After procrastinating for three years, I finally went ahead and installed an armrest in my Alto K10 VXI AMT. The main reason of my inaction was my doubt if an armrest could be fitted in this car. Three years ago when I had accessorized my car to the hilt at Glix (Saltlake, Kolkata), they had clearly told me that it is not possible to install an armrest in my car. The products listed online were also not confidence-inspiring until of late, two products on Amazon caught my sight, both of the same Kingsway brand. The more expensive (dearer by Rs. 350) armrest has a glass holder and ash tray on top. I chose the ordinary one (
link) as it measured 8 cm in width, as against 9 cm width of the premium variety (
link). Delivery was free and I also got a Rs. 75 discount by using Amazon Pay Balance.
Build quality
The product is entirely made of plastic with a cushion top (covered by art leather) for the armrest. The plastic is not flimsy; it will endure the weight of your arm and absorb minor impacts. The lid of the storage compartment feels heavy and it take a effort to open the lid.
Looks
The finish however is very ordinary. It will look cheap inside the car. Also, the beige colour doesn't match the beige shade of the Alto K10's interior. Unlike the image provided on the Amazon website, the base of the armrest also came in beige instead of black. I raised an issue and wrote both to Amazon and the seller asking if they could send me a black base instead. The replies weren't encouraging and I decided to keep the product. I am planning to spray paint the base with black colour. Need to get hold of a mechanic to do that for me! If it was possible, I would also like to paint the arm rest main body in the exact shade of beige that the Alto K10 comes with! I wonder if it is possible to get that exact shade of colour!
Installation
Assembling the parts is easy. First, I screwed the armrest proper to the base using the four screws supplied for the purpose. I realized that two more screws should have been provided to make the fixture more stable. Next, I screwed the side stands to complete the assembly, using the four screw-bolts provided.
Photo of the assembled product. Also note that the colour doesn't match the beige interior (seen on the doorpad) of the car - photo captured in daylight. Further note that later on I made a minor change how the side stands have been attached in this photo.
Coming to the installation proper, it is actually easy. I simply installed it like a 'fit-on' arm rest, placing it from a posterosuperior approach. The base of the armrest seats well on the handbrake console and the side stands make sure the arm rest stays in place.. But one has to keep in mind that it is a very tight fit and every millimetre is important. That is what I realized after my first install. The arm rest was under pressure from the seats on either side and went for a toss when the seats were moved back and forth! I took it out and saved at least 2.5 mm of space removing the side stands and reattaching them in the following way
- placed them from the inside of the base, instead of outside
- used the most bottom hole for the screw-bolts, so that the screw heads were no longer in contact with the seats
After this modification, the arm rest fit well. It was more stable. I was also pleased to note there was enough space for the handbrake to be operated. But then arose another problem. In my excitement, I had completely ignored the bottle holder which is a standard fitment in the Alto K10, placed behind the handbrake console. I had completely blocked it! I refitted the arm rest, this time slightly ahead and placed a one litre bottle in the bottle holder. This interfered with the full operation of the handbrake! I moved the base back and forth till I found the right balance. In this way the hand brake isn't disturbed and a bottle can be kept in the holder.
What remains is
drilling. I need to visit a mechanic to get the drilling done. Drilling will make the whole arm rest more stable. It still
wobbles when the seats are moved. For the drilling job, the front seats will have to be removed. I have already made a note of where the drilling points should be.
I also need to procure two more screws of the same size to make the arm rest's body-to-base fixture more strong.
Functionality
Post installation, I was pleased to see that the armrest rose to the same height as compared to the doorpad armrest.
The armrest cushion can slide forward if you need.
The armrest doesn't get in the way of the seat belt clips. Seat belts can be tied without a hassle.
I am already loving the extra storage it comes with.
The armrest can be raised when not in use.
The armrest obstructs the hand when operating the handbrake. Before operating the handbrake, I will have to raise the armrest every time.
It still takes away some ~ 2.5 mm space from the bottle holder area, so the bottle is a snug fit.
I am also no longer able to shut the bottle holder when not in use. That is a compromise I can live with.
EDIT: I have a dozen photographs to upload. Could not upload most of them after trying for an hour due to some technical glitch on Team-BHP server.
The armrest cushion can slide forward if you need
Post install, I was pleased to note that the armrest was at the same level as compared to the doorpad armrest.
The water bottle is a snug fit
Installation complete
The armrest can be raised when not in use
EDIT: Mods, kindly merge this post with the previous one.