Cupholders. Passenger side retaining thingy isn't retaining...

Has anyone fixed a cupholder that springs open when the cupholder cover door is released? My driver's side waits patiently for a push before releasing. The passenger side doesn't. PITA and I'm sure will ultimately cause the door itself to fail (because: worst engineering and materials selection ever, thanks Porsche ). Nothing has snapped or popped - it just happened to become that way one recent afternoon...

I had the same problem. After removing the unit and poking around inside, I found that the "soft open" operation is controlled by a tiny little plastic gear that had broken. I couldn't find a part number listed anywhere, which made identifying a replacement a challenge. In the end, I stumbled across a seller on eBay. (I have no affiliation.) It's expensive for what it is, but far less than a new cupholder unit and if you're smart enough to corner a market I guess you can charge whatever you want. I suspect the replacement gear will eventually suffer the same fate as the one from the factory, but it's working fine so far. eBay link

Maybe just stop using that thing altogether: BMW Cup Holders, Porsche Cup Holders, Ultimate Cup Holder - Cupholders / Drink Holders for BMW 3 5 7 Series, Boxster 911 Z4 Mercedes Audi NSX other fine cars. A much better solution and less visually obtrusive in your line of sight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had one in the past. Not ideal as it sometimes decided it didn’t want to “hang on” to its point of contact under the console trim (on E46 BMW ). Perhaps better attached in a Cayman / Boxster ? Shawn in VA (USA)

I use those as well. I have never had one fall off but they do move around a bit.

If I were into java and a commuter, I'd probably give one of those aftermarket units a try. However, I'd still fix the original. I just like things to work as intended, if possible.

I had a similar problem and after investigating, it wasn't that little gear thingy, it was a tiny plastic pin that broke off a catch arm and could no longer catch the little catch hole when the unit was pushed back into the dash. That's what holds it in. The gears themselves were fine. I replaced the whole unit.

I think that Porsche has made worse engineering and materials selection than what you are griping about. Have you ever heard of the IMS bearing?

I have the Ultimate cup holders in my 987.2 and it is great. Looks fairly OEM and although it does shift a little (you have to straighten it a bit), but the piece that wedges underneath the plastic center console is long enough that it won’t come out completely. My cup holder was broken, and even if it wasn’t, it isn’t very sturdy feeling and perched rather precariously.

Just ordered one for my 987 My factory cupholders are in perfect working order, but I like the idea of using something lower to the floorboard with less bounce. Thanks for the info fellas.

You mean you don’t enjoy that satisfying thwack as one of the cup holders comes out with the velocity of a sprung mousetrap? I thought having at least one of the pair behave like this was the stern German way of reminding us Americans that drinking (anything) and driving don’t mix — eine Gedächtnisstütze !

My cupholder is broken beyond fixing unfortunately. I keep looking on eBay, but I really don't want to spend $300 on something that I won't even use. Regardless, having the broken door hanging down certainly isn't a good look! The PO tried to repair it but broke the middle section, making it impossible to fix...

I have a problematic cup holder in my car too, I need to remove it, does anyone know how to remove it from a Boxster 981, I couldn't find any instructions. Thanks for. any help!