F***ing W124 Wagon rear seats - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

biopete · #1 03-03-2011, 12:17 AM

Anyone hate their wagon rear seat in the W124? I really love my 1987 TD utility , how i can fit a 100 ft roll of black 4 inch drain pipe in the back hatch without even folding down a seat , 20 2 x 4s on the roof , and tow a trailer behind me. I love the way it handles and the awesome power of the 603 and how well it runs on veg oil and how it can turn on a dime , even better than the W124 Sedan it seem. But damn when you gotta fold down the seat and remove the rear seat cusions , it seems like it is hell. Anyone else have this problem?

Let me tell you my latest,

1) When i pull the rear seat cushions off thoir little spikes that hold them, it takes a lot of fighting to get them back on. It looks like they just slide right on no trouble but to actually get them on i usually resort to kicking. It can take like 10 minutes .

2) The rear seat headrests -- there are three headrests , two in one side and one in the other. Well in that side that has two of them, wouldn't you know that they put he 4 holes for the headrests the same distance apart. Now that may not be so bad . But .. . it was dark and i was puttiing my headrests back in and i go fumbling around by feel and slip one in the middle two holes of the 4 holes. It fit right in. Cant be wrong right? How could it fit in the wrong way? That is not the way you are supposed to build cars. Things can only go one way.

The exception is MB headrests. And now i can't get the damn thing out. So i have one headrest stuck in the middle of the spot where two headrests go and I cant get it out. It sucks. But worse than that is why it is such a pain to put my seat cushions back after i remove them. Anyone else have this problem. It just doesn't seem natural to me.

Thanks for letting me rant.

chazola · #2 03-03-2011, 04:41 AM

Yes, it's just you

but yes, it can feel like a military operation to convert it... the cushions go back on ok for me- just make sure both spikes are lined up vertically before you go to slip the cushion back on them.

The headrests, well I've never done what you did- have you pushed the locking release button and are your interior rear lights working so you can see what you're doing in the dark?

The thing I have a problem with is releasing the seat backs from their locks to fold down- you have to give a bloody good yank on them which feel like you'll break them and go flying into the door at the same time...

jfikentscher · #3 03-03-2011, 09:09 AM

Take the headrests off ( hardest part). The rear seat bottoms swing up. There is a release on the door side. Then the seat backs swing down. Very easy. Make sure the door is open when swinging the backs down.

babymog · #4 03-03-2011, 11:04 AM

I did that with a headrest in my '91 when it was new, never again.

The seats should fold and configure fairly easily, or at least did when new. If you have to pull very hard on the backrest it is possible that the mechanism that locks it in place when the door is closed needs lubrication. There is a spring-loaded mechanism for locking the bottom cushion also, which might need lubrication.

Finally the springs (look like large box-staples) that hold the bottom cushions on the pins can get cruddy and you might need to clean them up if there's corrosion, really can't do much for lubrication on the interior but rubbing it with a piece of paraffin will help a good deal without any oily mess.

I too have felt that the 2nd-row seat configuration is a bit of a pain. Nice that you can open it up all of the way to the dash with pulling headrests and cushions, but then you have a stack of cushions and headrests, ... and it is a time-consuming and complicated process (don't even try to explain it to my wife). It is even worse if you have the cargo-cover/pet-net, I removed it from my '91 to make it easier to fold the seats, but loved having it.

Rant understood.

jfikentscher · #5 03-03-2011, 12:26 PM

This picture shows the black release lever for the seat bottom. Fingers go by the ridges and lift up.

babyjames · #6 03-03-2011, 01:00 PM

Good stuff, doesn't smell nearly as bad as WD-40, Tri Flow, LPS, whatever. Used sparingly, it is good for interior applications. Totally not into petroleum products in the cabin?? Bar soap. Apply liberally.

Even with adequate lubrication, getting the seat bottoms back on their pegs is a drag. The W123 T's were dialed as far as the middle seats were concerned. As Shimano has put it "The evolution of perfection"!

Overall, though, not a deal breaker.

Jay.

biopete · #7 03-04-2011, 12:18 AM

Yeah its putting the seat bottoms back on those pegs thats hard. They come off easy. They fold up easy. The backs fold down easy. I can't understand why they are so hard to get on. I line them up vertically, ease them on, wiggle and they just won't go. but i think i got it now. Just a good kick knocks em on. I'll try lubing em and see what goes. Awesome design if those seats cushions go back on easy. You don't even have to take them off to fold the seat down.

My friend and i tried for 30 minutes tonight to get the headrest out . Took screwdriver to try to pry whatever is holding that thing in there. Its a real drag. Well looks like i'm riding with two headrests for now. Crazy that that could be such a problem. Maybe i'll take it to the dealer and see if they can do it -- i mean let my wife take it. Should be a free courtesy fix. It will be interesting to see if they can do it.

vstech · #8 03-04-2011, 01:15 AM

... to really get yourself annoyed, do it on a 123 first, and then ask yourself as loud as you can... WHY DID MB CHANGE FROM THAT DESIGN?
easy levers to remove the seats.
easy levers to lower the seat backs.
easy levers to release the headrests.
easy clips to reinstall the seats...
arrrgh%*^$#&

jfikentscher · #9 03-04-2011, 07:40 AM

I'm confused. Why are we removing the seats?

Lowering the seat backs is easy.

1. open rear doors.
2. remove headrests and store (they will fit in the wheel well)
3. swing up the seat bottoms.
4. swing down the seat backs.

2 minutes tops.

vstech · #10 03-04-2011, 08:10 AM

yeah... nobody is saying it's super difficult to lay down the seats... but that does not give you maximum storage capacity.
to get maximum, you need to remove the seat bottoms, and the 124 REALLY sucks at this compared to the 123. those spikes are a pain to keep aligned as you lift, and a pain to keep aligned as you put the seat back. the head rests are difficult to remove at times also.

punkinfair · #11 03-04-2011, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biopete

My friend and i tried for 30 minutes tonight to get the headrest out .

you know - or maybe you don't? - that there is a catch for the headrest stalk. to release it you push downward. the catch is an inch or so below the aperture. it feels like a springy button and it's right beside the spot when the stalk would be. so rather than prying you need to push the release button down.

oh, and cool about the seat bottoms. i always thought there was a bit more to them than meets the eye but i honestly never knew the bottoms were designed to come out and in.

babyjames · #12 03-04-2011, 05:57 PM

Maximum cargo area/max legroom for the driver. Can't put the seat all the way back w/rear d/s seat folded and bottom on. 39" inseam....

Jay.

babymog · #13 03-04-2011, 06:04 PM

And on the 123 the front headrest will then come out so that you can recline the front seat level with the rear floor, and have a complete dash-to-tail load space.

I've never tried it on the 124, not sure it is configured the same way.

beamus · #14 03-24-2011, 01:07 AM

I have a 1990 w124 and can not get the back seat down at all.. sprayed lubricant and yanked and pull and nothing happened. Yes i have seen the black button in the door frame. Pressed it .. pushed it... pulled the seat .. nada.. nuthin, zip, zilch, nothing.. has not moved... looking for any advice

chazola · #15 03-24-2011, 05:07 AM

Pull harder