Introduction
If you have a cup holder but it wont open then this guide will take you through the steps you need to do to fix this problem.
Tools
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Apply putty knife to edge of cover until it pops open
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Remove screws off of broken cup holder
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Take cup holder out
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Remove plastic cover on cup holder by pulling apart where the lips meet
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Locate spring in device
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Fully take apart the cup holder to get to the inside of the cup holder
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Locate where spring is placed
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Locate where the spring connects
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If hole is not broken then just apply spring into hole
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If the hole broke, like in this case here, then drill a hole the size of the spring around the same spot of the other hole
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Follow these steps step by step to get your broken cup holder fixed.
6 comments
Easy fix that saved over $60 if I had to purchase a new part and much much more if the the dealer were to have fixed this. Thank you
clever idea when plastic holding the spring hook is broken. nice hack of a fix.
Is there any way to purchase just the spring? In my case the plastic is fine, it’s the shaped metal tip of the spring that sheared off somehow!? I also need the tentioner.
This happened to me as well. I broke off the end of the coil/spring while bending to make a “hook” shape.
I looked for purchasing just the spring, but could not find it. Next up was the entire cupholder apparatus, either used ($~26), URO ($~39), or OEM/genuine BMW ($60-75+). This isn’t cheap and is not actually necessary to buy anything ,though.
Much easier is what I did instead, which was taking advantage of the coil material’s rigid/”easily-snap-off-able” property to make a new (wider) hook. I pulled the snapped end of the coil out a little, then put in a thin screwdriver to kind of hold the coil out extended. Next I used flat nose pliers to hold the end flat, while using long nose pliers to break off a new gap on both sides, effectively making a new “t” end. Then of course I VERY GENTLY bent it around to make a “hook”. I gently clipped the new spring hook into the preexisting plastic hole. It works for new after reinstalling. We’ll see how it holds up!