How to Assemble a 2004 Toyota Camry Console Armrest

It's not easy to build a car; first, you have to design it for the engineers, to make sure that it's safe and mechanically sound. Then you have to redesign it for the customer, to make it something they'd want to buy. And finally, you have to take it all apart and redesign it for the assembly-line machines that put it all together. The Camry's center console is a perfect example of the modular construction that makes mass-assembly possible. But modular construction can make component removal a somewhat confusing proposition; but, in this case, it's mostly a matter of doing things in the right order, and with the right tools.

Instructions

1

Set the transmission selector in the neutral position. The molding around the gear selector and the parking brake uses eight vertical clips -- three on each side and two near the arm-rest opening -- and one claw at the front to secure the molding to the console. Use your Toyota molding remover or equivalent tool; you can find an example of one such molding remover in the Resources section below. Buy one or fabricate one out of sheet metal based on the design you see. If you have a hand parking brake lever, you'll need to remove the clips and claws that secure the cup-holder first.

2

Remove the shifter knob if you have a manual-transmission car, and lift the trim panel free. Remove the two console bolts formerly under the trim panel. Open the arm-rest, and remove the two bolts in the bottom of the container tray within. At this point, only a pair of clips on either side of the arm-rest console secure it to the front trim surrounding the shifter and containing the cupholder tray or ashtray. Push inward on the sides of the arm-rest console to relieve tension on the clips, and then pull the console backward to remove it.

3

Reverse procedure to install. Push the arm-rest console forward into the shifter console to engage the claws. thread the bolts in and tighten them to 5 foot-pounds. Snap the shifter trim downward and into place, then snap the cupholder in place if you removed it. Reinstall the shift knob, if your car came equipped with the correct transmission.