You know, pool noodles, those long brightly colored foam things everyone is floating around the pool on.

There has been lots of discussion on this and in another thread someone asked for pic’s. I did the passenger side of my 240D this weekend, so I snapped a few shots along the way. Basically, just take the seat out in one piece and shove the noodles in. Time required: maybe two hours with little kids around. Degree of difficulty: Hey, I did it! Cost: $1.44 per noodle vs. $250 for new spring box!

1. Front bolt locations.
2. Remove plastic trim at rear.
3. Rear bolt location.
4. Extra bolt to side rail.
5. Removing the seat.
6. Looking at the springs.
7. Stuffing the noodles.
8. Almost done.

My springs were not broken; I was just adding needed additional support. Works great!

Clay

Attached Thumbnails

         

__________________
2002 E320 Sedan 93K Designo Mocha Black Metallic!
1995 E320 Wagon 205K Black Wagon
1982 240D 183K SloPoke

I believe each of these cars are the final production year for that model.

The rest of the pic's. You will know you are done when your hands are tired. Wear gloves. The springs will only let you shove the noodle in so far, so it kind of evens itself out automatically, depending on the quality/tension of the spring in question.

Clay

ps. Great time to collect that spare change, dog hair, and general clean up

pps. Almost forgot, you have to remove the side rail from the rear hump and slide it out of the seat belt thingy.

Attached Thumbnails

     

__________________
2002 E320 Sedan 93K Designo Mocha Black Metallic!
1995 E320 Wagon 205K Black Wagon
1982 240D 183K SloPoke

I believe each of these cars are the final production year for that model.

Clay,

Thanks for posting this, esp. with the pics. Need to do this soon myself and was wondering how they worked.

Keith

Awesome... how do they feel now?

__________________
1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

Look at this thread
[can someone clear up a question about seat rebuilding?
Basically my seats were all springy, though not all the way to the floor. The covers and pads seem to be in good condition. They are now very firm, which is good for me. Before the repair the drivers side was listing slightly toward the door and I think it still is. I'm going to give it another go next weekend and see if I can't shore up that side a bit more. Also going to do the rear, maybe green noodles next

Go for it, you will like it!

Clay

*edit* Approved by SWMBO! and you know how sensitive her little behind is

__________________
2002 E320 Sedan 93K Designo Mocha Black Metallic!
1995 E320 Wagon 205K Black Wagon
1982 240D 183K SloPoke

I believe each of these cars are the final production year for that model.

Clay,
I think I was the one asking for the pics, and man do I appreciate your time and effort to document that. Sooo much help for those of us that it helps to SEE things first. Your seat looks really clean too.
Thanks,
Jimmy

__________________
Jimmy L.
'05 Acura TL 6MT
2001 ML430 My Spare

Gone:
'95 E300 188K "Batmobile" Texas Unfriendly Black
'85 300TD 235K "The Wagon" Texas Friendly White
'80 240D 154K "China" Scar engine installed
'81 300TD 240K "Smash"
'80 240D 230K "The Squash"
'81 240D 293K"Scar" Rear ended harder than Elton John

"pool noodles"?? Huh, I saw a swiming pool once in a motel, here in the PNW pool noodles are in short supply

__________________


1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

I put some in my drivers seat. One of the zig-zag springs along the left side busted. I cut the spring on the other side in the same place so everything would be equal side to side. I stuffed 2 noodles along each side which may be too much. The seat feels too hard. I'm going to remove one from each side see how that feels.

I'm headed out to Claremore, OK for a diesel get together with the MBZ.org group this week so I want to get the seat as comfortable has possible so I don't end up with saddle sores!! I'll post some pictures tomorrow night.

Unfortunately going to OK means missing the PA get together....what were the chances of both events happening on the same date!!

__________________
Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)

I did this yesterday to my 300D. I could forego some of the steps listed here because they apply to W123s without height adjustment. I didn't even take the seat out completely, I just undid the bolts at each corner, lifted the seat up just a little bit, and stuffed a pool noodle under there, while scraping some skin off of my hand, which must mean I did "something" right. I'm not sure if I stuffed the pool noodle in there like the photos show, but there definately is some improvement, although it still lists to the left side a little bit. I even found a bit of foam in there from someone else's previous attempt to firm up the seats, I left it in there because it was in the back of the seat box, and I needed it in the front. I'm probably going to go back and reposition the foam tommorow and wrap part of it up with an old T-shirt so rear passengers won't find green foam on the rear floor!
-Joe

P.S. If $1.30-1.40 is too much for you, I saw some pool noodles at Dollar Tree for a dollar, or less. Save yourself 30 or 40¢+ for something else.

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Well, I went back and repositioned the foam, and this time, my hands were unharmed... without gloves! This time, I took the seat completely out, and I got it back in. The only little quirk the seat has now is that when I raise the lever on the side to adjust the seat height, it raises up all on its own with no input! I'm not in the seat when it does that though. To get it back, I have to pull up a little harder now and push back a little harder, and it goes back down like it should, and stays there. It feels a lot better now.
-Joe

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

For those of you who are considering the pool noodle seat repair, get your pool noodles soon. Summer is ending, and the pool noodles are on sale at Wal-Mart for 50 cents each. I got a couple and put them in the back seat, and the passenger side seat.
-Joe

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Timly post;
I will be out in the AM shopping for Pool noodles at WMArt...

This will be for the drivers seat in my '85 300D.

__________________
'87 924S
'81 280SEL

Sold ->

81 300SD -
93 300E w/ 3.2
85 300D-
79 300SD
82 300CD
83 300CD - CA
87 190E 5 spd
87 Porsche 924S

"..I'll take a simple "C" to "G" and feel brand new about it..."

One noodle along the front of the rear seat bottom did the trick for me.

__________________
Adam Lumsden
(83) 300D
Vice-President of the MBCA International Stars Section

Exactly what I did.

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Great idea! The drivers seat in my 240 could use a little help. Thank you for the info/pics!

Cheers,

Bill