Armrests for manual trasmission CRVs

[Macwindow]

Love my CRV with one exception. The 5 speed manual version has no armrest for the driver or passenger. It is uncomfortable driving long distances without the arm rest. I have used props on the shelf to simulate an arm rest and it makes a big difference.

The driver's seat has no interior structure to accept the accessory arm rest Honda sells.

Does anybody know of a way to put armrests or a console arm rest on a 2006 CRV with a manual transmission?

Thanks in advance for any help you might have.

[Snoopy1971]

Yes, I have this same dilemma ... Like you, I also have a Black 2006 EX manual. Of course after I got it, I learned that only the autos come with the armrests.

If you haven't joined already, go to www.hondasuv.com and join there. Do a search there and you will find several threads dealing with this issue, a couple of which I started in search for information on the topic.

Apparently, Honda manufatures 2 different seat frames for the autos & manuals. The autos have a bracket that is welded onto the inside of the seat frame to accept the bolts that hold the armrest on... the manuals don't have this. One of several places to go and see the parts list is www.hondaautomotiveparts.com.

Aftermarket wise, if you want the same armrests that the manuals get, www.jjproducts.net sells a set that is made for the manual tranny CR-V's.

If you want the accessory wide armrest that that opens up wit hthe storage, well you may or may not be in for a long ride. A few people at the other board have tried with no luck ... Some have said that the bolt pattern in the seat frame does not match the bracket that comes with the armrest. To get it to fit, you have to go to the harwarre store & get 2 long bolts & nuts to attach since the manual seat frame doesn't have the welded piece inside, which is what has the threads. One member e-mailed me and told me that he got the top bolt in, but the bottom didn't match up, so at first he used a zip tie, but that was too stable, so he just used loctite to glue it down and now it's fine.

However, all these folks who tried it had Japan-built CR-V's ... I have been told that MOST manual CRV-s are built in Japan, with SOME being built in England. I have been told that the seat frame seems to vary from Japan-built to UK-built. Look at your window sticker to see where it was built ... If you don't have it, then your VIN# will tell you ... The first character will tell you ... "J" for Japan or "S" for UK.

I have not tried installing it yet, but here's what I did ... My CR-V was built in the UK. Unzip your seat cover. The zipper is in the back along each back edge. The end of the zipper is tucked in the bottom, so you gotta stick your finger in there and root around to get it out. After unzipping, the pull the foam padding away from the seat and look at the frame. You will see a square outline on the outside of the padding & a square indentation in the padding on the inside. This indicates where the bracket would go for the armrest in the autos.This indentation should line up with 2 bolts holes. Mine are at about the 1:00 & 7:00 positions. Not sure how they are oriented in the Japan-built seat frames that some people say the bolts patterns don't match up in.

What I did was I had to find a Honda dealer that had one in stock (call around first). I went there and just expalined everything to them and I borrowed it (had to leave them my license) from them and took it out to my car to see if the bolt pattern in the bracket will match my seat frame.

It looks to me like it will work, so I'm going to get the wide armrest and the bolts/washers/nuts from home depot & put it in when I get a chance.

[Macwindow]

Thank you for the detailed response! This was about what I thought. I felt around on the outside of the passenger seat and could feel the bracket under the foam for an arm rest, there is no such bracket on the driver's seat.

It only bothers me if I have to drive over an hour, and I live 1/2 mile from work. I bought a small soft-sided cooler with a plastic insert that fits right on the shelf and does the job in a pinch.

Thanks for the link to hondasuv, I will check it out.