If anyone has had trouble with the adjustable arm rests on the vanagon I
have taken an old one apart and now know how to repair them. I will take a
photo of the interior and post it here when I get my digital camera back
from polaroid.

Some helpful solutions in the meantime. First, do not take the adjustment
rod out to try to recover the arm rest. Repair is a pain. Better to get a
used one from a wrecking yard and live with the different upholstery cover.
But if you are like me you want things to match.

If you do it will fall apart like it did for me, but there is a solution.
However it is complicated and you have to cut the molded plastic apart with
a very sharp knife to get to the interior to reassemble parts which VW did
not make easy to stay together. But if you take it apart you can glue or
tape the adjustment bolt and spring into place.

You can take it apart to reuse your current upholstery if you wish to be
fussy about interior decor BUT you must work upside down in order for the
adjustment bolt and spring not to slide out of its pocket.

More later,
William