IV and V owners can tune out. For the rest of us non-leather folks, has anyone figured out a clever way to not get the center arm rest all grubby? I guess the arm rests on the doors would be the same thing, but at 6'2" I would not be resting my arms on those. I have not seen any manly doilies. I would throw or pin a small towel over it, but I think that would look lame. Clear Contact paper would also rate high on the suck-o-meter. I have thought about putting in a bunch of tacks so I won't rest my arm there, but by the time I leave the office, putting my bare forearm on a bed of tacks would seem pleasurable in comparison. I suppose layers of poly urethane would probably not be the best idea. But on a serious note, Scotch-Guard? Suggestions welcome.
i was thinking about a way to keep mine from getting dirty also. I work outside in construction and can get pretty dirty some days.
Along the lines of your first suggestions, you could just carry a container of handy wipes and clean your arm before you put it down...
scotch guard is a good way to go. i use a folded towel that i also use to wipe down the car after the car wash. its actually comfy because it pads it a little more.
Oh Scotchgard, you magnificent example of better living through chemistry, is there anything you can't do? Sigh.:wub: I discovered that despite the name, it will keep Bourbon and rum from leaving stains too. But I would still be careful about drinking red wine when driving. Yeah, the arm rests should be something other than cloth. Even aside from dirt, it just seems that it will get worn down or shiny. I know you can't please everybody, but it seems that a company that can design and improve the hybrid engine system would be able to see a cloth armrest is not practical. I am sure many of you are neater than me and this might not be an issue for you, but I am no slob either and want the car to remain good looking. I am childless, but how do the families with young children deal with this stuff? I am surprised that the folks who make dash mats have not come up with a custom cover.
It may be a Toyota concept of an upgrade because the Scion D they gave us to use while our Prius was on the way had cloth on the door armrest, which to me is a really bad wear spot, however my wife though it made the interior look better. It must come from some consumer survey data.
Does the IV & V have leather in the doors and arm rest? I thought they had cloth also. If they are leather, I wonder how much it would be to order those parts. I am planning on getting Clazzio seat covers which come with an armrest cover.
Gen III model IV and V come with vinyl center and side arm rests. My dealer installed vinyl center and side arm rest covers on my 06 Gen II for around $50.
I cleaned my door armrests with a baby wipe,The detergent in the wipe was strong enough to lift out the dirt and left the cloth armrests looking brand new. Just stongly rub and you'll see them come clean like magic!
Go to Walmart and get some sheep skin seat belt covers, then ad velcoro the sticky on one side. I did this to my mustang and after 4 years they still look good. Hotfoot
Go to Walmart and get some sheep skin seat belt covers, then ad velcoro the sticky on one side. I did this to my mustang and after 4 years they still look good. Hotfoot
Treat w/scotchguard or equiv. Then on those extra-wear days when your arm may be soiled or super sweaty, pull a clean athletic sock over the arm. A temporary, but effective fix. Sock goes in door pocket.
srsly though, my cloth center arm-rest in my 05 is worn out. I'm going to take it to an upholster shop and see if they can replace it with leather.
There have been a number of posts on PC regarding aftermarket leather arm rest covers. Some sounded affordable and high quality. You might try a search first.
