328I Broken Cup Holder On Passenger Side

Yesterday while getting into my friends two month old car, I broke his cup holder on the passenger side.

The cup holder is the one next right next to the door.

I have no clue as to how much would they charge to replace it. The part itself would cost around $85.

Any help would be much appreciated!

EDIT: Just got off the phone with the Dallas dealership. The parts department told me that it will cost me around $53 plus tax. They tried connecting me to the Service department but could not get through. Any idea how much would they charge me to do the replacement for me besides the cost of the part itself?

The labor cost is $0 if you DIY.

From one of the threads on this (it sounds like it happens quite a lot!):

Originally Posted by CT

...you can replace with just a Philips screw driver.

Remove the dash trim panel by lightly prying, then unscrew the two (2) philips screws holding in the cup holder. Slide the cup holder out, put the new one in, and replace the screws and trim panel.

@Majikthese42: Thanks for the picture. I have been looking for something like that.

I am just a tad uncomfortable doing that myself as

a. I know nothing about cars, so a bit nervous about doing it for the first time with friend's new car, not to mention a BMW.

b. My friend is out of the country and he has no idea what has happened to his car. I would own upto it and would prefer if I can get him the best service possible to get it fixed.

With a previous BMW I owned, I had brought the car in to my dealer to have a cup holder I had broken replaced. I expected to pay for it, but was delighted to discover that they fixed it as a warrantee item. Maybe the policy is to assume that it was the part's fault. Or maybe I was granted a kindness.

Originally Posted by abpat2203

b. My friend is out of the country and he has no idea what has happened to his car. I would own upto it and would prefer if I can get him the best service possible to get it fixed.

You are a good friend, and I commend your efforts. I would ask the dealer if they would install the part after you purchase it, and what they would charge. There is a very good chance they will charge a minimal amount, if anything at all. However, if they try to charge a small fortune, try to find an independant repair shop, or maybe even a Bimmerfester that is local to you that could assist.

You are such a nice friend

$0 spend
Click at your username
Go to Friends
Then Show all friends
On the right corner
"Break Friendship"
You good to go!

That will be my suggestion.

[QUOTE=abpat2203;5710302]@Majikthese42: Thanks for the picture. I have been looking for something like that.

I am just a tad uncomfortable doing that myself as

a. I know nothing about cars, so a bit nervous about doing it for the first time with friend's new car, not to mention a BMW.

I hear you.(esp. since its your buddys car.) I get nervous fixing anything mechanical/electrical. But today, i decided to take the plunge and change the dc adapter fuse. Multiple simple steps later when the GPS charger came alive, the feeling i got - priceless. Am sure its not a big deal for all you (expert) DIY-ers.

But then, it wouldn't be possible without your valuable inputs. Thank you bimmerfest !

@3rd Jet Black: I just hope they are as magnanimous towards me.

@wag-zhp: That is pretty sound advice. Taking it to the delaer and getting a quote would be the best thing to do before I pick up that Philips screwdriver.

@GiaGiaJa: LOL! Wish real-life was that as easy.

@suju: When it comes to stuff that I own, I am pretty hands-on with fixing them...and I pretty good at that, even if I say so myself. Unless it involves anything to do with electricity in which case I prefer to stay miles away. Dying from electrocution is my biggest fear.

If you're not bad at fixing things, this one appears to be a cinch.

I was nervous the first time I removed a trim piece from the dash. But doing it, I realized what a piece of cake it was to do. You can do most of the pieces with just your fingertips if you find the right place to pull. I would suggest opening the passenger side door to expose the right, vertical edge of the trim piece and then try gently pulling it off with just your fingers. I bet you find that it's easy to do. Once you've got that off, you'll be able to do the rest easily.

Of course, if you're going to the dealer's anyway, you might as well ask them to do it.

Originally Posted by abpat2203

Yesterday while getting into my FORMER friends two month old car, I broke his cup holder on the passenger side.

The cup holder is the one next right next to the door.

I have no clue as to how much would they charge to replace it. The part itself would cost around $85.

Any help would be much appreciated!

EDIT: Just got off the phone with the Dallas dealership. The parts department told me that it will cost me around $53 plus tax. They tried connecting me to the Service department but could not get through. Any idea how much would they charge me to do the replacement for me besides the cost of the part itself?

There. Fixed that for you.

Originally Posted by Majikthese42

The labor cost is $0 if you DIY.

From one of the threads on this (it sounds like it happens quite a lot!):

Thanks you SOOO much for this quick schematic of the situation. Helps so much because I've never done much car work myself, although general maintenance and DIY things seem fair enough to me.

HOWEVER, does anyone know where I can find the cup holder part itself? I'm looking for the RH cup holder assembly for the 2007 BMW 328xi sedan (seen above), but want to make sure I'm buying the right part. Is this the correct part:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/06-10...item3a63eb5fb8

I'm thinking of buying it since it's only 20 bucks, but would like some feedback if everyone thinks it's the correct part for a 328xi sedan, 2007 year. Or, if anyone knows where I can get a cheaper/better one, let me know!

Thanks!

Just be sure you specify year model "2007". In 2008 and beyond, BMW put a small chrome-looking bar across the front edge. If you get a later model cup holder assembly, that one will have that added shiny bar and the driver side won't (don't ask me how I know )

Doug