Thanks Will and Edward

I think I have a different cup holder than you do Edward as mine has only sort of rubber "flaps" on the front and back of the holder and the "out" sides are wide open. So every time you take a turn you hurl a cup. The only cups that fit snug enough to drive without worry is the Super size cups and my kitchen mugs.
Will - I do not understand how so many people could be visiting this mirror site and it still not be a concern to FORD - of course I guess they are busy with all the other recalls. TEHE - Is this just not considered a safety factor or are we just over reacting? Also I WANT to see the rear wheel and the pavement so I know if there is a car, or a child or when I am parking the trailer, trees etc. at that point. I find I will use the other, bigger mirror for the other stuff. My passenger mirror gives me the tip of the wheel well and I don't know "air" cause you cannot put it into perspective to the truck. Am I expecting the wrong thing from my mirror?
Patti

 

I want to echo your opinion about the cheap cup holders. I was really surprised to find my go everywhere, pull anything, he man truck had such cheap holders. My old F150 had good ones in the arm rest that were great, I wish my 350 had them.

 

I also agree. The cup holders are probably the only part of my truck that I do not like. I've also experienced flying beverages. It has gotten to the point that I don't even use them anymore. I've got a crew cab, and the cup holders for the rear seat are better than the cupholders for the front. You've gotta wonder what they were thinking about when these were designed.

 

From what I've heard, the SD dash cup holders don't hold drinks all that well.
Now that my SD has arrived, I agree that the design could be improved upon..
It seems like the open sides (on the outside) are the key problem.. I've
implemented a very cheap home remedy fix, that can be installed in about 1/2
hour and completly uninstalled in 10 secs if it turns out you don't like the fix.

Parts needed:
2 10" x 4mm stretch cords (available at your favorite wal-mart for 1.97 or so)
1 small piece of wire

tools needed:
3/16 in drill bit w/cordless drill (don't worry there are NO visible holes)
Pair of needlenose pliers

Procedure:
Open the cupholder and examine the 2 'jaws I'll call them' that pop up.
Each jaw has a slit where a rubberized type of material is inserted. Basically we're going to put a cord that attaches to both jaws, so when the cup holder is 'out', the cord will support the side of the cup especially when cornering. When folded, the jaws collapse down, pulling the cord down nicely out of the way.

a. Gently pull part of the rubberized material out of the slot. You don't have to pull the whole thing out, just enough to see the slot.
Do this on the 4 outside corners of the cupholder.

b. Place the drill bit on the outside most part of the slot and make a rounded hole there.. (I tried to squeeze the cord in the slot without drilling, but it needed to be a tiny bit wider, thus the drilling). Do this on all 4 corners.

c. Take the stretch cord, and cut 1 end off, remove the 2 hooks from the stretch cord and discard them.
(Note how the hooks were attached to the cord.. We're doing the same thing later on in step f).

d. Feed the cord from the back side of the jaw closest to the dash out the front
of that jaw, then in the front of the opposing jaw and out the back. So the long end of the cord is closest to you..

e. With the cupholder fully open, I made it so the cord was a straight line
but not stretched, and cut the excess part of the cord off. Leave a little extra cord so you can tie it off.

If you cut the cord too short, it will probably intefere with the jaws automatically opening. If you leave it too long, when the jaws close up
on folding, the cord might snag/get pinched in the slide mechanism.


f. Now I hold the jaws down which allows me to pull the cord farther out the back so its easier to fold/loop the cord back onto itself at the tip and use the wire to
hold the loop..

Repeat this on the other side.

g. Put the rubberized material back in the slot.

I wish I had a digital camera so I could show pictures, it would make it much easier..

With mine, the little loop/knot tucks nicely in the little groove in the back.

Removal:
If for some reason you want to remove this, just cut the cord and slide it out.
No one will even know you hacked it..

Remember, you heard this from me first, don't send $$, just a nice thanks will do.

I hope this helps

 

Pulled out the cup holder yesterday, and a piece of plastic broke off in the tray mechanism. Went to the Ford dealer and they told me that they have had a lot of complaints about these cup holders (as I can also see by the posts to this discussion). The dealer indicated that Ford is redesigning the cup holder and once its completed that I would be able to get a new one. Has anybody else been told this or is he just blowing hot air?

 

I hate the passenger side mirror. I have a round mini mirror stuck on it ant this helps but you never know how close the other car really is. I'd prefer one of the old "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" mirrors like on my old 150. Anyone know if the factory has a replacement. The mirror on the Expedition looks simular.

Rob

1999 F-250 SD CC V-10 LWB 4X4 XLT Lariat Red clear coat 32's

 

My early 2000 f-350 came with lousy front cup holders but they were superseded with greatly improved ones in later months. My orig. one "broke" however it was replaced by the dealer with the new type.

 

Goodfoot, what improvements were made specifically, if you know. Thanks.

 

The original holder had pop-up retainers to the front and rear of the "cup". The new one has a spring arm to the outside that adjusts itself to the size of the cup. This secures the cup 360 degrees and it also is deeper than the original. I haven't spilled a beverage yet.

 

Thanks Goodfoot for the info. I went to the dealer and checked out the 2000 cupholders and you are correct in your description. It does appear to be a better design and if it keeps my cups secure, I'll be very pleased. However, Dealer has ordered me one, but now the issue seems to be if it will fit in a 99 SD. Tech seems to think the rails could be different. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

please let me know also mine in my 99250sd just broke..

 

The cup holder should fit without a problem. The whole unit unscrews and changes out. There is an additional benefit to the retro fit also. The trucks that arrive with the new holder have a blank panel with a "hat hook" for lack of a better description in place of the old ash tray. The new holder has an ash tray between the cup spaces. While I no longer smoke or allow other to in my truck I appreciate the extra trays

 

Well the dealer installed the improved cup holders in my 99 SD CC V-10, and they seem much better in holding taller cups such as lattes and gatorade bottles. One slight problem though was a slight color difference between the 99 and 00 interior color. The new cup holder facia panel is a little darker in color matching my 99 panel around the spedo and radio consol area. If it is not to your liking, I think you could reuse your existing facia plate on the new one with some slight modifications, however, the slight color difference was not reall a concern of mine. I realy have to give the Ford dealer kudos for working with me. The tech/manager were extremely helpful and wanted to make sure it was exactly what I wanted. Their customer service will go a long way in my book and I'll have no problem purchasing a vehicle from them in the future.