Seat cushion restoration? 300te - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Eliot · #1 08-07-2006, 09:49 AM

1989 300 te...passenger seat cushion is horrible. Fortunatly it's the passenger, but it is the one my wife sits in. The covers are mint, but the insides MUST be shot. Is there an 'inexpensive' way to fix this problem? If not, where is the best place to get new guts for the seat cushion. I am confident that I can do the repair/ restoration myself.

JimZ · #2 08-07-2006, 09:52 AM

This is one of the most common problems people post on this site!

Do a search for pool noodles. I did the driver's and back seat in my 300SD this weekend. Works like a dream!

Bill Wood · #3 08-07-2006, 10:10 AM

There is a DIY Article on this subject.

junqueyardjim · #4 08-07-2006, 07:33 PM

Pool noodles are big, round and clunky. Beside that they are some type of styrofoam. That type of repair is certainly not going to last long. I would check out the seat and find out where or what the problem is. Are the springs broken. There are a number of DIY's on that problem. Is the horsehair pad rotten and disintegrating. I have seen posts lately that say they are readily available from your favorite thief, I mean stealer dealer. So, if you like your Benz and Love your wife, fix it right so she will really love riding with you. I fixed my own driver seat which was really bad by taking the passenger front seat from a parts car I bought and using the base of that seat on the drivers side. It is a little difficult to adjust the seat back, but can be done. But in the junk yards also, typically the passenger seat is in much better condition then the driver seat. If you can find one that looks and feels good and has not been out in the weather for years, it makes for a good upgrade.

softconsult · #5 08-07-2006, 08:42 PM

I did the driver seat on my former '90 300E. I just bought a new pad and a new seat box. Parts were inexpensive. Getting the leather formed correctly with out wrinkles was tough and the result was not perfect, but the seat was back to sitting like new.

I know that Mercedes has a specific foam part for the 124 seats that is sold
as a remedy for the typical sagging of the driver left front side of the seat.

I don't think a seat stuffed with pool noodles is going to sit comfortably, but I certainly could be wrong.

Steve

Eliot · #6 08-07-2006, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by softconsult

I did the driver seat on my former '90 300E. I just bought a new pad and a new seat box. Parts were inexpensive. Getting the leather formed correctly with out wrinkles was tough and the result was not perfect, but the seat was back to sitting like new.

I know that Mercedes has a specific foam part for the 124 seats that is sold
as a remedy for the typical sagging of the driver left front side of the seat.

I don't think a seat stuffed with pool noodles is going to sit comfortably, but I certainly could be wrong.

Steve

What is a "seat box"? I have seen the spring assembly, the horsehair, pad...but nothing that is referred to as a 'seatbox'.

softconsult · #7 08-08-2006, 08:09 AM

"Seat box", is the term that my expert supplier, George Murphy owner of Performance Analysis, used for the spring assembly.

I think it was only about $125, but that that was about 7 years ago. I also could be remembering incorrectly.

Steve

hookedon210s · #8 08-08-2006, 05:48 PM

I recently replaced the driver's seat bottom and seat back padding on my 91 300TE. I believe my seats are constructed a bit differently than yours (mine are made by Keiper/Recaro) since mine use contoured and formed foam instead of rubberized fiber. The pads from the dealer were about $145 each and really weren't much firmer than the original pads which were identically constructed. I believe most of my improvement came from the re-insertion of the felt pads into the sewn-in pockets in the MB Tex covering. For some reason most of these had migrated out of their respective pockets over the past 230K miles. By doing this I was able to get a bit more lower back support but the entire job is very time consuming. I can almost see why the dealer quoted me $1K to replace the cracked seat bottom frame (known MB defect) on the driver's side of my 01 E320. Mark

Benz300 · #9 12-14-2006, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by softconsult

I did the driver seat on my former '90 300E. I just bought a new pad and a new seat box. Parts were inexpensive. Getting the leather formed correctly with out wrinkles was tough and the result was not perfect, but the seat was back to sitting like new.

I know that Mercedes has a specific foam part for the 124 seats that is sold
as a remedy for the typical sagging of the driver left front side of the seat.

I don't think a seat stuffed with pool noodles is going to sit comfortably, but I certainly could be wrong.

Steve

i agree with you on changing those parts out.
I was at the dealer today to inquire about the foam and the springs. i
what do you think is the best way to have the seat back without wrinkles ? is there something that a professional shop can do that u couldnt while putting them back ?
thnx.

Benz300 · #10 12-14-2006, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookedon210s

I recently replaced the driver's seat bottom and seat back padding on my 91 300TE. I believe my seats are constructed a bit differently than yours (mine are made by Keiper/Recaro) since mine use contoured and formed foam instead of rubberized fiber. The pads from the dealer were about $145 each and really weren't much firmer than the original pads which were identically constructed. I believe most of my improvement came from the re-insertion of the felt pads into the sewn-in pockets in the MB Tex covering. For some reason most of these had migrated out of their respective pockets over the past 230K miles. By doing this I was able to get a bit more lower back support but the entire job is very time consuming. I can almost see why the dealer quoted me $1K to replace the cracked seat bottom frame (known MB defect) on the driver's side of my 01 E320. Mark

what bottom frame are you referring to ? the spring case ?

raymr · #11 12-14-2006, 03:10 PM

The pool noodles are placed strategically to prop up the sagging spring(s) - you don't sit on them directly. Pool noodles and zip ties are the repair equivalent of duct tape. It gets the job done, just don't tell your friends.

Of course if the pads are disintegrated, that is a different problem that noodles won't help.

lkchris · #12 12-14-2006, 05:41 PM

Read this

gavinbr · #13 12-14-2006, 10:03 PM

Hello,

Do it right go to................. http://www.worlduph.com

they are World Upholstery & Trim and have everything you need for Mercedes and other German auto's.

Brian

Bio300TDTdriver · #14 12-20-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el presidente

Look closely at these front seats. Is there an easy fix for the lower seat cushions sliding backwards?

Why are they sliding back? Has it come unhooked from the metal grove in the seat bottom?

hookedon210s · #15 12-20-2007, 05:04 PM

The felt inserts sliding back was the real issue with my seats. The seat cover must come off and the felt strips need to be carefully pulled back to their starting position in their respective pockets. I used a straightened coat hanger with a properly sized hook to do the trick without tearing the felt. The felt strips are not glued or held in place except by friction so they tend to move about after years and years of enduring sliding butts

Mark