It's still easy to do this, but takes a little longer with Steptronic.
The Steptronic level cover still pops right up, but there's not enough room to get the trim cover over the lever cover. But you can still remove the ashtray without turning the cover over. Just do each side from the front seat. Also, on Steptronic cars, there are two electrical connections that you need to temporarily disconnect. One (blue) is for the shift indicator lights; the other (white) I assume is part of the interlock system.
Takes about 30-40 minutes.
BTW, other the than #10 Torx driver and something like a stiff spackler spreader to pop off the trim cover of the old ashtray, you don't need ANY tools. It's possible to do without any damage or scratches to your interior.
I only tried it today because the dealer scratched the trim cover doing the SIB for the hot console. Apparently, they don't read e90post to learn how to remove the cover without scratching it!
