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New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 2:25 pm
by imp75
This has been covered numerous times but i thought i would add a few additional photos for anyone considering doing the swap from manual to electric, or sport (se) to msport or vice versa. And some thoughts of my own, cos if i had the questions then maybe someone else will have the same questions and worries!

Thanks to A11y, cj10jeeper and Pawnsacrifice for anwering my often latenight PMs whilst considering the job at hand, and offering support. As well as those who have gone here before and contributed to the threads i pored over for many hours whilst waiting for the seats to be delivered. Speech over. lol

First thing to say is that its not as hard as you might think.

Tools required - torque driver sizes - t20, to remove the tiny screw at lower part of backrest plastic cover, t30 for most of the bolts underneath the seat, t40 to remove the bolts holding the back rest on and t50 to remove the bolt holding the seat pretensioners (if buying seats without them). Also a flat blade screw driver to prise apart the squab bracket. and a 5/8 socket to remove the seats from the car and the seatbelt from the seat frame. Maybe WD40 too.

The electric frames and manual frames ARE interchangable across between se and msport perfectly - initially i wasnt sure they would be as expected the seat bases to differ, but surprisingly they are they same shape and size!

Hybrid seats - msport back and se base.
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To start with before removing your seats from the car and/or taking apart try to ensure the seat is set to highest point possible - will make it easier to reach the required bolts.

From experience its easier to disconnect and wiring before trying to disassemble seats, can be tricky habing the seat in two parts then have to mess about with separating connectors that require two hands! Especially if doing this on your own. In the garage. Whilst the other half is warm watching TV inside....

The seat back come off very easily - msport seats have their secruring bolts hidden behind plactic trims that just pull off.
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The SE seats require you to 'roll up' the edge of the lower seat back corner to access bolts.
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Whilst at the back of the seat you may be tempted to remove the two bolts on either side of the seat squab. Dont do it, they were a bugger to loosen off for me, and they DO NOT need to be removed. That cross bar just hold the leather cover in place by way of a slide sleeve. (sorry some of these terms im making up cos i dont what else to call em)
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so with the cables (for heating) disconnected and seat back off, the fun starts. :evil:

The seat squab is held on with two screws -one on each side near the front, a hook like piece of metal making up part of the seat base over a button shaped piece of the frame.

Undo the bolts, on each side.
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Prise the seat squab metal work away from the fram bracket with the screwdriver
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Lift the seat squab up a bit at the front edge
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Push back and the metal hook will disengage from the frame.
[/img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6781 ... fd78_b.jpg[/img]

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By now you will have the back off and the squab off.
The priciple for squab removal is indentical for both msport and se seats.

To take it all apart should take no more than 10 mins. Well the second one will after practicing on the first one :poke:

Putting it back together took me more time. A lot more time.......
The hardest part was getting the hook to attach to the circular button shaped part of the frame. It took me about 45 mins and overflowing swear-jar to persuade each squab into place :headbang:

Hints - (picked up from trial and error)
1. The easiest way to get the squab back on is attempt it whilst resting the frame on its rearmost edge and have the seat foam facing you with the leather cover facing away from you. Hope that makes sense!
2. Try to get the first side into place that is next to the manual handles or electric switches as the second side needs more manouever space for 'twisting' - you ll see what i mean of you do it!
2a. In the postion outined in point 1 - you ll need to find a way to push the underneath of the squab away from you, whilst pulling the edge of the squab up and towards you to get the hook to engage its pivotpoint, probably using your knees - if kneeling,to anchor the frame.
3. It makes it easier if you unbolt the bracket that the front bolts are secured to. Once the hook is in correct place you can marry up the bracket to the squab bolthole and then reattach the bracket.
4. Dont forget the green plastic tip for the hook, and look out for it coming off during the battle to get it back in place.

Once the squab is on the rest is easy peasy :D

Reconnect the electric heating cables.

Put back in the car - connct the wiring block - make sure all is working before bolting to the car. Reattach the seatbelt - dont drop the seat belt bolt because it will piss you off when you drop it and it ends up INSIDE the seat runners and a pita to retrieve!!

Bolt down into car. Smile. Go get a brew.

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:36 pm
by andysat
Hey good write up mate :thumbsup:

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:52 pm
by chrisj900
nice write up :thumbsup:

what was the difference between the se and i ???

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:02 pm
by imp75
andysat wrote:Hey good write up mate :thumbsup:
cheers andy. it might help others along with the other threads of a similar vein.

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:04 pm
by imp75
chrisj900 wrote:nice write up :thumbsup:

what was the difference between the se and i ???
thanks chris. maybe im being dense but im not sure what youre asking. :tumbleweed:

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:17 pm
by chrisj900
imp75 wrote:
chrisj900 wrote:nice write up :thumbsup:

what was the difference between the se and i ???
thanks chris. maybe im being dense but im not sure what youre asking. :tumbleweed:
i have a 2.5i and havent seen any paperwork with SE on it, there's a lot of cars that are 2.5 SE if im correct. what was the diffecrence??

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:30 pm
by imp75
chris as far as im aware the se is just a trim level, couldnt comment on the differences im afraid but i think wondermike has the original sales brochures with equipment lists as a pdf in his signature......

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:52 pm
by Wondermike
Pre-facelift there is no difference between SE and non-SE - it was just a name change :thumbsup:

Nice write-up, moved to How-to.

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 11:55 pm
by chrisj900
thanks wondermike. guess it was a method to increasing sale figures :evil:

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:47 am
by navid.v
great work :thumbsup:

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:35 pm
by Dr _Rod
Thanks for info !!

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:09 pm
by McKoval
imp75 wrote:
The electric frames and manual frames ARE interchangable across between se and msport perfectly - initially i wasnt sure they would be as expected the seat bases to differ, but surprisingly they are they same shape and size!
SO basically, if I have electric heated SE seats I can buy manual heated m-sports, and the plastic basis is also interchengeable?

Re: New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 9:14 am
by Terryvision
Post revival..... Thanks for all the information, instructions are spot on :thumbsup:

New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:16 pm
by greencode
Okay, to confirm… If I have regular heated electric seats and manual heated sports seats will I be able to swap the electric base from the regular seats so I come out with electric sports seats? Is that correct?

btw, what the hell is a squab :?

New How To - Additional hints for seat swap

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 3:44 am
by Lewy
Thanks so much for this imp75! :thumbsup: saved me an awful lot of time confusion and annoyance.
Much appreciated!