How do I remove the ashtray assembly? 1995 W202 C280

[suncat]

Hey everyone - my daughter and her little fingers took out the ashtray sleeve while she was sitting in the car the other day and pushed the small gear that is in the roof of the assembly up and into the outer "box" of the ashtray/cigarette lighter assembly. Now the door won't close because the piece(s) are stuck behind/under the door. I figured I could access the thing from above, but now I'm stuck and haven't yet gotten the assembly out! Can anyone tell me how to proceed from here? I just need to pull the assembly from the dash, but it seems to be well attached still.

I have included a photo of where I am at this point. Any and all advice is very welcome! Come to my rescue, please.

[Ethan]

I had to do the same repair on my 1998 C-class,
As I recall ( since I presently only have internet access at work, I can't refer to my Haynes manual) I had to remove the flat console panel that makes up the shifter and window switch wood panel along with the change tray. I don't recall what I removed concerning the verticle radio A/C wood oanel.

I'll chk my manual and if I get a chance over the next couple of days repost how and what I removed.

Now the tedious part of the job was getting the little gear back into place, took many tries until it fit back in, but if I did the repair you can do it.

[suncat]

Ethan - thanks for the response. I figured it out, primarily with your advice and some help from the following thread:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=157945

Getting the gear back in place was a bear of a job, as I didn't want to have to remove the wood face plate, but with some good light, locking forceps, a bit of luck, and a healthy dose of swearing, it went in. All is well!

Thanks again!