kokotheclown

Is it possible to get cupholders retrofitted? Is that slot in the dashboard simply replaceable?

Rudy

I'm going to go with a big yes on that one. There's no way they'd design an improved cupholder that would require a new dashboard.

They had to have simply redesigned the cupholder to fit the existing slot and mount points...

DXXXi

What do you mean? who designed a new cupholder? I don't think it would be too easy to retrofit cupholders in a car that didn't have them but they are certainly simple to take out. I did it this past weekend to see if I could fix my drivers side one and it all comes out as a single cassette when you remove the two screws under the stickers. There is a clock-style resistance spring inside though and that's what broke or let loose and I didn't want to try to pry the cassette open so I put it back together - I'll just take the car in and get a new one.

Rudy

There are reports that BMW improved the cupholders on the latest cars. I don't think they look too different but the people who have them claim they are much better now. It'll be interesting to see if people can get the new ones under warranty just by complaining that they've had drinks fly out of the original holders...

kmslo530i

There are reports that BMW improved the cupholders on the latest cars. I don't think they look too different but the people who have them claim they are much better now. It'll be interesting to see if people can get the new ones under warranty just by complaining that they've had drinks fly out of the original holders...
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I am now on my third set of cupholders......the first (originals) broke, so they replaced them. The replacements refused to actually "hold" cups/cans, so.....the replaced them.......I just got my car back today after being serviced for several things, including new cupholders..........they are better, but I still wouldn't trust them while the car was moving. By the way, after exchanging emails with BMWNA about my dissatisfaction with the cupnonholders, I was told that I needed to contact my local authorized dealer. So, I have just continued to insist that they install new ones everytime I have service done!! And, they can keep replacing them until they get it right!! But....I digress.......Rudy, they have replaced cupholders for me twice now, just because I complained that they didn't work...and they did it under warranty.....

Rudy

Well then! Wow, I didn't realize you had so much experience with the cupholder design revisions.

Keep up the great reasearch and let us know when they get them right so we can all go get new ones!!

MEX

no no, some cars DONT have the cupholder slots and i think that's what kokotheclown is talking about, my car has no slots in the dashboard.

YES it is retrofitable... I asked my dealer once, but changing the least parts posible it would be around $600 dlls, so it depends on each ones budget, for me... its extremely expensive.

Merv the Derv

I thought cup holders were standard on all E60's, especially in Germany!
The cupholders on my new car work perfectly, Until they fall off of course

ISUK

Merv,

Cupholders are standard for certain markets only, the UK being one of them.

To retrofit cupholders will require the whole facia section of the dash above the glovebox and below the trim inlay panel to be removed and replaced with the part which has the slots in it for the cupholders. IMHO this is a waste of time and money as the dash looks ugly with the mismatched plastic around the cupholders and the rest of the panel (the solution to this in the E90 is much better) and the holders themselves are prone to breaking.

Hobi

Internally, it seems that the supplier of the drink holder parts to BMW have altered the composition or construction of the parts BUT BMW have NOT released the new items under new part numbers, as they would do if there was a substantial revision to a given part.

Therefore, the differences in the "modified and new" cupholders compared to the old ones must be very very slight!