rohbehr

hello all,
my garage access card has fallen behind the ashtray in my ml320.
it now lies flat under the sliding drawer inhibiting the closure of said drawer.
can anybody give me an idea of how to remove the ashtray (the whole thing, not just the plastic insert, or the center console itself?
thanks much in advance,
mbworld noob rob

saturnstyl

We would love to help you buddy, but since you neglected to tell us what year ML you have, we can't.

Darkmann

First, look way under the front end of the center console - the front of the vehicle. You may be able to pry the card out from there with a thin wedge. If that doesn't work then you'll have to remove the entire center console. Last time I did that was 2yrs ago on a MY02 ML. First pry out the shifter covering (there's a tool for this but if you press hard on both sides and pull up, it should pop out). Then take out whatever screws are there that hold the console. Next, open the console storage compartment. That has to come out - I believe there are two plugs at the bottom ans one screw towards the rear. Once that's done, you can pull ot the center console. I don't know what year your truck is, but if there is any resistance, you'll easily locate it and unscrew whatever's holding the console. That's it. The biggest trick is taking out the storage bib. take your time there. Good luck.

rohbehr

the model year is 2002!

thanks again,
especially darkmann!
-rob

saturnstyl

Darkman is right... Gotta pull the whole console out. Think like a german, the ashtray is for ash. Pretty much anything you put in there is going to end up underneath the console, and the ashtray is removed by pulling the console out.