Any sunglasses tray alternatives?

Gebbly

Member
 Hersham, Surrey
The small stowage in the ceiling
https://www.sytnerstevenagebmwparts.co.uk/p/132162411/51443427240.html
seems to be a bit of a flawed design often failing in various ways. Has anyone come up with an alternative tray or an alternative latching mechanism? Mine is permanently open now and when I checked carefully today I found a small piece of plastic that must have snapped off from somewhere.
I would like to either repair my current tray, replace it with a new one or replace it with something else entirely.

I wondered if I could fashion some sort of catch mechanism using velcro, magnets, a slide mechanism or some such. Whilst I'm mulling it over I just wondered if anyone else had solved this problem before me or has any suggestions?
 
I keep my sunglasses in a Z4 first aid box that I bought on ebay and lined with felt. Secured it under the drivers seat similar to the one below the passenger seat.
 
I have one of those boxes under my driver's seat, but use it for my Garmin!

Keep my Raybans in the sunglasses ejector in my Coupe, while it still works. :lol:
 
Interested in this too.
Just taken delivery of my coupe and building a list :D
The sunglasses holder is glued shut so I assume broken. New replacement seems to be unobtainium. So wondered if any units from other BMW models fit/fit with a bit of fettling.
 
I toy with ways to "fix" this every now and then. I'd prefer not to cut anything. I thought about velcro with a little tab that hangs down which might work. Or perhaps a couple of magnets to hold it shut. I think magnets from something like a cupboard might work as they are about the correct strength as long as we didnt put anything too heavy in the cubby. I'm still mulling it over and interested in anyone elses thoughts. Every idea no matter how whacky would be considered to feed into the thought process :)
 
Magnets is a good call, with a little loop of something to pull it open.

Update on mine. It was glued shut with bluetack, so all cleaned up. The little latch isn't working, so it's wedged shut now. Sorted the little mounting ring that sits behind the headliner too, so now it's clipped into the headlining correctly.
 
A failed latch seems to be a common problem on these. :(

I remember my E46s had a similar sort of tray, but it was in the centre console. I wonder if it might be possible to use the latch from one of those?
 
$5 Amazon visor clip works just fine for me. I have it on the passenger visor just because it sat a bit low for my liking when it was on driver side
 
Thats certainly a solution to storing sunglasses.
Unfortunately its not really what I am after. I am after a solution to either fixing the sunglasses stowage in the ceiling or replacing the sunglasses stowage in the ceiling with something else in the same spot so that I dont have it flapping down all the time.
 
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