Cup Holder

Need a bit of help here. As I've seen on many other 7s, my cup holder in the console finally became disconnected when I opened it. Tried forever to get it working but couldn't. Wondering what anyone has done to replace or fix. The sleeve just came out and now it won't go back in flush or stay in one piece. Ideas?

The cupholder in the E38s are a weak spot and are one of the most common failure points in these cars. In fact, when speaking to owners, many have given up on these because they are not easy or cheap to replace with the OE parts, and they usually fail a second time.

Several people have installed the aftermarket unit from places like www.cupholders.com.

If you wish to replace the unit with one from BMW it requires that the center console units all be removed starting fromt he radio on top and working down to the switch panel. The cupholder is mounted ot the plastic frame that is called the "console carrier" from the bottom, so once the units are all out of the carrier frame, then the frame itself is removed and the cupholder unit is removed and reinstalled to the frame.

The best source for these types of repair instructions is the TIS CD-ROM. They are sold on ebay all the time for a few $$ and there is an image file available for free on the web at:
ftp://ilovemybmw.com
the user name is: bimmer
password is: e38power
Install password is: berlin56

If you don't know how to use the ftp protocals then this the peer to peer service at www.edonkey2000.com

I know there are several CD images to download for free of the TIS (repair manuals) and ETK(parts catalog) CDs here.

what does jcarey stand for

it is my first initial and last name John Carey = jcarey :)

The cupholder in the E38s are a weak spot and are one of the most common failure points in these cars. In fact, when speaking to owners, many have given up on these because they are not easy or cheap to replace with the OE parts, and they usually fail a second time.

Several people have installed the aftermarket unit from places like www.cupholders.com.

If you wish to replace the unit with one from BMW it requires that the center console units all be removed starting fromt he radio on top and working down to the switch panel. The cupholder is mounted ot the plastic frame that is called the "console carrier" from the bottom, so once the units are all out of the carrier frame, then the frame itself is removed and the cupholder unit is removed and reinstalled to the frame.

The best source for these types of repair instructions is the TIS CD-ROM. They are sold on ebay all the time for a few $$ and there is an image file available for free on the web at:
ftp://ilovemybmw.com
the user name is: bimmer
password is: e38power
Install password is: berlin56

If you don't know how to use the ftp protocals then this the peer to peer service at www.edonkey2000.com

I know there are several CD images to download for free of the TIS (repair manuals) and ETK(parts catalog) CDs here.


I just installed a dual drink holder from drinkholders.com. It is terrific. Not cheap - about $100 for Black Leather trimmed to match my interior, but I couldn't be happier. It holds Big 'ol cups and bottles, too.

Need a bit of help here. As I've seen on many other 7s, my cup holder in the console finally became disconnected when I opened it. Tried forever to get it working but couldn't. Wondering what anyone has done to replace or fix. The sleeve just came out and now it won't go back in flush or stay in one piece. Ideas?

If your cup holder is still in your dash, will go in and out, but will not stay in, you can manually lift the prong that keeps your cup from touching the center console or keeps your cup from falling through. There is a small spring that pushes the prong up each time the cup holder slides out of the dash. My 97 740 il does not have the sping in place. To install the spring, I would have to remove the dash. Too much candy for a nickle. So I do what I'm suggesting to you. Weill