TI Arm Rest Kit ..

[ZeroG]

Today I recieved my TI arm rest kit from Circle BMW in NJ. The install went pretty well. I did run into one issue. Now that my TI has an armrest it now lacks cup holders as I had to replace the entire center consol.

Now I know what you are going to say BMW's should not have cup holders. Well this car I use for commuting and I think it is nice to occasionally have a place to put my cup of coffee.

Does anyone know where I can get a cup holder for the new consol? I would prefer OEM.

-Chad

[L84THSKY]

Chad

I was just in the process of asking the EXACT same question. That is amazing!!!! When the armrest is down, the only accessible spot to put a cup, is the square recess just in front of the armrest. I do put bottles in that spot, but it isn't sturdy.

Checkout the pic, and you can see the only area not covered by the armrest, when it is down.

http://www.geocities.com/l84thsky/LighterMod.JPG

If you find a cupholder to fit, let me know too.


Today I recieved my TI arm rest kit from Circle BMW in NJ. The install went pretty well. I did run into one issue. Now that my TI has an armrest it now lacks cup holders as I had to replace the entire center consol.

Now I know what you are going to say BMW's should not have cup holders. Well this car I use for commuting and I think it is nice to occasionally have a place to put my cup of coffee.

Does anyone know where I can get a cup holder for the new consol? I would prefer OEM.

-Chad

[schussey]

that is the only thought holding me back from installing the armrest. I prefer to have a spot to put my beverages.

Lately I've been using the drinks in the cupholders as an armrest, haha. (seriously)

[ergnut]

Although Europeans look down their noses when Americans drink (non-alcoholic beverages) & drive, the ti has the best cup holders of any car I've seen. Convenient location, low cg so they don't splash. I'd have to think twice about losing them ...

[1996 328ti]

Did you look at this?
http://www.318ti.org/notebook/armrest/

You can cut the rear of the console and it will fit under the arm rest.
Also the square portion at the front of the console works very well holding water or a coffee mug.

[Tyler]

I bought a Leatherz armrest used for my car,i instaslled it about 3 weeks ago and i love it. I still have access to my cupholder. I'll post some pics when i have the chance..

[ZeroG]

Did you look at this?
http://www.318ti.org/notebook/armrest/

You can cut the rear of the console and it will fit under the arm rest.
Also the square portion at the front of the console works very well holding water or a coffee mug.

It does not look that bad. Has anyone ever tried using the late model E36 M3 cup holders?

-Chad

[clex2]

I noticed the same problem with the armrest installed...no cup holders :(
So I did some experimenting and I was able to fit the original cup holder console in it's entirety (sp?) with a little reshaping of the cup holder. Basically shift the cup holder console forward one slot and cut/reshape the front of the console just forward of the coin holder to fit the contours of the shifter console. You will also have to fabricate small slivers of black plastic to cover the gaps where the arm rest console dips down in front. In my case, some scrap carbon fiber did the trick. Or you can just leave it with the gap. I did that for a while and never really noticed the gaps. It's all black there, so it's not readily noticeable. You will also need to redrill holes for the expansion clips. With this set up, you can have the arm rest down and hold your drink at the same time. I have linked some pics to what I did to one of my Ti's. My other Ti is too fast for drinks :P so no cup holders in the red one.
Oh, don't mind the snow on the passenger seat. We just had a storm pass thru.

http://bimmerboard.com/members/clex2/IMG_1280.JPG
http://bimmerboard.com/members/clex2/IMG_1281.JPG
http://bimmerboard.com/members/clex2/IMG_1282.JPG