I have one gripe with my new TL. It's almost so benign as to be comical.

These stupid cup holders will not release 50% of the containers I put in there. From Starbucks cups and plastic bottles to my daughter’s ice cream cup this evening.

I swear, it was a battle to get that paper ( 2 scoops of rainbow sherbet for her, FYI ) cup out of the holder. It was an easy drop in, but it literally was a two minute battle to get it out once home. I had my fingers under pushing up and was pulling up from the top with my other hand. Those rubber flaps, which grab and hold would not release this cup. When I started to remove the cup I was laughing and by the end I was %$#*^@.

I’ve had trouble getting my Starbuck’s cup out, I could grasp the lid ( which came off along with some hot coffee ) but the cup would not budge. There's also this one water bottle I always carry, and it literally will not come out once inserted. Once again, it just drops in, its not like I'm forcing it in.

I think I might trim the little rubber flaps back a little on the deeper cup holder.

 

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76490

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78783

http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92634


I guess you're tired of searching them.



Anyway, our cup-holder is good.

 

From what i've notcied, it was a lot more annoying when i got the car- after a few weeks, the holders get a little looser and it's just right for most cups- even starbucks ones, it comes out with a light tug on the cup. don't worry about it too much.

 

"It is far better to have an overly aggressive cupholder than a passive one. The aggressive cupholder will not allow the beverage to spill, ever. The passive one does not care about your leather, your aluminum, or your carpeting."

---Dale Earnhardt, 2000

 

yeah, I read those a couple of months ago..... I guess sometimes you like to out things in your own words......ya know

 

I've been wondering about some protectant or silicon lubricant or something that would make the little rubber tabs in the cupholder less sticky.

Starbucks "tall" cups work well because the cupholder just snags the paper insulator ring thingy, which makes the cup easy to take in and out

 

I don't like them either. The front cupholder is to deep, and I don't like using the back one because I like having the armrest slid forward. The coffee cups we have drop so deep into the front one that the lid is actually about flush with the opening - I have to lift the whole cup out by the lid.

 

how you bring any food or beverage into your beloved TL is beyond me. I guess I love mine more

 

1) If you are ordering a smaller sized Starbucks coffee, ask for it in a larger cup.

2) Place the cup in the shorter cup holder - They are two different heights, y'know.

These should solve most of your problems.

 

If this is the worst we can find to complain about I guess we picked the right car!!


_____________
'04 TL RRP w/ Camel
Auto w/ NAV

 

Yet another milestone in TL posts - congrats!

I submit in advance the following:
Boxers or briefs?

 

Briefs. The additional support is a must. If you're not a man of significant size, you can't understand the boxer issue.

BJ

 

I love that the cup holders keep my water bottle cold from the rear ac ducts. acura really should put this in as a feature because it really does keep the water cold. the storage area also keeps my cd's ice cold stored deep in the bottom storage bay.

 

Yes, this is proof positive the you love your car more than those of us who drink coffee or a softdrink in our car! I suppose you also "cuddle" with your wife every night, buy her a dozen roses every week....

Okay, lets take off the gloves. You comment is really stupid. How does this make you love your car more than we do? I have three cars (including a Corvette that I drive on weekends). I drink coffee in all of them. I can assure you all three cars are kept immaculate and are exceptionally well maintained. I also do some extremely spirited driving and have a room full of trophys from a variety of types of racing. Do you still think you love your car more than I do just because I drink coffee in it?

 

DRIVE the car to the fullest...........drink your coffee in the office or at home !!! I dont allow drinks in my NSX or my TL.

DAVE.

 

Arguing over cupholders! It wasn't that long ago that a car's 'cupholder' was the space between the driver's thighs! These little gems from Acura tightly hold everything from a soda can to a Big-Ass Slurpee. Life is good!

 

More relevant than perhaps you intended!

Some people complain that the cupholders hold their stuff too snugly. Others don't like the way small items are harder to pull out.

I like that the cupholders can hold big items well without stuff flopping around and possibly falling out.

Personally I think these are the best cupholders in the industry, but I guess one size doesn't fit all.

 

I just traded in my 2000 TL for the 2005 TL (both with NAV). My 2000 was great in every way EXCEPT the cupholders. They were so shallow I had to drive with one hand on the wheel and one supporting the cup.

I am thrilled with the holding ability of the 2005 cup holders. The bluetooth and the cupholders were what sealed my decision to trade in.

Nancy

 

Not to sound geekish or anything but I have found that giving the cup a little twist as you pull it up seems to help with me. Something like unscrewing the cup from the cup holder. Since the rubber flaps stick out directly, just pulling the cups out will directly counter the tabs but twisting it will kinda give a sliding motion to the cups against the tabs.

I guess it's something about sliding friction vs. friction from rest...

Maybe you can try that and see if it helps.

Just my 2 cents.

 

^that would be correct. Newtons first law. Once you get it moving... Its easier to twist it because the thingie doesnt lock, the rubber flaps, as if you wire pulling it out. And since its in motion, the thing about sliding friction comes into effect.

 

i duno..it doesnt seem to be a problem for me

 

I LOVE THE CUP HOLDERS!!!! I'm a Starbucks addict and I'm there every day. I buy Ventis and the cup holders have yet to enable a spill.

If the cup holders are too strong for you maybe you should start working out.

 

I mean there are things you can complain about Im sure but man that is so trivial.......... are you the wife or the husband?

 

Twist the cup as you're pulling it out.

 

I have no problems with the fingers holding my cup - my only comment when I first sat in the TL at the showroom while I was searching for a car was - "man, what a cheap cup holder door!" My '02 has the push button opening door -fancy/schmancy - I did not care for the sliding plastic lid cover - but I got over it.I agree with the pull and twist method - or use a travel mug. I dunno. No food or drinks in my car. Nope. Uh-uh.

 

Boxers for me. It's the temperature thing....I like to keep things cool.

 

Amen, my brother!

 

OK guys...if the cupholder holds your drinks too tight, (they can't design it for all types of cups), you can do what my friend did to his TL. He got an exacto knife and cut 2 of the 5 rubber snubbers off the cupholder. Now his cupholders still grab the typical drink container he uses, but it allows the cup to be removed easier. If you cut only 2, the remaining 3 will still do the job. Personally, I don't have a problem with my cupholder because I usually have a water bottle or soda can in there and those pop right out without any problem.

 

God I missed this thread ... it's been so long!!

I'm gonna go find the gas cap thread and bump that one .... be back in a bit!

 

Those of you who have complaints about the cupholders in the TL have obviously never tried to use the cupholder in an NSX. I don't know who designed them, but useless doesn't even come close as a description. Furthermore, if you do try to use it you will get your arm and console soaking wet the moment the car starts to move.

I'll take the two cupholders in my TL anyday over the ones in my NSX. But whether or not the cupholders are good, bad, or useless, doesn't really mean anything in the long run. As someone previosuly mentioned, the old fashioned cup holder (between the legs) worked for many years before the molded console one's were derived.

 

complaining about the cupholder in YOUR NSX.... yeah, rub it in. haha. i'm just kidding.

 

Thanks ndx2. But my major complaint with the NSX is that 1) Honda painted it Red just like their cheaper model Civic; 2) I don't even have power steering; and 3) I only get about 25mpg while going 90mph.

 

Since I started this thread Iwill chime in.

It's a combination of the rubber flaps and the weakness of the cup/lid combo. If I try to twist and/or lift, I need to put too much pressure on the cup in that the lid pops off and coffee spills. The structural rigidity of the cup/lid is below the gripping force of the flaps. Solution, I just leave a cardboard cup sleeve in the front holder.

In the other case, my Nalgene OTG bottle just drops in as easy as can be, but no matter how much it's twisted or pulled it won't come out ( I can flex the console trying, it's a riot to watch). My solution ( if I forget and drop it in by mistake ) is to take a small piece of paper and wrap it around the bottle and push it down, taking the flaps out of contact with the plastic bottle and pull it out.

Now, after almost 1 year of ownership and 13500 miles, I'm still extremely happy with my TL. Sure its not perfect, but its still probably one of the best cars I've ever owned. I look forward to driving, actually miss it sometimes when away on frequent/long business trips and I still take needless trips or errand runs just to go off and blast up through the gears.

Fast, fun, great mileage/24mpg, DVD-A, BlueTooth, 6speed, A-Spec suspension, great design both inside and out, and did I say fun.

Now, with my permission, let's please let's put this thread to rest.

( and to whoever rips on someone for reviving a thread, I think your wrong. It means someone did a search and bothered to see if it was discussed before and then adding to it. )

 

The last time I did this at the writer's request it backfired, so I hope you're serious, because the is on.

And you think Acura would have tried putting a Starbucks cup in the holder to see if it worked before they made all you people endure the excruciating pain of trying to remove the cup without spilling coffee.