I’m seeing and hearing that those strange pop-up cupholders in cars like mine, ‘97 xk8 conv, are one of the first things that break. As a matter of fact, when BobRoy saw my car for the first time, he was surprised to see cupholders intact. I have experienced that the piece of equipment is badly placed and pretty useless....So I probably will use it very little and simply point out to admirers of the car how the cupholders pops up so smoothly,

How very “convenient”, and possibly a rarity.
and look so attractive SHUT.

 

The cupholders are replacement items, like oil and paper towels. They also enhance manual dexterity, as an ongoing sort of 'occupational therapy', in both replacing them and in keeping whatever drink is placed in them from spilling all over the seats and footwells. Only a bit more stable than a pin resting vertically on another pin.

 

That is pretty amusing. So, the cupholder is simply an interesting bauble, maybe even a useful training tool for, say, new drivers of the Jaguar...perhaps an initiation test? And WHY isn’t it on the list of the usual maintenance requirements?
I, for one, will protect The Cupholder with my life. Any libations will be consumed AFTER exiting The Jaguar, and after retrieving the flask of Kentucky bourbon from the hamper in the boot. With designated driver standing by, of course.

 

If you decide to use your cupholders just go ahead and save the time and aggravation by dumping the contents of any cup down into your console and floorboard....

 

An engineering masterpiece, it is.

If only they'd fitted it with a gyroscope.

 

Actually the cupholder brings to mind the wind-up Jack in the Box of my childhood, as an elbow misplaced can trigger the SURPRISE! popping out of the console. Alas! No tinny music precedes the cupholder’s arrival. However, some choice words do follow it...

 

I've wondered what this little marvel of automotive design is for. I've only got the lid but no cupholders (an extra option?). I just about flipped my lid trying to figure it out but did find a use

 

The cupholder in my '97 XJ6 was in fine shape for a couple of years into my ownership. It finally broke. These are fragile and they were only designed to hold soda cans, small to medium coffees, and small water bottles. The tall aluminum coffee cups that are now so popular, are far too heavy and they exert too much leverage on the hinge mechanism, all plastic. I reconstructed one side of the broken hinge with the super glue and baking soda build up method. I'll be careful about what I put in there.

 

Good call not to use it. I've replaced the stupid thing twice since I've owned the car. It was broken when I bought the car so replaced it and I broke the second one when I accidently leaned on the lid with my elbow. This winter when I park the car I'm going to strip the guts out of it and build a wood one out of a piece of burl walnut.

 

Maybe someone with the equipment could produce a replacement made from CNC aluminum? Might be a best seller to those of us who would like to use the cupholder, but dare not.

 

First of all, do you not drive the car during winter? To me, that’s a curiosity, since electing to park my car for a season never occurred to me . Just wondering.
Re: the cupholder, I would so much rather see one made from burlwood than plastic or metal. Not being an automobile design engineer, to me it looks like the big flaw in the cupholder is placement....although I don’t see where it could go and be truly useful(and still be integrated into the console ). Seriously, it’s such a spill waiting to happen, I can’t imagine using it ......Now to adapt the console to my needs without re-designing anything......McGuyver is not my name.

 

The cupholder is still working in my '97 but I never use it. I don't take drinks in the car either.
I store my car for the winter as soon as they start using salt on the roads.
Marty

 

Purists will not like this, but I have used the BMW cupholder now on several cars, and find them quite useful. The cupholder itself is removable by pulling straight up, and the remaining mount is unobtrusive. I now have two mounted in tandem on the passenger side.




I mounted mine in the XK8 on the passenger side of the console. I tried several different non-intrusive mounting methods, but finally decided on just bolting it to the console. It will leave two small holes, which can be masked with two trim screws if removed. Another method uses a piece of clear plexiglass bent to slide up inside the side of the console, and then bent at the floor to mate up with the seat mounting bolt. The BMW cupholder is then mounted to the plexi.

 

Not being a purist, I think your BMW cupholder is a great idea. My intention is to DRIVE the car and have fun. And I always played with my collectible dolls, took ‘em out of the box..😱

 

I replaced my console lid with a non-cupholder one, and bought a boating “pontoon cupholder” I found on Amazon (NLA) in a very similar finish to the oatmeal interior. I removed the bottom “fin” and originally thought I’d mount that in the middle of the rear “seat” behind the center console, but after a few unsuccessful attempts, I now just jam it on the floor between the back of the driver’s seat and the front of the rear seat.

 

artnek - must be interesting owning two completely different vehicles. One goes 45 mph up hills. The Jag's at least 6x more horsepower. Not a good vehicle to camp in tho.

 

I would love to drive the car all year round and am seriously jealous of you folks that can. Winter here starts in October and lasts until late April with 3 - 4 feet of snow so I have no choice. The cup holder and ashtray are poorly located but there really isn't any other place to squeeze them in. I wish they would have just left the cup holder out.

 

Who needs horsepower (or cup holders for that matter), when I can stop and make a nice cup of tea?

 

I was fortunate - I manufactured two locking devices for the hinges from paperclips and they have lasted since since 2016. I can not remember the details since I am 80+ years old

Preston

 

I like your attitude....I have a nice little picnic hamper with china and silver, and the intention of adding a nice beverage for outings. Enjoy the circumstances of life in a Jaguar.