Can't remove headrest ..doh!
 

My passenger headrest has a slight rattle. according to other posts on annoying rattles, I gather it's best to remove the headrest and adjust th3e chrome bars to get a tighter fit. Seems logical...however, I take the headrest to it's full height and with the button fully depressed, it wont come out of the back rest. I have tugged and tugged..Grrr! ..what am I doing wrong??

By "button", do you mean the head restraint-symbol button, the topmost of the three seat adjustment buttons? The PDF copy of the US E-Class manual that I have on hand says to push that button upward and hold it until the head restraint is fully extended and then pull out the head restraint. Are you releasing the button before you pull on the head restraint? If that's what you are doing, and and it won't come out, then I'm stumped ...

When I installed sheepskin seat covers in the e320 after moving the restraints to there upper most position with the power button, I reclined the seat about half way down and simply pushed the head restraint out. This position gives you better leverage. Hope this helps.

Sorry..I don't have power headrest. I meant the catch at the side of the chrome bar. I press it in hard and the restraint just won't fully come out of the backrest :mad:

I shouldn't have assumed that all UK models had power head restraints like the NA models. I just happen to have the PDF '03 E-Class Euro owners manual (in English) and it says , in reference to the manual front seat:

1. Pull up the head restraint as far as
it will go.
2. Press release 1.
3. Pull out the head restraint.

... where "release 1" is the button on the left side of the left support rod base.

It sounds like you're doing exactly that, so I'm still stumped ...

Recline the seat (again, better leverage), press the release, and smack that mother out! Do UK models have reclining seats?

How does
 

How does one adjust the chrome bars to get a tighter fit?

yes, dwp and konigstiger's method will get the headrest out. i've done it many times to fit protective cushions on the seatbacks.

you do need to recline the seat quite a bit, because otherwise the headrest will bump into the ceiling before it comes all the way out. apparently the car is fit for 7-footers lol! :p

If the seats are like the ones in the CLK, it'd probably be easier to remove the backside cover (on the seat, not on the headrest) and undo it from the inside. There are two torx bolts at the base of the seat, and once you undo them, you should be able to remove the backside cover and see the base of teh two guide rails. There should be a white plastic piece at the base of the metal rods that connects the headrest to the driveshaft motor. It's very easy to get the headrest off if you do it this way, and if you just try to force it loose from the outside, there's a chance that you'll inadvertently break the plastic piece.

bend them in or out

Be careful......

When I looked at the drawings, it appears to have some kind of plastic restraining pin and Frisco's post confirms it. The procedure as described to me was to hold the head rest firmly at it's fullest extension and give it a firm YANK stright out. Fine and dandy but in the process, you may/could break that retaining pin/bracket. If you can, do what Frisco suggested.

Otherwise, don't remove it unless you really have to.

Frisco mentions the drive shaft motor. As I said, I have manually adjustable head rests. not electric. I wonder if the plastic retaining clip is on the manual headrests???