OK - am I the only one that is frustrated the front cup holder - this is Not rocket science here - however, when trying to put a soda can in - it is so tight that it is tough to pull out - don't want to pull to hard for fear it will come out and I will soak my interior - lol.. short of cutting off those annoying little tabs - anyone got any suggestions... :impatient

 

?????? huh? What year is your car? Are you talking about the lower ones where there are 2 holders?

 

Suggestion:
Immediately after purchasing said soft drink, turn to the arm candy seated on the right and say
"Here, hold this a sec"

MOTOR ON!

 

mom wound up breaking the rim and its rubber holders holder right off of hers... i wound soaking my seats... but i found a solution to prevent this in the future... if you will take a napkin and place it in the holder and allow it to cover the rubber pieces, you will be able to put a drink in and pull it out with no problem and the grip is still good enough that they won't fall out on a turn

 

Try working in the rubber pieces. I have a 0.6L SIGG ... it fits perfectly. Leave it in there for a day or two to work in the rubber, and you'll be all set.

It beats cutting them right off.

 

Most have said that the grip loosens up over time, I was frustrated with mine as well, then one day the tabs stayed down and all was good. Try leaving a water bottle in them for a couple of days, I thinks that is what did it for mine, it was also summer and hot out, so that may have helped to keep them down as well.

 

That cup holder really is evil... Good thing there is no drinking, especially soft drinks, allowed in my MINI.

 

Has anyone thought of using some strong adhesive applied to the under side of the tabs, then put a cup/bottle in the holder to keep the tabs against the sides?

Once it sets, the tabs should stay down in this position.

 

We just don't drink sodas... We drink XS (Energy) Drink from Quixtar. The cans are small enough to perfectly fit in those lower cup holders... Probably coincidence rather than fore-planning.

 

I used the ashtray/coin holder to loosen up both of the front drink holders. The suggestion about leaving a water bottle in there for a few days is also a good idea.

 

LOL - glad to hear others are feeling the same....


I will try leaving a can or as suggested - the ash tray ...

 

Or you could do something as ridiculously simple as rotate the drink clockwise (or even counterclockwise) as you pull up...

 

+1 on all comments. A totally badly designed set of cup holders. The rubber and chrome on mine came out and I had to reglue. They dont do a good job holding things in place and you have to be very careful to rotate the drink to take it out of the cup holder correctly. In addition, with a drink in place, it blocks access to the lower control switches. The Honda Civic I had was much better, but it is the only thing better on the Civic.

 

I'm with you on that one.

 

First thing I did was to gently pull out the tabbed ring, and reinstall the retainer ring at the top. Works perfectly, the price is right (free), and no more chance of spilled drinks.

 

....don't drink and drive - problem solved

 

Leave a can in the cupholder for about a week and the tabs stay down. Or get a really long straw.

 

I know this section is a forum for stock problems and issues, but I like the chinese handcuff cupholders. As is mentioned earlier, most things, even styrofoam cups will come out when you twist them back and forth. Their tightness ensures that I am not gonna take a surprise bath in the middle of a turn.

I used to think that my old p/u had the best cupholders anywhere, they would hold any size drink, from a thimble to a bucket. They weren't the greatest at actually holding the drink, though. A heavy pot hole would knock the drink out if the truck had no load (it was a 3/4 ton truck, bouncy). Plus, the pair eventually just broke off of the dashboard, probably due to the size of the drinks it was usually asked to carry. (well, they made it big enough to hold the 72oz....)

Really, it seems like this is not an actual defect. Maybe a problem, if you are looking for one. C'mon, holding your drink in such a small, capable car is not an easy problem to solve.

 

Tooth be trolled, I have had more instances of drink leaping out of the thermos through the drinking hole, due to the "go-cart ride" than splashes caused by getting the drink out of the holder. But, it usually is entertainment to someone watching me trying to get the cup-holder to unleash a 12 oz. soda can.

 

I love my car, but LOATHE the cup holders!

 

I have to watch for coffee coming out of the drink hole lid. The sport suspension will bounce the coffee out if it is more than half full.

 

How did you get the rim off? I looked at that once, and it seems to be all one piece, is there a hidden set screw somewhere or something?

 

Where did that thread go with the story of a large cup tipping over as the cup holder came apart, dumping it's contents all over the passenger floor?

 

Mine kept coming off with my drinks. The platic ring and rubber piece are separate. I had the dealer put it back snugly. Hasn't come off since.

 

I just grabbed one of the rubber tabs in the holder and gave it a good solid tug upwards. As it came loose it also pulled the retaining ring out at the same time. Simple enough to reinstall the ring by pushing it back into place and it looks perfect. I'm not aware of any mechanical screws or clips holding the thing together, just friction.

I honestly didn't know what would happen when I yanked on the rubber tab, and this time I got lucky. This time

Don't know if it matters, but this was on an '07 Cooper (non S) hardtop. There might be some difference in earlier cup holders, but I can't imagine they'd be any more hateful