[Karthik Chandra]

This is a very simple but useful DIY. I have a 2012 Eon.

Eon doesn't have cup holders. It has a bottle holder behind the handbrake and the door pads can hold 500 ml bottles.

I found this cup holder in amazon and had bought them some time back for Rs. 179. This same design is available under different brand names with prices ranging from Rs. 133/- to Rs. 479/-

* The unit feels sturdy and will surely last long
* Its a very simple design and folds when not in use - very compact
* The design is aesthetically good
* One can fit it anywhere in the car
* It is good to hold 500 ml bottle and large cups
* Very simple installation
* Available in black, grey and beige colors to match the interiors

This is what you get in the package. 2 units.



The design - folds out to form the base and holder



Tools required

1. Screws - 8 nos. (should have uised black screws)
2. Screw marker
3. Screw driver

I decided to get them fixed in the door pad just next to the A/C vent



You need to mark the spots to get the holes for screws, mark it with a marker

Use the screw marker to just pierce a small dot, just like the one in the lower left side in the below pic

Further drive the screw to make it bigger, drive it only half way not fully

The marks, the top spot and the left below spot has been driven with a screw. The left below spot is just marked with marker



Place the cup holder in open position. Drive the screws

This is how it looks when folded



and when opened




Few more pics - LHS holder



You might find the cup holder in a slanted position, actually its parallel to the surface and looks slanted because of the belt line which flows upward towards the rear




RHS holder





LHS holder with 500 ML bottle





the door in open position



RHS holder with 500 ML bottle






the door in open position



This is my view of the LHS ORVM, the bottle doesn't come in line of my vision



Few points to note:

* Ensure you decide where you want them installed.
* While installing near the A/C vents ensure that the holder does not fiddle with the vents both in open and closed positions
* While installing in RHS - Driver side, ensure that it doesn't fiddle with the right side indicator stalks, and in LHS make sure that the bottle doesn't interfere your vision with the ORVM
* Ensure you mark the spots before driving the screws
* Once screwed check the whether the unit operates flawlessly
* Ensure the unit is properly screwed to prevent rattles.
* Ensure you apply only desired amount of pressure while marking and driving the screws or you might end up cracking the door pads

The device does the intended job perfectly and does not look out of place inside the cabin.

Thanks for reading

Member samaspire had started the following useful thread. It has a lot of small yet useful stuffs.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...-your-car.html

[ampere]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

* Ensure you apply only desired amount of pressure while marking and driving the screws or you might end up cracking the door pads

Nice. Now you have a bottle cooler in your car.

One piece of advice though.
Next time you visit the service centre, ask them to open up the door pads and replace the screws with a black nut and bolt + washers on both side. Otherwise the holder will eventually dig-in to the plastic and start to sag due to the weight of the bottle.

- Sam

[LoneRidder]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

* While installing in RHS - Driver side, ensure that it doesn't fiddle with the right side indicator stalks, and in LHS make sure that the bottle doesn't interfere your vision with the ORVM
* Ensure you mark the spots before driving the screws
* Once screwed check the whether the unit operates flawlessly
* Ensure the unit is properly screwed to prevent rattles.
* Ensure you apply only desired amount of pressure while marking and driving the screws or you might end up cracking the door pads

Thank you. Very nice and useful DIY.

One more caution. Do not use long screws, it my not give the intended strength and it may even touch the glass on the door. Best to use small bolt and nut.

[rxpaul]

Nice concept, but I guess the location should have been a little lower. In the summer if you are going to leave a water bottle in the car while parked you will get boiled water when you get back . I prefer to keep water bottles under the seats, but they tend to roll around sometimes.

[swami69]

Good one. From the pictures, my guess is, it would probably obstruct the Left Rear View Mirror visibility for the Driver with a bottle in place. Is that the case ? Kindly clarify.

Swami

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Nice. Now you have a bottle cooler in your car.

One piece of advice though.
Next time you visit the service centre, ask them to open up the door pads and replace the screws with a black nut and bolt + washers on both side. Otherwise the holder will eventually dig-in to the plastic and start to sag due to the weight of the bottle.

- Sam

Thanks Sam, I shall do that when I visit the service centre.

Originally Posted by LoneRidder

Thank you. Very nice and useful DIY.

One more caution. Do not use long screws, it my not give the intended strength and it may even touch the glass on the door. Best to use small bolt and nut.

I have used small screws, say about a CM in length

Originally Posted by rxpaul

Nice concept, but I guess the location should have been a little lower. In the summer if you are going to leave a water bottle in the car while parked you will get boiled water when you get back . I prefer to keep water bottles under the seats, but they tend to roll around sometimes.

The placement was such that the vents can be positioned to direct cool air.

Originally Posted by swami69

Good one. From the pictures, my guess is, it would probably obstruct the Left Rear View Mirror visibility for the Driver with a bottle in place. Is that the case ? Kindly clarify.

Swami

I had taken that into consideration, check the below pic, this is my view of the ORVM, the bottle doesn't interfere

[swami69]

That is clean. No rear view mirror obstruction. Thanks for the photo and clarification.

Swami

[rohin4110]

I would not be keen to damage the door trim by using screws here. End of the day, an aftermarket holder would not last three lifetime of the car, thus punching holes in the trim may not be a good idea.

Instead, I would have used a 3M double side tape to paste the holder on the trim. To that let me add, 3M has introduced a new and more expensive tape, which is meant for door visors and side beeding, and it has an amazing binding strength. Would have been ideal to use it for this DIY.

Nevertheless, great idea

[hangover]

Originally Posted by rohin4110

I would not be keen to damage the door trim by using screws here. End of the day, an aftermarket holder would not last three lifetime of the car, thus punching holes in the trim may not be a good idea.

Nevertheless, great idea

This double sided tape may work for light weight items. However if the tumbler or can (in the holder) is full then it's weight as you go over bumps may unglue (or maybe it is de-glue) the tape.

Then, all the kings horses' and all the kings' men can't pour the liquid back again.

I have an OHC. It has a hinged armrest with a storage type area below it, over the rear brake. I usually place my phone in it so that I get a louder speaker effect. In OHC's every single gram is accounted for; hence no music system. Anyway, I can keep two 250 ml sipper type bottles. These are not the straw type ones which kids use. It more like pril dish wash bottle type.

I don't like soft drinks and I haven't tried pril. Mine are usually filled with water.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

Few points to note:
* Ensure the unit is properly screwed to prevent rattles.

Thank you for the review and clear photos

One suggestion - do use a little foam-based double-sided tape between the holder and trim panel, in addition to the screw/bolt. Plastic-on-plastic is also prone to squeaking (not just rattling), especially when a bit of play is introduced. The foam on the tape will acoustically insulate the trim panel from the holder, thereby eliminating squeaking and reducing rattling. You could equally use some other material, just that double-sided tape has a bonus of it not falling off.

Similarly, you can glue felt or rubber to the base of the holder, to prevent rattling between the bottle and the base.

Originally Posted by hangover

I don't like soft drinks and I haven't tried pril. Mine are usually filled with water.

So says the guy whose handle is hangover.

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by rohin4110

Instead, I would have used a 3M double side tape to paste the holder on the trim.
Nevertheless, great idea

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Thank you for the review and clear photos

One suggestion - do use a little foam-based double-sided tape between the holder and trim panel, in addition to the screw/bolt. Plastic-on-plastic is also prone to squeaking (not just rattling), especially when a bit of play is introduced. The foam on the tape will acoustically insulate the trim panel from the holder, thereby eliminating squeaking and reducing rattling. You could equally use some other material, just that double-sided tape has a bonus of it not falling off.

Similarly, you can glue felt or rubber to the base of the holder, to prevent rattling between the bottle and the base.

Thanks rohin4110 & arunphilip for the suggestion. Shall implement the same and post a pic.

[rohin4110]

Originally Posted by hangover

This double sided tape may work for light weight items. However if the tumbler or can (in the holder) is full then it's weight as you go over bumps may unglue (or maybe it is de-glue) the tape.

The strength of the 3M double side tape is really good. I have tested the same in some other applications, and the weight of a 500 ml full bottle or can in the holder would be a breeze.. It needs to be applied and pasted properly though, after ensuring that none of the surfaces to be bonded are greasy! Would never pierce the original trims of the car, but instead give alternate options a try first