The little ear on my cupholder in my 98 LSC has broken off rendering it useless. It is a black interior. The little plastic ear is not sold seperately, the whole assembly goes for megabucks. My question is two-part, first of all can the little ear be replaced from another unit or does the whole assembly need to be installed? Second regarding the color, an e-Bay auction listing the part for a 98 stated that the black color is different than the 97. I have seen other auctions stating the part for a 97 will work for a 98 also. I´d hate to spend the $$$ replacing and see the color is slightly different. The dealer service reps couldn´t answer this for me....does anyone know? tstein@berklee.edu
98 Mark VIII Cupholder
- Thread starter tstein
- Start date
whiplash15
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The black color for one year is black, and the other is dark graphite. They are all black inside. Makes no difference which color you buy, the colored panels are interchangable. (Assuming yours are in good condition) Private msg Jamies98lsc and ask him about the arm replacment. I have never tried to replace one, but I would think it should be posible.
The cupholders can be fixed. I've done it a couple of times on mine.
Needless to say, this post would be so much more useful with pictures...maybe I'll go out later and break mine so that I can do the repair again...this time while photographing the process.
Start by removing the center console from your car. Then remove the cupholder assembly from the console. The bolts/screws are accessible from the underside, I believe.
Once you have the cupholder out, there is a place where you must file (or Dremel-tool) a bit of plastic away so that you are able to grab the pin on which the cupholder "wing" pivots. Use a pair of pliers and pull it out.
Take the two broken pieces in your hand (separate from the whole assembly) and super glue them (now, stay with me here...) together.
Next, use your dremel tool and cut two grooves perpendicular to the break in the part so that you are able to lay a small piece of steel (a very thin, headless nail 1 inch in length works well) in the groove.
Mix up some of fiberglass resin (Wal Mart has it!) and fill the groove around the nail with the resin and let it set up adequately.
On the other side of the part, gently grind away some of the thickness of the plastic one either side of the break. Use the fiberglass matting and resin to reinforce the part.
After all is dry, sand it down to the original dimensions and paint with some semi-flat gloss paint. Reassemble, with springs in the right places, and put it back in.
Basically, what you are doing is gluing it back together and then reinforcing it with something that is tougher than the original plastic. I've had use of my cupholder for a number of years now using this technique.
Now get yourself a Big Gulp and do some hole shots.
Needless to say, this post would be so much more useful with pictures...maybe I'll go out later and break mine so that I can do the repair again...this time while photographing the process.
Start by removing the center console from your car. Then remove the cupholder assembly from the console. The bolts/screws are accessible from the underside, I believe.
Once you have the cupholder out, there is a place where you must file (or Dremel-tool) a bit of plastic away so that you are able to grab the pin on which the cupholder "wing" pivots. Use a pair of pliers and pull it out.
Take the two broken pieces in your hand (separate from the whole assembly) and super glue them (now, stay with me here...) together.
Next, use your dremel tool and cut two grooves perpendicular to the break in the part so that you are able to lay a small piece of steel (a very thin, headless nail 1 inch in length works well) in the groove.
Mix up some of fiberglass resin (Wal Mart has it!) and fill the groove around the nail with the resin and let it set up adequately.
On the other side of the part, gently grind away some of the thickness of the plastic one either side of the break. Use the fiberglass matting and resin to reinforce the part.
After all is dry, sand it down to the original dimensions and paint with some semi-flat gloss paint. Reassemble, with springs in the right places, and put it back in.
Basically, what you are doing is gluing it back together and then reinforcing it with something that is tougher than the original plastic. I've had use of my cupholder for a number of years now using this technique.
Now get yourself a Big Gulp and do some hole shots.