After a little bit of research, it seemed there were mixed views as to whether the cup holder unit would fit in a car with an arm rest. I did ask a number of people if it was the molding that was different, so it physically couldn't fit, or that the cup holders were covered by the armrest when down, but free when it's up.
I didn't receive any answers to my questions, so I decided to dive in and just buy it. So, for £38.99 brand new delivered from a genuine BMW dealer, I received my dual cup holder kit with oddments tray and coin holder (pretty nifty design).
They are two separate items, but slot together when fitted. I think the cup holder is interchangeable with other tray designs etc.
To remove my current oddment tray, you simply squeeze the sides and it unclips from the centre console. Very easy removal indeed, took only seconds.
Predictably with this car, underneath was a hidden treasure, a lot of dirt and dust and a receipt for something. I have no idea how they managed to get it under there, it was actually stuck under the hand brake. Needless to say I cleaned the area thoroughly.
Before and After
Fitting the new cup holders and oddments tray was as easy as the removal, it just popped straight in. It fits great, so that rules out the mold difference I suspected earlier. The unit looks really great in there, an improvement over the previous as it was scuffed quite badly.
Before and After
As for not fitting in a car with an arm rest, I can confirm that in fact it does fit. As you can see from the photos below, the front cup holder is accessible with any size cup even with the arm rest down, and the rear cup holder can house a can of coke in any position. Overall I'm really pleased I decided to change it out, should make a nice improvement to long motorway journeys.
