I have modified my cupholder and it works beautifully for large and small soft-drinks, 16 oz cokes, Starbucks, red bull, and plastic tumblers. It's not a simple modification, but I'll try and explain it for the brave few that want to try it. There are two phillips-head screws that hold the cupholder into the dash - you can remove the entire assembly very easily.

There are two problems with the BMW cupholders. First the spring-force on the outer ring is too much. There are two springs used, a strong one for the outer ring, and a weaker one for the inner ring. You remove the outer ring spring so that only the spring used for the inner ring operates both outer and inner rings. By removing the spring attached to the outer ring, both small and large rings then use just the one spring, and the spring force is reduced.

Second, if you look at the bottom support arm, it does not deploy so that the upper part of the arm is vertical, it is at an angle. A drink that is not heavy enough to move the outer ring will sit on the angled part of this arm, or will be pushed up the arm and 'spring out' of the cupholder.

To modify the vertical arm, you have to use a dremel tool or file. There is a stop in the mechanism that controls how far the arm moves when it deploys. If you take some material off the stop, the arm will deploy farther. Take enough material off so the arm deploys to the vertical position.

Well, like I said, it's not simple but these two modifications make the cupholder perfect for any container I've tried. I don't know why the Germans didn't do this in the first place. If you screw the modification up, just have the dealer replace it. They're used to it!

 

guy who are having problems with you cupholders,

What software version are you running?!?!? Maybe its time for an upgrade.