Cup Holder Replacement (Upgrade?)

alaskansnail

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
Apple Valley, CA
TDI
84 Quantum, 97 Passat
So my Passat didn't come with the factory cupholder so I decided to install one I got off Amazon. My brother then got a Passat with it and I realized that the factory one's are SO WEAK. This one works so much better and doesn't bend under weight and better yet, DOESN'T COST AN ARM AND A LEG!
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*DISCLAIMER* PLEASE BE CAREFUL DOING THIS. I KNOW THE ORIGINAL CUPHOLDERS ARE A RARE COMMODITY AND I WOULDN'T WANT ANYONE BREAKING THEIRS. SO DO AT YOUR OWN RISK.
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Time
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20 - 30 Minutes
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Cost
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$12 - $20 (Depends on if you have the screws or not and/or AmazonPrime.)
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What you need:
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Tools
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• Philips Screwdriver
• A Small Drill Bit
• Ruler
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Items
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• Cupholder (Click Here)
If you aren't comfortable with clicking links search for, EEEKit Car Seat Seam Wedge Cup Holder on Amazon.
• 2 about 2-Inch Screws (Try and get them roughly the same size as the
original holes just so if you want to put the original one back on you can
without a problem.)
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1. First Remove the original cupholder. (Preferably without breaking anything.)
There are two screws on the inside of it. First take those out and then note that you have to slide it down and out.
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2. Measure the distance between the original screw holes and the apply that distance to the new cupholder and drill holes accordingly. (My cupholder doesn't sit flush with the center console because I didn't remove any of the bottom wedge. You can probably do so it will be even with it.)
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3. Hand screw in the screws and then use your screwdriver to get them pretty far through in order to get them lined up with the original screw holes. Once they are in then you are pretty much done.
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4. Enjoy your new cupholder without the bottom almost breaking! (One thing to note is that if you have a Large cup they may move a little, but they won't fall out; at least mine haven't. ALSO where I placed my height wise, I can only really fit a small, maybe a medium drink in the one closest to the kneebar.)
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Hope this helps! I mean I could barely put a cup in the original without thinking, "It's totally gonna break."
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
yeah, the original was mainly designed to hold a 12 oz styro / wax coated cup, not the large cups we have today. It was also rather weak on the arms that extended out to support the top...unfortunately.

Steve
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
0/10 for me
your pictures look like some cheese aliexpress crap
 

BigAndy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2002
Location
Northern BC
TDI
99 A3
These are very nice cupholders -- they fit on the door card on the Jetta's with power windows front and back and folks have mounted them where the stock units go on the passats. I like your idea Alaska but my Jetta doesn't have space for a double setup. The original cupholders in the Jetta are best suited for loose change. LOLL

https://www.ultimatecupholders.com/fischercupholder.html

Love the detail in your write up -- nice to see folks still posting ideas!!
 
Last edited:

alaskansnail

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
Apple Valley, CA
TDI
84 Quantum, 97 Passat
yeah, the original was mainly designed to hold a 12 oz styro / wax coated cup, not the large cups we have today. It was also rather weak on the arms that extended out to support the top...unfortunately.

Steve
It's crazy because you can totally tell that this was an afterthought. It's ass if they were done and the designer was like "Dang it! I mean...no here are the cupholders...innovative."
 

alaskansnail

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
Apple Valley, CA
TDI
84 Quantum, 97 Passat
These are very nice cupholders -- they fit on the door card on the Jetta's with power windows front and back and folks have mounted them where the stock units go on the passats. I like your idea Alaska but my Jetta doesn't have space for a double setup. The original cupholders in the Jetta are best suited for loose change. LOLL

https://www.ultimatecupholders.com/fischercupholder.html

Love the detail in your write up -- nice to see folks still posting ideas!!
I was thinking about putting it on my driver's door, but decided against it because I didn't want to harm my doorcard.
I wanted to put those cupholders in, but I knew I probably would run into a problem with 2. Annnnd that's why I went with this thing.

Thank you for the suggestion for that cupholder!

Also thank you for the kind words! :)
 

turbodieseldyke

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Location
Free Mustache Rides
TDI
98 jetta
Thank you! I'm gonna have to look into how I could go about that!
Thank you really! :)
The business suggestion was for the guy who complained about your "crappy chinese" cupholders. I just didn't address him directly, since my reply was immediately after his.

But if you can make a go of it, then godspeed. We have always needed bigger and beefier cupholders than the euros, with their 1oz coffees and 300ml sodas. I don't know what Mk6 and newer cars have, but even in my Mk5 I sometimes need to lift my armrest to stow a big drink in there. We had Big Gulps since the 80s, ffs. The car designers probably think they're saving us from diabeetus by making our cupholders unusable. That little "flower vase" on the New Beetle's dash was probably meant as a joke cupholder for us.
 

alaskansnail

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 31, 2018
Location
Apple Valley, CA
TDI
84 Quantum, 97 Passat
The business suggestion was for the guy who complained about your "crappy chinese" cupholders. I just didn't address him directly, since my reply was immediately after his.

But if you can make a go of it, then godspeed. We have always needed bigger and beefier cupholders than the euros, with their 1oz coffees and 300ml sodas. I don't know what Mk6 and newer cars have, but even in my Mk5 I sometimes need to lift my armrest to stow a big drink in there. We had Big Gulps since the 80s, ffs. The car designers probably think they're saving us from diabeetus by making our cupholders unusable. That little "flower vase" on the New Beetle's dash was probably meant as a joke cupholder for us.

Ohhhh well yeah he can totally go for it! Hahaha thank you for that dude!

My MK5 GTI is decent with cups actually, but I have driven a few that make NO SENSE. I agree, I truly think they think we are being saved from all the sugar...even though they are just making all of us drive with it in between our legs; making it MUCH more dangerous!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
just one more clunky solution to having 2 big gulps for your diabeetus.
next you need a ez bake oven.
DO IT
 
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