ashtray

get cover, the french blonde is back ! how can I open the ashtray ?
(Disco 1, 300TDi, early 1995)

I am pretty sure I opened the front console ashtray during my early investigations, but I don't smoke and never cared about it

now I want to open it to evaluate available room (ashtray and small change tray above) to integrate my compass stuff

It seems to be a "push to open" thing, after some fumbling I managed to dismantle the front decor and I see a small blue plastic gear on the left carriage, yet the ashtray is stuck inside ... where is the locking pin or whatever that I could try to move to unlock ?

I could trade a picture of an open ashtray against a picture of my own (ashtray, that is)

ya its push open but if you're planning on removing it and the gears are stuck just yank it out

that will probably be my eventual action, but I'm not sure that would give me the space I need so I try to avoid having a big hole in the center of the console

To remove the ash tray from the dash, open it and press the top release and pull at the same time wiggle it from side to side, the info is in the owners handbook.

discool said:

(...) open it and press the top release (...)

Click to expand...

yep, I'm stuck at step 1 ! blonde I told you

jyhelle said:

yep, I'm stuck at step 1 ! blonde I told you

Click to expand...

Salut, it sounds like someone before you has put it in badly. When you try to push it in, does it move at all?

If it doesn't then it's not on the correct tracks, so you should be able to, gently but firmly, pull it out.

Bon courage

David

it looks right in its tracks, when pushed it goes in by 5 mm, I think there is some lock that should open when firmly pushed that doesn't ... I'll have some further tries this morning then I'll blow it off, persuasion then anger, WD40 then C4

I got it, used my steam cleaner as I noticed something sticky, soda probably, and bingo !
as any effort deserves a reward, I also found 4 pounds in small change and a lot of parking tickets, since the most recent is dated 2001 the ashtray must have been locked in for a while

Tout est bien qui finit bien