So has anyone demonstrated a retrofit with armrests, rear cooling to 2007?

**mazdamongrel** · 07-18-2009, 02:46 AM

Got our "new" 2007 Mazda5 Touring today, 31k miles. Will primarily be my wife's car but I can't stop obsessing about the lack of armrests (and likewise the center console) & rear cooling. I've seen plenty of late 2007 threads on how everyone "wanted" to retrofit those things, but didn't see any examples of it being done.

Can anyone point me the right direction? Did all the fanatics abandon the idea, or just trade up to the '08s? Also, where can you go to order major interior replacement parts like this - Google is failing me... Thanks!

**thaxman** · 07-31-2009, 02:26 PM

Casually looking for a Karakuri center row. I guess in 06 it wasn't standard. The arm rests aren't a big deal anymore, and the new center console w/o a covered cubby is less appealing than the 06-07 console. So rather than search out a new console, I am more interested in making the neccessary changes to up my A/C ability to match the 08-09s. Its been stated that its only the blower fan, but I wonder, as my A/C looses cooling and dehumidifying abilities under full throttle. Still in warranty, so it looks like its going back...AGAIN!

As a side, at MzdaUSA.com, there is a Mazda5 interior pic that shows the 7th seat backrest. Its a blue overheard shot after clicking "seating". Oversight? Or future option??

**nehvada** · 08-02-2009, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by thaxman

.... Its been stated that its only the blower fan, but I wonder, as my A/C looses cooling and dehumidifying abilities under full throttle. .....

1. yes, its only a blower fan providing you with fresh air from outside, NOT a/c!

2. the a/c allways shuts off under full throttle to provide maximum power. shouldnt be a problem unless you travel all day with full throttle

.

**AwaKeN** · 08-02-2009, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by nehvada

1. yes, its only a blower fan providing you with fresh air from outside, NOT a/c!

2. the a/c allways shuts off under full throttle to provide maximum power. shouldnt be a problem unless you travel all day with full throttle

.

1: The A/C pass through this fan, i've made the test.

2: You will have to change a lot of things on your 5 if you want that !, i open it yesterday to remove some wather that have been spilled here and there is a lot of stuff around that new console compared to the 2006-2007

**thaxman** · 08-03-2009, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by nehvada

1. yes, its only a blower fan providing you with fresh air from outside, NOT a/c!

2. the a/c allways shuts off under full throttle to provide maximum power. shouldnt be a problem unless you travel all day with full throttle

.

Shouldn't be a problem unless you live in the desert!
Nice to know that it MAY be possible to improve my A/C situation, though. Looking for a totalled 08-09....

**1WICKED6** · 08-06-2009, 07:07 PM

My G/F complains about the arm rest all the time in my 5...I recently saw some 08 seats for sale on ebay but really dont want to spend close to $250-300 just for one arm rest and the seat fabric is different also. I'm going to assume this was not an option on the 06-07'S correct?

**thaxman** · 08-06-2009, 11:49 PM

Kid5, she's supposed to be leaning on your shoulder, not some armrest!

**AwaKeN** · 08-07-2009, 02:30 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/08-MA...Q5fAccessories

71$ for now ...

**FLOODED5** · 08-25-2009, 11:24 PM

There is an outlet from the evaporator case to the center A/C blower motor on the 08-09. It is actually air conditioning that you get when its turned on. Heater function is not available though. There is an actuator that shuts a door to seal off the evaporator case from the center A/C when the heater is turned on.

**thaxman** · 09-01-2009, 06:34 PM

Good to know. I still am w/i my 4 yr warranty, so won't be looking into improvements for a few more months.

**SGT_OKINAWA** · 09-12-2009, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by AwaKeN

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/08-MA...Q5fAccessories

71$ for now ...

Whoa, that bid ended at $75.00... someone got lucky, even with the 125.00 shipping.

Peace!

**delsherif** · 09-15-2009, 07:28 PM

Adding an armrest to a seat w/o one would be a trick. You would have to weld a threaded mount to the existing frame to be able to bolt the arm rest to the seat. The 2008 driver armrest has a threaded bolt with a second pin secured to the metal seat frame. The armrest rotates on the bolt/bushing and the pin slides in a slot that acts as a stop to keep the armrest in the right position either up or down. I did not like the existing arm rest in my 2008, found it too high and pointed to the sky with the seat at the highest position and somewhat reclined. The dealer wanted something crazy like $140 for one leather arm rest. I made a modifed armrest form out of some plywood with a new bolt and bushing and stuffed it into the existing arm rest cover. It sits about 1 inch lower and at the right angle, bolted to the seat where the existing thread and pin where located. I also looked into an aftermarket armrest because I missed the closed center console box, and about the best I found was something like this. For $40 it might be worth a try and you won't have to modify the seat or cut into the upholstery.