NOTE: Perform these steps at your own risk. All P/N's listed are a "best guess", so please double-check with your local dealer. These mods and repairs were performed on my US-Spec 1989 325i (12/88 prod date, M20/B25 engine) but there is no guarantee they will work on other E30's. These instructions are provided for entertainment purposes only!
BACKGROUND: It seems that just about every car has a cup holder nowadays. Some good, some crappy (can you say E39...), but at least they have something! I reviewed just about every E30 option, but couldn't find anything I thought would serve the following purposes: hold a variety of cups/bottles, unobtrusive when shifting (just say "no" to TracTop®), doesn't block seat movement, and integrates into the spartan E30 interior. My compromise was the Fischer C-Box universal cup holder which was available at Ultimate Cupholders for the best price (originally saw it in Griots Garage catalog for $17).
Since my rear ashtray was slightly cracked and there's no smoking in my car, I decided to mount the cup holder there as a test. So far, so good.
Required Parts:
- #16317 - Fischer C-Box universal cup holder (~$13 from Ultimate Cupholders)
- Super glue
Required Tools:
- Drill and bits
- Phillips-head screwdriver
1. For stability, I super glued the ashtray lid shut in four places total (see arrows).
2. Use a drill bit smaller than the supplied screws to drill out the two front pre-tapped holes in the cup holder after temporarily disconnecting the assembly. Properly position the cup holder and drill thru the ashtray lid. Use two of the supplied screws to attach them together fairly tightly.
3. Enjoy the results.
Warning/drawbacks:
- Lost usage of the rear ashtray (obviously).
- If you have rear passengers, you might want to remove the cup holder/ashtray assembly so they don't accidentally kick it if sliding across the seats.
- When opening the cup holder, the ash tray will tilt back a tiny bit. As long as the cup holder isn't supporting a heavy container, I don't believe this will be an issue while in motion, but test it just to be sure.
