Cup Holder Malfunction
Junior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 39
Likes: 1
E-240 2004
Yes. It will release with a snap because its designed to "clip into" the Trinket Box well. (That's what the Europeans call their holderless boxes.
Give it a firm jerk upwards. Look up at the pic of the cupholder sitting on the wood floor several posts up. That oval is for your 3 fingertips to go in & jerk the whole assembly upwards.
Give it a firm jerk upwards. Look up at the pic of the cupholder sitting on the wood floor several posts up. That oval is for your 3 fingertips to go in & jerk the whole assembly upwards.
i saw the pic and am afraid that if i chake & pull the cupholder hard to brake these fingertips.
so my question is , how can i loose these 3 fingertips on the picture before pulling the whole cupholder up to avoid to brake anything
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 353
Likes: 1
From: SOCAL
E500 & ML500
Grab on that section, and pull up firmly (it's a solid piece).
I didn't even bother returning my cupholder. Now that it is removed you can place large size drink 32oz drinks, and plastic 20oz soda bottles in there.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,017
Likes: 16
From: Ft. Lauderdale Area, USA
2015 ML 350
Once you remove it, you will understand completely.
(That oval would be for YOUR fingertips to fit into if the cup holder were up & extended already. You would put your fingertips into the oval & yank the whole mechanism out including that "back wall" with the oval. Don't be afraid.
Last edited by Barry45RPM; Jun 26, 2010 at 12:44 PM.
Newbie
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
E500
E500 Cup Holder
Toward the back is an indentation, just pull back and up with a little jerk and up it comes.
The hard part is reattaching the 1/2 inch wide rolled metal spring. First recoil the spring so the T is inside and the flat end is outside. You are going to feed the flat end through the slot in the exterior of the holder where there is the slot (side of cup holder not shown on pictures) (ultimately the T end will attach to the small plastic stop in the slot). Get a flat letter opener and a large tweezers. Once you feed the metal spring through the slot you must hold it flat and put the plastic roller in its proper position. Let go of the metal and it will wrap around the plastic roller and voila! you fixed it. The T end will catch on the plastic stop in the slot.
Put the holder back in car and push down so it snaps in. Hope this helps!
The hard part is reattaching the 1/2 inch wide rolled metal spring. First recoil the spring so the T is inside and the flat end is outside. You are going to feed the flat end through the slot in the exterior of the holder where there is the slot (side of cup holder not shown on pictures) (ultimately the T end will attach to the small plastic stop in the slot). Get a flat letter opener and a large tweezers. Once you feed the metal spring through the slot you must hold it flat and put the plastic roller in its proper position. Let go of the metal and it will wrap around the plastic roller and voila! you fixed it. The T end will catch on the plastic stop in the slot.
Put the holder back in car and push down so it snaps in. Hope this helps!
I have this cup holder problem as well. But for above descriptions was hard for me to get it. Would you be able to post a picture, simple just show how the T is attached and Flat side what need to be. Really appreciate you help!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,126
Likes: 223
From: Milton/Westport, MA USA
me: 2015 SL400 & 2015 ML400; wife: 2022 GLC Coupe; daughter: 2017 GLC SUV
do a little STFF on the W203 forum for that cupholder. I found a post with the removal instructions HERE but it should have been scanned at a higher DPI (hard to read). If it's stuck closed, I would try prying it out with a plastic spatula or paint scraper, or two. Like someone else said, I never replaced it after removing from my 2 C's. I preferred one single, easy to use cupholder over the stacked approach.
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
BMW 318ti
Here's what I just did. Once you take the cupholder assembly out, gently seperate the base and moving section. You have to push the "rails" the moving section slides on outward to free the moving section. Once they are seperate, this will free the flat spring. I just used a needle-nose pliers and bent the "T" end of spring backwards 180 degrees. Just hook the section you bent back where the spring originally attached (but broke). Pretty simple to seperate and reassemble the two sections thankfully!
Popped it up and down dozens of times and it seems pretty solid. The spring doesn't seem to tug much at all, so I'm pretty sure it will hold for a long time.
Popped it up and down dozens of times and it seems pretty solid. The spring doesn't seem to tug much at all, so I'm pretty sure it will hold for a long time.
Last edited by E365; Apr 15, 2011 at 02:15 AM.
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Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 43
Likes: 3
From: Virginia
2003 E500
Worked great! Broke the spring a couple times but there is enough still to work. I figured why buy a spring when we already have one. But good idea! When i took my drink holder out I found this little piece under it, Any ideas what or where this goes in the cup holder? its only about an inch long.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 15
From: Louisiana
03 E500 and Corvette
Ok my cup holder is stuck with lid open. When I try to close the lid the end of the pivot pin pops out of the hole on the sides. Any ideas. It still slides up and down ok but the top won't flip over to push it down. ??????
