Question re. cupholder strength of tercels '97 vs. '89

Both tercels have cup trays that slide out, consisting of a horizontal
piece of plastic with 2 holes in it. For clarity, let's call this the
"holy panel". The user slides said holy panel out of its slot in the
console (by console, I mean the vertical face which forms the column
between driver & passenger, containing the control panels for vents
and radio). A cup can fit into each hole of the holy panel, which
prevents the cup from tipping over.

On the '89 tercel, the holy panel also has attached to it a hinged
frame that unhinges downward at an angle of about 45 degrees when the
holy panel is pulled out. The bottom edge of the hinged frame
provides a resting surface for the cups in the holy panel, while the
holy panel merely prevents lateral movement of the cup. The hold panel
does not bear the weight of the cups.

On the 97 tercel, there is no hinged frame. The holy panel is near
the bottom of the console, which curves sharply from vertical face to
a horizontal floor. For clarity, let's call this the "console floor".
Instead of resting on the hinged frame, cups in the holy frame rest on
the console floor.

Many cups these days have a narrower bottom part meant to fit into car
cup holders, such as the holes in the holy frame. If this narrow part
is of sufficient height, the bottom of the cup protrudes downward
through the holes far enough to rest on the resting surface, be it the
hinged frame of the '89 tercel or the console floor of the '97 tercel.

Most cups, however have a narrow part that is not sufficiently tall.
The wide upper part of the cup wedges itself into the holes of the
holy frame, preventing the cup from going down further, and preventing
the bottom of the cup from resting on the resting surface. Therefore,
the holy frame bears the weight of (potentially) both large cups of
beverage. I don't if the holy frame was designed with that in
mind

I haven't been able to find a cup that has a tall enough thin bottom
section to avoid this, and still have other features I want -- namely,
no movable plastic parts on the lid, pop on/off lid as opposed to
screw on/off, etc.. Not even at Toyota. So I asked the Toyota
service guy whether the holy frame was meant to take the weight of of
both cups of beverages. He doesn't know, but suspects it was designed
in the days of pop cans, especially since these large mugs with narrow
bottoms became more prevalent only in recent years. He did find out,
however, that if the holy frame breaks, it costs $70 (yikes!). So I
am still on the hunt for a cup that fits the bill, or for some kind of
knowledgeable reassurance that the $70 cup holder on the '97 tercel
will not break.

Can anyone comment on whether they use the '97 tercel cup holder in
a way that it bears the weight of 2 large cups of beverage without
resting on the console floor? Does the cup holder break after a while?

Thanks.

Tercel Owner

P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??

Tercel Owner <Tercel@Owner.com> wrote in news:4253D7BD.693DCA45@Owner.com:


<snip>
[color=blue]
> Can anyone comment on whether they use the '97 tercel cup holder in
> a way that it bears the weight of 2 large cups of beverage without
> resting on the console floor? Does the cup holder break after a while?[/color]



We have a '99.

Wife uses hers for water bottles that don't fit properly. She just pushes
down until the bottle is more-or-less wedged in place. It's working fine.


[color=blue]
>
> P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??
>
>[/color]


Because you're buying it at the dealer. The wrecker's will have it for
quite a lot cheaper than $70. I'd be amazed if the dealer sells even one a
year.

--
TeGGeR®

I think you are thinking way too hard about this.

> P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??

It's not plastic, it's an engineered polymer!


"Tercel Owner" <Tercel@Owner.com> wrote in message
news:4253D7BD.693DCA45@Owner.com...[color=blue]
> Both tercels have cup trays that slide out, consisting of a horizontal
> piece of plastic with 2 holes in it. For clarity, let's call this the
> "holy panel". The user slides said holy panel out of its slot in the
> console (by console, I mean the vertical face which forms the column
> between driver & passenger, containing the control panels for vents
> and radio). A cup can fit into each hole of the holy panel, which
> prevents the cup from tipping over.
>
> On the '89 tercel, the holy panel also has attached to it a hinged
> frame that unhinges downward at an angle of about 45 degrees when the
> holy panel is pulled out. The bottom edge of the hinged frame
> provides a resting surface for the cups in the holy panel, while the
> holy panel merely prevents lateral movement of the cup. The hold panel
> does not bear the weight of the cups.
>
> On the 97 tercel, there is no hinged frame. The holy panel is near
> the bottom of the console, which curves sharply from vertical face to
> a horizontal floor. For clarity, let's call this the "console floor".
> Instead of resting on the hinged frame, cups in the holy frame rest on
> the console floor.
>
> Many cups these days have a narrower bottom part meant to fit into car
> cup holders, such as the holes in the holy frame. If this narrow part
> is of sufficient height, the bottom of the cup protrudes downward
> through the holes far enough to rest on the resting surface, be it the
> hinged frame of the '89 tercel or the console floor of the '97 tercel.
>
> Most cups, however have a narrow part that is not sufficiently tall.
> The wide upper part of the cup wedges itself into the holes of the
> holy frame, preventing the cup from going down further, and preventing
> the bottom of the cup from resting on the resting surface. Therefore,
> the holy frame bears the weight of (potentially) both large cups of
> beverage. I don't if the holy frame was designed with that in
> mind
>
> I haven't been able to find a cup that has a tall enough thin bottom
> section to avoid this, and still have other features I want -- namely,
> no movable plastic parts on the lid, pop on/off lid as opposed to
> screw on/off, etc.. Not even at Toyota. So I asked the Toyota
> service guy whether the holy frame was meant to take the weight of of
> both cups of beverages. He doesn't know, but suspects it was designed
> in the days of pop cans, especially since these large mugs with narrow
> bottoms became more prevalent only in recent years. He did find out,
> however, that if the holy frame breaks, it costs $70 (yikes!). So I
> am still on the hunt for a cup that fits the bill, or for some kind of
> knowledgeable reassurance that the $70 cup holder on the '97 tercel
> will not break.
>
> Can anyone comment on whether they use the '97 tercel cup holder in
> a way that it bears the weight of 2 large cups of beverage without
> resting on the console floor? Does the cup holder break after a while?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tercel Owner
>
> P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??
>[/color]

Mark wrote:
[color=blue]
> I think you are thinking way too hard about this.[/color]

Mark,

Thanks for your helpful suggestion.

I think it seems that way because I tried to be descriptive about it.
I was going to ignore the potential problem until I saw the $70
price-tag (and I'm not sure how hard it is to replace). In any case,
the cost might not be an issue any longer because of TeGGer's
suggestion to look for a replacement part at the wreckers.

Tercel Owner

"TeGGer®" wrote:
[color=blue]
> We have a '99.
> Wife uses hers for water bottles that don't fit properly. She just pushes
> down until the bottle is more-or-less wedged in place. It's working fine.[/color]

Well that's reassuring. I know that it will be at /least/ 6.5 years before
it breaks on me.
[color=blue][color=green]
> > P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??[/color]
> Because you're buying it at the dealer. The wrecker's will have it for
> quite a lot cheaper than $70. I'd be amazed if the dealer sells even one a
> year.[/color]

Well if someone doesn't know any better, they will get their customer.
Thanks for the tip on the wrecker.

Tercel Owner

Steve wrote:
[color=blue][color=green]
> > P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??[/color]
>
> It's not plastic, it's an engineered polymer![/color]

Aren't they the same?

Tercel Owner

On Wed, 06 Apr 2005 21:37:24 -0400, Tercel Owner <Tercel@Owner.com>
wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>
>Steve wrote:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > P.S. How in the heck can a piece of plastic cost $70??[/color]
>>
>> It's not plastic, it's an engineered polymer![/color]
>
>Aren't they the same?
>
>Tercel Owner[/color]

"Plastic" is a 5c word, "Engineered Polymer" is worth at least $2.50

:-P

(Of course, it also encompasses things like glass-filled, multiple
layered with a structural core and decorative skin, or otherwise
reinforced plastics that will do a whole lot more than simple molded
ABS. You can do some amazing things with plastics, but the strength
has to be designed in from the start.)

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

Bruce L. Bergman <blPYTHONbergman@earthlink.invalid> wrote in
news:169951l71lipvb0brmss6d1njq58grj6jq@4ax.com:

[color=blue]
>
> "Plastic" is a 5c word, "Engineered Polymer" is worth at least $2.50[/color]


A cupholder is also something an automaker will likely have pay for within
60 days, then have to sit on for ten years.

--
TeGGeR®