Make your own cup holders.....

B

billy_beemer

Member
Is your throat dry like the Gobi Desert?
Did you consider stowing a tasty beverage in the right hand part of the central storage compartment?
Did you then realise that's where your arm goes?
Have you ever thought why haven't BMW swapped the useless phone cradle and the cup holders round?
Maybe like me you considered retro-fitting the clip-on cup holder but after a quick search on Real-OEM concluded it looked tacky and wasn't available for RHD :headbang:

Well fear not... earlier today I used a thin plastic ruler, a slightly large flat head screw driver and a towel to protect the plastics and whipped out the phone cradle and took the 2-part storage tray into the Top Secret Geeky Technology Centre (just at the bottom of a driveway, upstairs in my mates garage, off a road in Farnborough (Hampshire).

Currently my very own custom fit cup holder is 'printing' and there was even space for a 3rd smaller hole, perfect for stowing keys etc......






And as I took delivery on a new IP camera today I set that up out there as a test and am monitoring the progress remotely.......
Yes I know it's blue but apparently the black printing material isn't as good a quality, and a quick spray paint and I should hopefully look lush.......
 
now that is cool.

how long will it take to print? are 3D printers still gimmicky or can you use a home one to mass (well 20ish) produce these?
 
Good effort there. I've got cup holders in my arm rest but to be honest I'd never really use them there, just an awkward place. That looks like it would keep them pretty secure though.
 
As I was stuck at a family lunch all afternoon I used the clear evening an excuse to go for a blast and took a tasty generic diet cola with me :D

I can confirm it was snug even top down around some fast round abouts ;) :driving:
 
Any more info on how to remove the phone cradle?
Ours has it and is useless as we dont have any snap in adapters so just takes up space that something else could go in.
Does it just unclip with a bit of force?
What end is the best to attack it from?
I have seen that if you get this out a rubber mat can be purchased for the bottom of the tray to cover up any holes.
 
I wish they left the cupboard where e86 had them just under the air con grill on right side of the steering wheel. Ok, it was a pain as I kept on kneeing it when getting out but at least it was useable.
 
I got the phone cradle out using......

- a small thin metal ruler (tiny bit of electrical tape on it to make it less scratchy but perhaps not needed)
- a medium sized flat head screw driver
- a towel.
- a torque t20 I think (maybe a T25)

Pop the thin ruler inbetween the main tray and the phone cradle - do this toward the front of the vehicle.
This should give you enough of a gap to pop the screw driver in, as you do place the towel inbetween the shaft and the plastic / trim to give it some protection
......and lever till it pops out.

That will reveal 2 torque screws to remove (there are two more under the rubber on the other half of the tray).

You'll also need to unplug the circuit board which is held on by a small plastic clip and what I suspect is the antenna for the cradle but these just pull off, then the remaining cable just gets tucked underneath the tray......
 
billy_beemer said:
Oh and I attached a piece of waterproofing membrane to the bottom after screwing back into the car.

(aka black ducktape)
Click to expand...

You may want to use some neoprene for this? Easily cut, ordered from eBay (for example, here) and easily bonded (using rubber cement). Ducktape adhesive doesn't look good after a while... and some are corrosive. Ducktape itself also becomes brittle after a period of exposure, especially in dry and warm environments.
 
Still not got round to doing this but just noticed that where your phone cradle was in the compartment is on the opposite side from ours.
We have the 2 cup holders and the phone cradle in the compartment but the cup holders are on the passenger side to start with.
Unless I have read something into the pics thats not right.
 
billy_beemer said:
Oh and I attached a piece of waterproofing membrane to the bottom after screwing back into the car.

(aka black ducktape)
Click to expand...

Ducktape, you mean "the handyman's favorite weapon"
 
Nictrix said:
Still not got round to doing this but just noticed that where your phone cradle was in the compartment is on the opposite side from ours.
We have the 2 cup holders and the phone cradle in the compartment but the cup holders are on the passenger side to start with.
Unless I have read something into the pics thats not right.
Click to expand...

I did think where did you see a phone cradle but it's in the comments. I think really there should have been a full before picture as well as the finished product as like you my cradle is on the drivers side and the cup holders are on the passenger side. Although it is commented on, there is nothing to show it being like that. I've never had a UK car with the phone cradle on any other side and that includes a E46, E61 & E88
 
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