My 1995 E420 has 111K miles on it now, and it's still running strong. Trouble is, the drivers seat is feeling a little thin on the padding, especially when I sit in the passenger seat to compare. Is there a cost-effective way to replace the padding without having to get a whole other seat? Any info would be appreciated.

thanks,

Dr. Julio Fuentes, MD BS PhD

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1995 Mercedes E420

Bilstein Sport Shocks
Eibach Sport Springs
ATE Slotted Front Rotors
Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Motul Race Fluid
Euro Headlights w/PIAA superwhites
17" Monoblock Rims
K&N Air Filters
Matched Leather/Burlwood Shift Knob
S Class Leather/Burlwood Steering Wheel

Unless you are adept at upholstery, I would suggest finding a shop in your area that does this type of work. A new seat is probably in the vicinity of $700-800 thru dealer. The seat has to come out and the spring pad inside the seat has to be removed to get at the cushion material. Find a pro. If the outside of the seat is still in good shape, you will save some money over a new item.

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Jeff Lawrence
1989 300e
2000 Dodge Grand Caravan SE
No matter what you fix, there will always be something else to fix..
"Warranty" is just another way of postponing the inevitable.

I have done mine [ E320] and although there is nothing really hard /complicated , it does require seat removal
from the car. The complete job will take up most of a day
and a lifting helper is nice. The seat is heavy and lots of wiring and plugs to tend to.
The tie downs for the cushion rods require a tool , but one can be fastened from a coat hanger w/hook on the end.
If you are not handy, I would get the new cusion and send it out to a trim shop.

The springs of the early W124 tended to break down after lots of km's/miles, but the later models ("89,-->) did not suffer that problem anymore.
The cushions/padding can be exchanged for new ones quiet easy. The new padding isn't that expensive and the work necessary to get it exchanged can be done within 3 hours (if you know what you're doing) or within a spare saturday (when you take it as an experience).
The seat has to be taken out of the car and the "back-rest" has to be removed from the seat itself. The cables and motors in the seat may make it look difficult, but...
It is not that hard to exchange it.

greetingz,

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1990 300SL-24
1993 C250D with a minor 600+k kilometer
www.MBenzNL.com(the Netherlands)

There was an article in Star magazine about replacing the springs and pads in w124 seats. The author concluded that the mechanical labor was not difficult, and identified the various connectors, fittings, etc. If I remember correctly, he concluded, that reinstalling the upholstery so it looked decent was a tough proposition, and he wound up taking it to an upholstery shop to have them redo his leather re-attachment, which apparently had too many creases and puckers after he did it himself.
I looked into having it done, and was quoted $320 for new springs and pads. The shop had done a number of them, and said that about half the customers didn't like the firm feel of the new seats, and said they wish they had just put a pad under some sheepskin covers. I am still debating, but intuitively would rather put the money towards something else.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E