fmaalouf73

I am new to the forum, i did search prior to posting this. However, I was unable to find how to go about replacing the cig lighter socket.
I looked at my console, and dont see how the thing comes apart. Is there a trick to getting the part of the console where the cig lighter and cup holder are, to come out?

any help would be greatly appreciated.

Glyn M Ruck

You DO NOT require to remove wood trim. Push these tabs down/up - don't remember. Slide lighter plate back & tip up at the front to expose socket & wiring.


https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...206-20-235.jpg

fmaalouf73

Thank you for the pictures and instructions. Your one picture shows the wood trim completely removed but you say, i do not need to remove the trim to get to those tabs? What about the cup holder? does that need to be removed to flip that piece forward? and if so, whats the trick with it.

Glyn M Ruck

Huh! Stay with me here I'm translating what we have on the forum & my experience with SA cars that don't have your kind of cup holder - not popular here. I will also post console removal procedure. All steps not necessary for what you are trying to do. You might find pulling the wood trim off easier but it's not necessary on SA cars.

OK - US cars:

Open the cupholder area and reach down inside it with either a small screwdriver or some small but long hook and remove the rubber insert where you would set a second cup/drink. (Most people seem to use this as a trashcan or coin holder). The easiest way is to pry it loose at the rear and reach down inside with your fingers and just pull the insert out.
There is a small tab on the cupholder that you need to pull slightly up on to pop it loose and then it just twists out and can be removed and set aside. After this, you will notice 2 small tabs at the front of this section that can be pried loose and you can fold the front half of the cupholder section (coin holder/lighter) back as in the pic I posted above.




Good luck Got to help fellow C240 owners.

fmaalouf73

Glyn, i was able to remove the cup holder, took the shift boot off and found those tabs you pointed out. I tried prying them up and then tilting back the lighter assembly, but no luck, I dont think it will come out without removing the wood trim.
How hard is it to remove the wood trim? any chance of cracking it?

bdgdl08

It's not hard to remove. Start by shutting everything (cup holder), then start from the front. Pull up from just behind the ash tray with both hands. Do this gently. The clips will come undone. You should be fine (no cracking) if you don't twist. Just slowly, but firmly pull it up. Good luck!

EDIT: Put the car in Neutral first.

EDIT 2: I made a quick video. I have the facelift interior, but the process should be almost identical. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ylE4-_odc4

fmaalouf73

Thx Andrew for the instructions n video. I'll give that a shot.

bdgdl08

No problem!

DarthBudice

FYI - last year I replaced the 'housing' which came with an entire new cig lighter socket etc for ~$25 from a local dealer.

(They wanted $35 just for the cig lighter assembly)

I suggest shutting your car off normally and setting the parking brake.
Then, use the manual shift lever release under the coin holder to move it to the neutral position.
Then open the ash tray, and pull up on the trim, pull it gently forward and
carefully move it away. I had to buy a new trim plate - please be careful.
There should be 2 plastic clips that hold the front of
the housing in place - you'll have to remove the drink holder and the lower rubber square first. Then the front will fold backwards and it can be pulled out.

Pictures and other similar instructions can be found in the various radio removal threads.

I haven't slept a full night over the past 3 months, however maybe this will help you or others to dismantle part of your car.

Good luck to everybody who desires to know what's under all the trim panels in their cars.

bdgdl08

To put my car in neutral, I just set the parking brake, turned my key to the "ON" position (without starting the car) and moved the shifter. You can't take the key all the way out, but it works.

Glyn M Ruck

fmaalouf73 - Got your PM, Follow Andrew's instructions & see how you go. I don't know why you are having a problem - maybe too gentle - gentle but firm is good! Pull the wood out but DON'T damage it. I can't understand why you can't get the clips to release but I'm not there. So wood is next best action. Be careful with the shift boot trim. It has a habit of splitting center rear. Have you got the rubber out of the cup holder well?

Report back & let us know how it goes or if you need more help. That's exactly what this forum is all about.

In life anything is easy once you know how but can be damn difficult if you don't.

bdgdl08

I was afraid of breaking it the first time... It takes some force, just don't twist it or pull back. A good firm upward pull should do the trick!

gthirty6ptime

Does anyone have a part number for cigarette lighter. Mine works only when its cold and im tired of messing with it. GPS on my phone kills my battery.

fmaalouf73

this is for my 2003 C240 part number is 0008201853
Dealer price $65.72
parts.com price $39.68

wampwamp

my cigaret lighter fuse was out and I just replaced it thanks to a post. fuse #8 located in the trunk of my car.

but I'm not sure what amp is right, is it better to go up or down in voltage(amp?)? I think its supposed to be 15, I used the 10 to be safe. is that right?

I wish i had a fuse map.

2003 C240,

force28

sorry this is off topic, but this is the pre facelift c class right?
are there two cigarette lighter jacks at the front side of the car? one by the cup holder and the other beside the ashtray?

phister

You should really replace it with a 15amp fuse but a 10 will be on the safer side but it might blow the fuse faster, but you'd rather do that than overheat. You should have a fuse map in our interior fuse box. If not theres a thread on here with the diagram

phister

heres your fuse map

Boom vang

I have a 2004 and with one cigarette lighter socket which is not enough for the various items I need 12v power (GPS, phone charger and radar detector and a USB outlet for my ipod) I took the power from the existing outlet and bought an external 3 in 1 with USB to mount in my glove box (do people actually store gloves in it?). The unit is screwed in from behind the glove box hence it is fixed (ie secured, not loose) so that there are no vibrations, rattles or buzzing from the unit.

Here are pics (work in progress at the time) before I closed it up and secured the wires and put in grommets to hide any holes ( I will add a picture later to the finished product). I also installed my GPS so that the wires (and traffic antenna are totally hidden and put in an FM modulator in to my ash tray to play my iPod hence why the whole dash was taken apart.

Everything went back perfectly and 2 years later there is not a rattle or squeak anywhere

ebenz17

The directions to remove the cupholder and access the wiring for the lighter socket were great! Now I can't get the actual wires to unplug from the back of the socket though. I've looked online for removal instructions for this specific socket with no luck...

Anyone done this before?