Center Console Armrest Cover Replacement for Toyota Avalon 2013-2018, Vinyl Leather, Car Arm Rest Lid Skin Upholstery, Anti-Scratch, Black (Without Lid)

The armrest in my 2015 Avalon hybrid Limited had serious wear on the spot where I rested my arm. I have been driving for Uber so 3 days a week, I have my arm on the armrest for around 8 hours with very little break in between. This review will help you when it comes to installing this item.First off, this will actually fit over the stock armrest cover if you would like. This way in the future it can be removed and the stock leather will still be as it was before this was installed. This will also save you the hassle of having to spend the time to remove dozens of staples that hold the original armrest leather in place.After watching some videos online I saw that many people had very hard times trying to staple into the hard plastic of the armrest. I saw a comment on one of the videos of someone who said they used a heat gun to soften the plastic before stapling the armrest cover into it. As I had had the same issues attempting to staple with no luck, I purchased a $25 heat gun from my local hardware store and used it on the low setting to heat the plastic until it was just bearable to touch without instantly burning myself. I used 1/4" (6mm) galvanized steel staples that had appointed tip to them. If you use any staple longer than that then you run the risk of stapling completely through the thinner parts of plastic and it will protrude through the side of the armrest cover.I did not use any adhesive sprays because I didn't want anything to be completely permanent if I did not like the results, staples can always be removed. Finally when you are unscrewing the armrest for the initial installation of the new cover, be very careful not to lose any of the screws that are holding it in place as these seem to be proprietary and as far as I could find, are not available in any hardware store. I found that #4, 3/8 wood screws are the closest match and with a very small washer just larger than the screw head, these will do in a pinch.If you find that there is extra space at the rear of the arm rest and no matter what you do, you can't get it right without deforming the new cover, find some high density foam and spend the time to shape it into a piece that will add a little extra cushion and fill in the space. This was a better solution for me than what the manufacturer recommended, which was to try to heat the cover so it shrank into place and thus removed the creases/deformations.As far as the product itself, the rest of this will be a review of the actual piece, but to save you some time, if you have the grayish blue armrest, this is a perfect replacement of very high quality.Appearance: matches the OEM cover perfectly, with thicker leather, but no padding, overall thickness is the same.Comfort: way better than an armrest that has flaking paint, with cracks forming along the grain.Value: if you own a good staple gun and heat gun, it's a great value, even if you need to spend $60 on the two just for this install, it's way cheaper than paying an upholstery shop several hundred dollars to do what you can do in less than an hour.I hope this helps with your decision to purchase and install this easy upgrade.

I am so glad I chose to do this myself. It matched perfectly and had no trouble getting it on. Used 1/4" staples T50 staple gun, no adhesive. Look at videos to remove the console. The fabric feels thicker than original and fit perfectly.

It turned out great but you need a heavy duty stapler or adhesive.

I"m very happy with the result and the installation process, which I'd rate barely difficult. Removing the console cover from the car is a must because of all the stretching and securing needed. It was harder to remove the cover from my 2013 Avalon than replacing the material. Next to the original material the replacement looks lighter, but in the car it matches perfectly, as seen in the first photo.My original was secured not by adhesive, but staples. There was no included adhesive as the instructions indicate. I have a staple gun and would use it anyway. But the plastic is HARD. Even using 1/4" staples, only some went in all the way. But the material is strong and the staples do secure it. The underside assembly nicely hides the bent staples.Stretching the material takes time and a lot of manipulation. Patience and persistence pays off.Included are pictures of the console cover removal steps. The back AC vent pops out with a thin blade screwdriver, held by three plastic tabs, one on top, two on bottom. I worked the blade around until it popped out.The top wood grain piece between the hinges comes next. It pops up from the front, held mainly by tabs on the back.Next comes the big back cover. The last photo shows its tabs, so you know where to work it.Once these pieces are removed, pop off the spring clip (Jesus clip) on the passenger end of the pin that goes through the passenger side hinge. Pull the pin toward the middle of the assembly until you feel the passenger side hinge releasing. Then pull the driver side trim flap away from the console so you have room to work the driver side hinge. It does not use a pin, just a fat plastic stub that fits in a plastic hole. Putting it back is harder than removing it. I had to use a rubber hammer. It helps to move the passenger seat all the way back and down so the console cover has more room for you to manipulate it.Finally, in my case it was important to get the stretching right before applying hair dryer heat. The heat treatment made only half the difference I wanted. The console top has a sponge that runs almost all the way to the back, so where it stops, the material drops off, creating a uniform void. The original material has a layer of foam that fills this void, the replacement does not. That caused ripples where the sponge stops. However, once it's installed, I can't even see it. Maybe over time it evens out.

Great item, and the material is better than the original console lid cover from Toyota. It's a little tricky to install: I had to use pliers to tug at the material to make it fit properly. I went with glue instead of staples, and that worked fine, but next time I'll protect the cover with paper/painters tape to keep any wayward glue off the product. Make sure the inside of the cover has glue in all the right places. I used E6000 and added some binder clips to keep in in place until it dried.

Great look and fit. One of the reviews suggested just putting it over the original cover and I highly recommend that. Make sure you use a very high-quality staple gun for best results. I also suggest stapling one side then one edge and maybe let it sit in a warm area for 30 minutes to an hour to let the material relax. Over a period of two or three hours I stapled And stretched and stapled and stretched and the longer I waited for the material to stretch out the better result so it looks like new. Be patient.