It really just "sets" in there. Put your fingers inside and pull it up.

chumpiehead said:

hello,

i am new to this forum and have searched around-- i don't see any threads specifically regarding ashtray removal (front/center unit). can anybody chime in here or point the way? i recently purchased a used car in great shape, but unfortunately from a smoker. thanks.

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Something I noticed when I was fiddling around with my front ashtray one day... if you lift up on the door all the way, it pushes up on the ashtray for easier removal.

What I want to know is... do they make a replacement storage bin for the removable ashtray? I figured you can use it as little mini storage bin if that little cigarette hole part wasn't there.

--J

Yes. Search the forum for 'non-smoker package' for part numbers.

JonathanIT said:

What I want to know is... do they make a replacement storage bin for the removable ashtray? I figured you can use it as little mini storage bin if that little cigarette hole part wasn't there.

--J

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thanks for the replies-- so there are no screws holding this in there? just pull up and out? anybody know where to get a replacement or take-off for cheap? it'd be nice not to spend an arm and a leg for this.

Non-smoker package!

And yes, there are no screws...they figured if there were screws in there that smokers would empty their ashtrays less often

chumpiehead said:

thanks for the replies-- so there are no screws holding this in there? just pull up and out? anybody know where to get a replacement or take-off for cheap? it'd be nice not to spend an arm and a leg for this.

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woops, i was just reading this thread and i wanted to be clear; i want to remove the entire assembly-- not just the tray. this includes the heating element, etc... the whole shebang. thanks, again.

Assuming this is a non-NAV car:

- Remove upper storage compartment. This can be a bit tricky but basically put all your fingers palms-up in the open compartment and pull towards you.
- Pop off shift boot(MT) shifter trim (AT) from console.
- Remove 2 screws in the lower corners of that opening. Remove. You'll have to unplug the window switch harnesses while doing this.
- There are now 4 screws holding in the frame you're looking to remove: 1 in each corner.
- The whole frame will now come out. There are several sets of wires; a pair for the cig lighter, one tiny connector for the ashtray light, and depending on your options, a couple of connectors for the button bar.

I don't see why you want to remove this just to swap out the ashtray, but it's not tough. I've done it enough times that I could probably get it out faster than it took to type this from memory.

perfect-- that's exactly what i was looking for. the previous owner of this car must have been a hardcore smoker. the ashtray reeks and that's why i wanted to replace it. :madrazz:

There's one more reason to replace the whole assembly: The non-smoker insert won't fit in the smoker housing -- the plastic around the light gets in the way.
I just retrofitted Nav into my 325xiT and had to change out the whole shebang, so i got the non-smoker parts. I compared them to see what the differences were.

chumpiehead said:

perfect-- that's exactly what i was looking for. the previous owner of this car must have been a hardcore smoker. the ashtray reeks and that's why i wanted to replace it. :madrazz:

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Yep. It's really stupid of BMW to do this. In any case, I bought the inner tray and found out the hard way, and never bothered with buying the frame.

Bob Clevenger said:

There's one more reason to replace the whole assembly: The non-smoker insert won't fit in the smoker housing -- the plastic around the light gets in the way.
I just retrofitted Nav into my 325xiT and had to change out the whole shebang, so i got the non-smoker parts. I compared them to see what the differences were.

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