[Alex///M]

I bought a split armrest from a forum member a few months ago and have been putting off installing it because I dreaded taking apart the center console.

After finally doing a bit of research and finding what I thought was relevant and simple instructions to do this job, I gave it a crack last night. Imagine my surprise when I removed the rear heater console to find that the standard E90 armrest replacement instructions I found on E90post do not apply to ///Ms since our cars have a spring mounted on the metal pivots/dowels. Standard E90s do not have that spring apparently and the armrests in those cars flop around and slam shut if you aren't careful.

I spent a half hour trying to figure out how to remove the pins with lots of pushing, pulling, prying, and wedging with screw drivers and pliers. I stopped and reassembled everything and figured I'd come here for forum wisdom. I was afraid to keep pushing because I just don't know how much force the plastic in that area can take before it breaks.