tape I just stuck the tape down to the one piece and slipped the cover back over.

Im not gonna say its amazing but defiently a little more comfortable.

 

I'm not hating. Just saying I don't even notice, so what's the point. If you notice, more power to you.

 

I spend enough time in the car at freeway speed and stoplights to notice. Clearly the 8 was never meant to be a luxury car, but those elbow touch points need some help. Since there are several after market products I guess other's have noticed as well, and there must be enough demand.

 

Fair enough. Guess I'm in the minority on this one.

I thought the aftermarket options were simply to have real leather with colored stitching though...