what a coincidence. i was doing somewhat the same yesterday evening. but not a replacement, but to cover the top of the small box on top. i have an '08 sorento.
did they send you a link to pdf file.
if so, could you post the link.
i only want to cover the armrest, but i need to get it off to over-wrap a cover onto it.
i will look into the backside to see if i can come up with something.

 

replacing the armrest cover on a Kia Sorento

Ok here is the problem. They did send me a pdf file which In would be more than happy to post (I tried to post it when I created this thread) but when I hit the "insert image" icon nothing happened so then I saved the pdf diagram in to my Photobucket album and tried to copy and paste the link but it complained about the format. So if you have, or nayone else reading this thread has posted a pdf file to this forum I would be happy to do it if you give me detailed instructions how ot. Also on a side note I also only have to replace the upper cover which is cracked however the dealer only sells both halves with the main mounting spring loaded barcket attached. There are however small black screws under the upper half which hold on just the upper half so I thought of just removing those screws and popping on the new upper half off of the new complete assembly that I bought since I cannot get at the hinge to remove the entire armrest. Well as my luck would have it they (KIA) decided to use larger screws (countersunk in the underside of the lid) when they made the new armrest assembly so I am forced to somehow fine a way to get at the hidden hinge. Hey I just thought of a way to possibly get that diagram posted for you. I know that photobucket accepts jpg images so maybe I can find a picture tool on my PC that does a conversion. I will try that now.

 

Kia armrest diagram

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Kia armrest diagram description

As you can see I was finally able to convert the pdf file to jpeg format after downloading a program called GIMP but now I have all these pop-ups (there are never any free lunches). Anyway as you look at this diagram you will see that they show a retaining screw #13 that looks like it holds down the compartment box #6 which is what I need to remove to get at the hinge (not shown) attached to the lids (7) The only problem is that I don't have a screw #13 holding in the compartment insert, no screw at all. The only thing I have is a screw hidden behind the ash tray #14 when the ash tray is slid all the way out and removed. I was thinking that after removing this screw I could lift the compartment insert (#6 ) up and out thus exposing the hinge, WRONG!! the insert doesn't budge so now my thought is that if I am able to remove the cup holders #3 there might be another screw behind that that would free up the insert or maybe even give me access directly to the armrest mounting hinge???

 

ok - great work.
i do not see 13 screw either.
i am just trying to get 6 off - that is a separate compartment, so it should just come off.
i just will cover mine. i took the underside screws off but the top would not separate, i did not want to force anything and break something.
i did not get into the back side (ashtray) yet. have to work today and tomorrow - will probably not get back into it till wednesday (day off).
there is a cover that covers the hinge of 6 - it covers say 3/4 of it. i took a screwdriver and pried that off (fortuately did not brake it). there should be a way to simply release 6 at its hinges and that top piece comes off (my thinking at least). BUT, maybe not since they sold you both tray compartments.
Did you buy 6 and 7 as one unit??
I have an '08 - yours is '06. Might be a difference??

 

It sounds like we have the same problem, trying to get #6 out so that we can access the hinge. I saw that small plastic square cover (about 1"x3") on the top of the lower cover where the hinge connects the 2 armrest covers however it looked to me like removing it would still not access the main mounting hinge but rather would allow separation of the two armrest covers from each other. When you popped that small plastic cover off did you see any screws connecting the two cover halves ?
To answer your question, yes I had to buy the two covers ($150), they come as one attached unit from the dealer BUT #6 is NOT included, just the two cover halves connected together . Maybe on the internet someone sells them separately but there are so many different configurations and it's so difficult to tell from internet pics that I wanted to make sure I got the proper one as well as the color match. Today I removed the rubber insert pad (#31) thinking that possibly there might be a hidden screw underneath that, nope so don't waste your time with that either. I think the solution is to somehow remove the rear cup holder assembly (#3) which might expose a retaining screw the removal of which would allow the removal of #8 then access to the mounting hinge. When you popped off that small plastic piece by the lower cover hinge did that allow separation of the two halves? I thoughtabout doing that but didn't want to break anything. If it did allow the separation then MAYBE we could just attach the new upper half of the cover to the lower half provided they didn't change to a different size of screw like they did on the covers???
BTW don't ever download a program called GIMP so you can convert pdf files to jpeg format. It puts all kinds of malware, spyware, etc. on your PC and it is not easy to uninstall. I had to run 2 different anti-virus programs before Windows would finally let me use the control panel "program uninstall" feature to get rid of it. It also infiltrates your browsers with all kinds of pop-up adds, some from so called reputable companies like AT&T (hasn't been reputable for quite some time now). If nobody else on this forum chimes in to give us help on how to access the mounting hinge I am thinking of biting the bullet and taking it to the dealership where I bought it and let the trim guys do the replacement. At their parts prices the labor cost might be cheaper than breaking anything. If I do I will observe and report back to you.

 

i am going to top post. i got it off.
hope 2008 is the same for all first gen sorentos.