ElDiabloJoe

Okay, I took my car to be evaluated yesterday afternoon for a possible trade-in. The cup holder (The push-the-button-wazoo-folding-crane-move one in the console) was all closed up. It has worked flawlessly since the day I bought the car in 11/02.

Get in the car this morning and the d@mn thing is stuck in the closed position. The little silver sliver opening button appears disengaged.

That F@#$%ng dealer-monkey musta jacked it. Any suggestions on how to repair or replace if necessary?

TIA,

EDJ

C43AMG

Check ebay......I've seen them there.

MARK CUMMINS

Take it out of the car...and clean and lube the slide portion of the cup holder...

I Use the MB Sunroof lube with great results

Barry45RPM

Absolutely NOBODY is going to check the operation of the cup holder at any evaluation of any kind when you trade/sell your car. Don't give it a second thought. Leave it closed & forget about it, unless you need to use it in the meantime.

They're only interested in possible body work/paint scratches, dings & dents & condition of the wheels/tires, the general cleanliness, and wear and tear of the interior, and of course the milage.

Don't freak out!

lig

I think anyone w/ a Starbucks logo as their avatar is going to need a functional cupholder!

Of course I'm going to head out to grab some caffeine right now - what can I say... I'm from Seattle.

Barry45RPM

I missed his avatar. I take it all back!

hecdog

They're pretty cheap to replce. Got mine replaced under warranty and I saw it cost $20.

crb49

True...Same here, if it means that much to you. It did to me.
BTW, am I the only one who liked that setup? Sure, it's way too fragile, but certainly made for a better center console storage/arm rest than the '07 rolltop/beverage setup now.

ElDiabloJoe

Thx guys, I'm gonna call my independent repair facility and have them order one in so I can do the stop-by-and-fix next weekend

EDJ

bigswol2

I checked at my dealer and I think they were 80$

Barry45RPM

no_clue

I just took my cup holder out. Since it doesn't even hold my snapple!

ElDiabloJoe

Did you need a special tool to take it out? I'm afraid my non-engineering, non-mechanical self can't figure the d@mned thing out.

TIA,

EDJ

no_clue

wiggle and pull staright up

Barry45RPM

Open it, and put your 2 fingers (pointer & middle) on the back wall. There is an oval detent there. Give it a quick jerk & it will snap out & up.

Its not quite a "friction fit", something snaps it into the sidewalls somewhere, but it snaps out really easilly once you take it out 1 time & know that you won't break the car all apart trying to remove it. LOL Don't be afraid. give it a straight up, "un angled" yank.

If its still stuck closed, stick a finger in on each side (2 hands?) somehow & jerk (snap) it straight up.

ElDiabloJoe

Got it, thanks. All cleaned up and put back in place. I think a spring is sprung or missing, the cupholder will not rise automatically. The reaching of full extention is what triggers the folding portion to open up. I could not locate where that spring would go, but there was no natural intrinsic pressure or desire for it to self-rise.

I'll go a-web seeking to see if I can get/buy the part cheap.

Thanks!

EDJ

Barry45RPM

Call around to ask the local junk yards (Auto Recycler?) if they have an 03/04 E in the yard & tell them what you want. Since its a proprietary part, its only going to be available from a dealer's parts department. There'll be no aftermarket parts source for it. KYBENZ here on the forum offers reasonable prices to the guys here.

cgcedisto

Barry45RPM: Thanks for post re: cup holder removal, you saved me a trip to the dealer. Last week I had a broken cup holder replaced under warranty (it was "stuck" in the down position), and noticed after I got the car home a rattling sound coming from under the cup holder. I removed the cup holder per your instruction and found a piece of the old cup holder still in the cup holder well, a black plastic roller bearing. I also noticed that on the new cup holder, this plastic roller has been replaced with one made of metal, it's on the bottom of the cup holder but not sure of its function.

ElDiabloJoe

Awesome first post cgcedisto!! I really appreciate the way you bothered to search the forum first to find a relevant thread instead of starting a new one.

Welcome to MBWorld, I'm pleased to see someone like you join us

EDJ

Roehl

I just notice that my cup holder cover has a 4inch crack on it (clear coating birdseye maple trim). Is that replaceable? or do it need to change the whole cup holder assembly?

I still dont know how the clear coating cracked. Right in between silver button.

tashakes

Get the whole assembly, $52.50 plus ship, best price i've seen so far, I just got my AGW from them, good outfit.

http://www.parts.com/oemcatalog/inde...layCatalogid=0

no_clue

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ighlight=cheap

$3 to fix?

neyugnj

just wanted to say thanks for this thread! i didn't wanna make a thread without using search first... mine just broke today. wtf. it's stuck in the down, and wouldn't go up.. i can pull it up to use (was in a hurry too cuz i was ordering mcdonalds and the drink/food was comin!) momentarily, but i didn't wanna put pressure on it in fear of breaking it some more. anyway, i'll follow those directions posted to remove it and just get it out of my way.

i only need one cup holder.. i suppose i'll replace it later if i really find the need to.

Davel

I like it to and much more comfortable than the roll-up thing, no problems in 5 years to boot!!!

enr1co

My cup holder just went into "stuck" mode so I pulled it out and found the metal spring and plastic roller pieces had come off.

I read that you were able to replace yours uner warranty? I just purchased my 03' E320 as a CPO with extended warranty just 4 months ago~ March 08I brought it into to the dealer I purchased from (Plesanton Calif Mbz)and
they said that it was a "trim" item and not covered under the CPO warranty.

Has anyone had a similar experience with the positive outcome of MBZ
doing the right thing and replacing it under CPO?

thanks!