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An unknown object got lodged behind the door of my center console cupholder. I couldn’t open it all the way. After searching high and low for directions on how to fix it and finding nothing I dug into today. Pretty simple to do - here’s how I did it:
0) Car should be off for this whole process. I didn’t disconnect the battery
1) Remove the 2 leather trim pieces on either side of the console. These are just held on by tabs and came off easily. I started from the back and worked my way forwards toward the dash.
2) Remove the 2 bolts that were just exposed that hold the console to the dash assembly. These are 11mm bolts. On my vehicle the bolts were not screwed down very tight.
3) Open the center console bin (arm rests) and leave them open as the cupholder sits under the arm rests.
4) Remove the 2 11mm bolts at the bottom of the storage bin.
5) That should be enough to get every loose. First lift up on the silver trim around gear shift where it meets the cupholder. You should be able to lift it at least a half an inch. Now lift out the cup holder assembly starting by tipping up the front then the back - it should lift out at this point.
6) When you lift it out take off the light wire harness and the cup hold should now be completely free.
For those of you who are giddy with suspense it was at this point I found a ballpoint pen has slid down behind the cupholder door cover :-(. It easily shook out.
That at was it. Reverse the steps and I was back in business. What a pain!
I'm interested in knowing how involved it would be to swap in a newer cup insert (the one that had the led lights built in).
I wonder if it's just a matter of sourcing the part, opening the center console and tapping into a power source (oem clean plug and play, no splicing).
Those with a newer GX and have opened the center console.. any thoughts?
Interesting idea, I'd be open to trying this myself too. I installed a 12V port in the back of the center console (for second row passengers), so I'm not afraid to do a little disassembly.
I thought a few had opened this area without it and didn't find a connector. Not sure about '14+... I replaced my cupholder since I had damaged the wood and found a good used '13 for a great deal on eBay.
This thread may look a litte intimidating, but it is not difficult to disassemble any of it. It clearly shows that there are numerous source wires to choose from. The load for the LED would be so low, I wouldn't have a problem just tapping into an existing wire with "switched" power.
Just had my second cup holder failure when one of the spring-loaded wings stay retracted and then "fall" into the netherland under the piece. Anyone else experience this? Find a fix or repair.
I bought my CPO 2015 and had the same issue. The only fix (according to the dealer) was to replace the entire cup holder assembly. Fortunately this was done under warranty as the part is expensive.
The design of the cup holder is poor. It is always difficult to force a handled coffee cup into the holder because of the resistance of the tabs. I have to push one down and then coax the thing a little. Kinda like riding a mule up a steep hill.
The best fix for this issue actually occurred when my wife forcefully secured a large Yeti in the cupholder and actually broke the top wing flap. The bottom wing flap is plenty of remaining resistance needed to keep a cup secure and I no longer have the issue where the top wing and bottom wing must align to each other to allow a cup. My recommendation is to actually try and break that spring loaded top wing AND additionally super glue the divider to the cupholder. This keeps things secure and stops it from annoyingly popping out and disheveling everything.
Dimensions looked good for the most part so I thought I would give it a try. Well this mod feel apart and was a waste of time, not even sure if I would have liked this cup holder if I accomplished this but why not give it a shot. After awhile I thought this maybe a sacrificial part so I kept grinding on it to see if I could make this work for a future replacement done right with experience so pardon the sloppy work here.
Thinking I could use this or something similar with pulling out the console and cutting out the cup holder. The door cover is a tight fit on the rear clearance.
Might play another day
Why the unevenness? Pics on Amazon look to the be the same.
I kept grinding off plastic and got closer to a fit. No depth measurement specs on Amazon and it is a Little too deep so I cut off the bottom.
Got it flush enough to close the door but unable to install the tabs where the molded GX part is for OEM insert on the rear.
09-24-17, 05:29 PM
Remove Center Console Cupholder assembly
Cup holder failure
Cup holder mod...Fail..
