Arm rest

[Yety]

I also find it obscures the handbrake, and I prefer to have my hands on the wheel with my arms free, in case of any unforseen arm twirling ( like a tyre blowout).

 

In the end, I took the armrest off to use as a platform for my MSA radios. I can use the box below for oddments - this suits me fine.

 

My MG on the other hand has elbow resting places that can be useful on continental runs, but doesn't constrict my arm movements

 

Each to their own, car and body size dependant!

[RapidPaul]

It's the perfect height for me, seat fully down, I'm 6ft 2 and it gives me the perfect driving position

I popped into my local dealer to pick something up today and had a quick look around the Yeti Monte Carlo while I was there. I'm 6'4" (and 'only' 37 BTW) and had the seat in the lowest position and pushed all the way back. The arm rest seemed ok to me when set to its highest position, although the steering wheel could have done with a little bit more reach adjustment.

[Gizmo]

It's the perfect height for me, seat fully down, I'm 6ft 2 and it gives me the perfect driving position

 

It must have something to do with the fact that I’m a short arse then! (5’8”)

[glenn_btn]

I have the arm rest in mine. Whilst I don't use it for resting my arm, it's a great cubby hole.

 

The Fabia on the otherhand was a bloody nightmare and was in the way.

[KBPhoto]

The Mk2 Octavia and the Mk1 Yeti share the same armrest, so have a look for them as well.

I bought a Yeti one and fitted it to my pre-FL Octavia.

I'm 6' 2" and find the armrest only just comes up high enough in the Yeti when fully extended forwards and raised fully. Everyone is different, so try a Yeti that has one fitted and see what you think before committing to buying one (about £100-150 used).

The Octavia's driving position was much lower down and consequently much closer to the armrest; but this made accessing the handbrake a little more awkward.

[DarrellGB]

I popped into my local dealer to pick something up today and had a quick look around the Yeti Monte Carlo while I was there. I'm 6'4" (and 'only' 37 BTW) and had the seat in the lowest position and pushed all the way back. The arm rest seemed ok to me when set to its highest position, although the steering wheel could have done with a little bit more reach adjustment.

The steering wheel is a bit tricky to get just right, and I agree it would benefit from a little more reach. 

Edited 24 March, 2016 by DarrellGB

[RapidPaul]

Well I've ordered one now, so I'll have to find a comfy position! The armrest in the Rapid is a nice height for driving, but kt doesn't half get in the way of the hand brake. I've got used to changing gears with the armrest down though.

[matt_83]

Well I finally had my arm rest delivered from the breakers yard and got to work on fitting it. The whole job of swapping out the old and in with the new took all of 30 mins and the wife and I are really happy we ended up getting one. Also fitted some sill covers, new mats and gave the Yeti a good clean while the good old British sun was out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Michael G]

Looks great. Enjoy :-)

[RapidPaul]

Nice work

[Didorx]

On 31/03/2016 at 18:23, matt_83 said:

Well I finally had my arm rest delivered from the breakers yard and got to work on fitting it. The whole job of swapping out the old and in with the new took all of 30 mins and the wife and I are really happy we ended up getting one. Also fitted some sill covers, new mats and gave the Yeti a good clean while the good old British sun was out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Matt,

 

How hard was it to get the armrest fitted?

Thinking of doing the same but don't want to end up with a can of worms!

 

Thanks

[oldstan]

On 21/03/2016 at 11:12, P6bJOHN said:

I dislike my Yeti arm rest, it impedes access to the handbrake, my sons 3 series BMW has a cut out in it which makes using the hand brake easier. The Yeti arm rest also feels fragile when raising it. It might be useful on a long run for the purpose it was designed for, but its design flaws for normal driving outweigh the usefulness. I'm 6'6", so my seat is fully back and the arm rest is in a usable position for my elbow if required, but as earlier mentioned, it makes using handbrake awkward, which to me is a  safety failure in it's design.

 

^^^  Exactly that!  It gets in the way of operating the handbrake ... or should I say, for me it gets in the way - I shouldn't speak for others.  This cropped up ages ago and when I said it was ill placed (for me) I had Llanigraham chew my balls off. He didn't think I was correct in my observation. Maybe I'm a bit taller than him?

 

To this day I have to raise the lid every single time I drive it.  (My Mrs always closes it when leaving the car by way of a security thing... i.e. not supposed to leave things in view etc).

 

Therefore the talk of going out of your way to actually fit one isn't up my street at all.

 

And I think I saw mention above of the use of the handbrake whilst driving (or, to be more precise, NOT, ever, using the handbrake).  I have to accept I'm now clearly in the minority in applying the handbrake when on a journey so I'm obviously out-voted and patently just plain wrong .... nine out of ten drivers now seem to use just the footbrake rather than the handbrake when queueing at lights, or anywhere else. At every queue I ever encounter it's a sea of brake lights as far as the eye can see.  I suppose they could all just have defective handbrakes? That would offer an alternative explanation I suppose. Maybe that's what's they teach you to get you through the driving test these days? Maybe the Highway Code advocates it? Call me old fashioned... etc ....

Edited 2 May, 2017 by oldstan

[Robjon]

@oldstan I have the same experience with the armrest (i.e. I find it gets in the way of operating the handbrake), and I share your opinion of the use of the handbrake whilst driving.

 

As Auric would say: "Other experiences and opinions are available".

[kenfowler3966]

If you have an automatic you have to keep the brake down to disengage the clutch. With stop start that also stops the engine which restarts as the brake is released so no choice other than to have brake lights on.

apparently it is a British thing to use the handbrake to turn of the brake lights, in other countries this is considered wrong when vehicles have hill hold and stop start etc.

Apparently a legacy of how we were taught to pass the test here.

[kenfowler3966]

A lot of cars don't even have a handbrake now just a parking brake button to use when leaving the car!

[P6bJOHN]

13 hours ago, kenfowler3966 said:

A lot of cars don't even have a handbrake now just a parking brake button to use when leaving the car!

 

But as far as I'm aware the Yeti doesn't, well mine doesn't, and the one I'm waiting to be delivered doesn't, So the arm rest will still get in the way of the handbrake.

[muddyboots]

I also find it makes the handbrake a bit awkward to use, but have got used to the odd wrist position needed.

I always leave the rest fully lowered though; as someone else said, it feels fragile - when the kids practically lay on it while trying to reach the radio from the back, I reckon it'll snap if it's raised at all !

[oldstan]

14 hours ago, kenfowler3966 said:

If you have an automatic you have to keep the brake down to disengage the clutch. With stop start that also stops the engine which restarts as the brake is released so no choice other than to have brake lights on.

apparently it is a British thing to use the handbrake to turn of the brake lights, in other countries this is considered wrong when vehicles have hill hold and stop start etc.

Apparently a legacy of how we were taught to pass the test here.

 

This will have all been discussed, argued and debated ever since the old king died. And it usually ends in tears, fights, general bad feeling and impolite responses. With a bit of luck we might not go that far but can I simply say (all in my own personal opinion, of course) - I've owned the DSG for six years therefore have become familiar with the disconnection of the clutch when the footbrake is applied but, of course, whilst to sit in a queue with the handbrake off and the footbrake on does mean the wear on the plates is diminished, it equally means that, yes, the brake lights remain on (which I, personally, consider to be an impoliteness to the driver behind) but the handbrake remains off... and the argument goes something like - if you get rear ended your foot is likely to get shoved off the footbrake and you're more likely to shoot forward into anything that might be in front of you. So, in my book, there's two reasons not to sit in traffic with the footbrake on.

 

The next point will have been equally well covered in times past and is equally disputatious, but, here it is .... why not, instead of using the footbrake to disconnect the clutch, tap the lever into neutral and leave it there for the duration of the delay? it's hardly a hardship - it takes three milliseconds - and (what used to be) the well respected principle of "Handbrake - Neutral" is adhered to.  It then just requires that you touch the footbrake momentarily to enable you to select "Drive" and release the handbrake and you're off.

 

I will, however, agree, with anyone who might say the handbrake on the Yeti can be a bit stiff to operate (this has been discussed and argued over on here too).

 

Finally, in an attempt to assuage any sharp retorts, I would have to say that (as mentioned by Ken, above, where he astutely says " Apparently a legacy of how we were taught to pass the test here ) my approach to the topic is coloured by having been schooled in the practice of "Handbrake - Neutral" a long time ago when I chose to submit myself to a number of assorted driving assessments and test... and it's stuck with me.

 

EDIT. I should have added that I must expect replies to the effect that "I bought an automatic car so that I didn't have to mess about fiddling with the gear lever... it's an automatic so just stick it in "D" and let it do what it wants to do"  And I suppose if that's the point of view then I'll be seeming to be argumentative to continue to counter the point.

 

 

Edited 3 May, 2017 by oldstan
Addition.

[kenfowler3966]

When my new car with dsg arrives, I will experiment with all these suggested scenarios. EG just sit with brake on, stop start on or disabled, flick into neutral and release brake (but that restarts the engine!) etc.

 

What I won't do is sit in drive with the handbrake on and the engine running as I have taken my foot off the brake.

[oldstan]

1 minute ago, kenfowler3966 said:

When my new car with dsg arrives, I will experiment with all these suggested scenarios. EG just sit with brake on, stop start on or disabled, flick into neutral and release brake (but that restarts the engine!) etc.

 

What I won't do is sit in drive with the handbrake on and the engine running as I have taken my foot off the brake.

 

Quick reply, Ken :-)

 

I will have to readily concede that my car doesn't have "stop-start". Years ago that was something that hadn't been dreamed about and didn't feature in tuition.  In my ignorance of the in's and out's of it I must accept that it could influence the whole affair so it would be wrong to try to second guess what might be the right route to follow.

 

Every good wish with your forthcoming DSG.  You'll know it's a talking point with a wide body of folk who slate it at every opportunity (more of them outwith the Briskoda community I suspect though) ... but I absolutely love it.  Of course the fly in the ointment (for some) has been the clutch pack - and a few mechatronic units too - on earlier models. My clutch pack was changed under the 3 yr warranty and, with the benefit of hindsight, for peace of mind, I should have taken the extra two yrs VAG extended warranty from new, but didn't - and have had a third party warranty since the end of the three yrs.  As it happens nothing has happened to cause a claim, but the cost of repairs to the DSG is apparently considerable.

 

The debate concerning twin clutch operation vs torque converter continues and I see that some mainstream manufacturers still follow the torque converter route and I have to say I would feel happier with TC rather than twin clutch in terms of peace of mind and it could, possibly, influence my decision when replacing the Yeti. Either way I would definitely secure a 5 year warranty period with whatever I get..... and make sure it covers the auto transmission fully. But the actual driving experience of DSG is superb.

 

Thanks for response.

[kenfowler3966]

Thank you, I have already gone for the extended warranty.

I thought a lot about this and did research. There were early issues with wet clutches but seem to be very rare now. Found examples of these in taxis which had done over 500k without needing repair so not too concerned.

I would think long and hard before getting a dry clutch dsg though.

I am convinced that most of the failures result from users driving them as they would an auto with torque converter. 

[oldstan]

1 minute ago, kenfowler3966 said:

Thank you, I have already gone for the extended warranty.

I thought a lot about this and did research. There were early issues with wet clutches but seem to be very rare now. Found examples of these in taxis which had done over 500k without needing repair so not too concerned.

I would think long and hard before getting a dry clutch dsg though.

I am convinced that most of the failures result from users driving them as they would an auto with torque converter. 

 

Good man!

 

You'll see mine is the dry clutch, hence my finicky attention to the use of the box.

 

As you say, the wet clutch looks a far safer bet... but, as we know, it only features on the diesels up to now ... and my mileage doesn't warrant a diesel.  I honestly don't know what, if anything, they've done to the dry clutches to overcome the issues that we had previously.  Maybe when they did the clutch pack replacement that, in itself, was all that was required? Maybe nothing further has been done, or was needed, to sort the problems. Certainly hope so as my aftermarket warranty with Car Care Plan / Boundless (was CSMA) has now lapsed... I didn't renew it as cars over 5 yrs it are covered for less and costs more than it did (obviously enough I suppose) and I'm now "winging it"  :-)   To be honest, this conversation is causing me to reconsider whether to take out the warranty again !

[kenfowler3966]

There is probably no point as it will exclude normal wear and tear on clutches and that is the most likely failure point.

[oldstan]

1 hour ago, kenfowler3966 said:

There is probably no point as it will exclude normal wear and tear on clutches and that is the most likely failure point.

 

Indeed so.  TBH this as been a topic that myself and Car Care Plan, the warranty administrator, have spoken about more than once during phone conversations.  Initially, a couple of years ago, they said that because the clutch pack is an acknowledged manufacturers subject of replacement due to a known fault, it would NOT be covered by them.

 

But the other day, when I rang to see whether the situation has altered, they changed their response by saying that ... as a couple of years have passed and as my clutch pack has been fault free then they WOULD look at any future claim by sending an engineer to look at the car to determine if there was a "fault" or if the clutch pack is simply "worn" as a result of "fair wear and tear".  They said that there was no cast iron assurance that the item would be fixed under their warranty - but there was equally no blanket refusal to entertain a claim as there, apparently, has been up to now.  He did say that if the transmission was torque converter then there would be no debate and that a claim would be more straightforward and less open for debate.... obviously due to an absence of "clutches" within the compnents.

 

There may (or may not) be lessons to be learned from the above.  It makes the longer warranties from the likes of Hyundai, Kia and Toyota look far more straightforward ... except that Hyundai and Kia now use twin clutch transmissions, so whether they would go down the "wear and tear" route is unknown.

[Urrell]

1 hour ago, oldstan said:

He did say that if the transmission was torque converter then there would be no debate and that a claim would be more straightforward and less open for debate.... obviously due to an absence of "clutches" within the compnents.

 

So a torque converter automatic transmission does not have clutches!
A lot more clutches in one of those than the 2 in a DSG gearbox.