Ages ago I removed the SDL's passenger seat cushion cover. I pulled off the leather and pad without removing the seat from the car or the seat back from the frame. Basically I put weight on the cover and unhooked it from the base. No tools involved.

The cover had a tear in the top front panel so I had a shop fit a new panel. I put a layer of 3/4" fabric shop foam between the leather and the pad. It took some doing to get the hog rings hooked up through the extra padding but I managed. The leather has it's own foam and there's some fluffy quilting under the pleated section but I guess 270K miles takes its toll.

Since I had the passenger cover nice and fluffy I took off the driver side cover to refluff and fit the passenger cover on the driver seat to mnimize down time. The passenger side cover fits the driver side perfectly. The driver side cover has a couple of creases ready to tear so I have a chance to reinforce the back side and put it in the much less frequently occupied passenger seat.

I sat in the driver seat for a moment and it feels better. The bolsters are less 'bolsterous' with the new padding but the key is that the wieght of my torso doesn't go right through my tail bone anymore. I'll report back on what it's like while driving.

I thought of pool noodles for the springs but the springs are as supportive as I need them to be. The only real problem is... or now was... that the seat didn't feel like there was much padding.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

I did the pool noodles and it was great.....for awhile . Don't believe pool noodles are made from the highest quality styrene and they are starting to deteriorate. My wife suggested looking at Hancock Farbric (store) - there is a tremendous selection of upholstery padding material. This will be the retrofit soon to aid the sagging bolsters as they sold a "tube" type of foam.

__________________
BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

How long did your pool noodles last? I did mine about a month ago and wrapped most of them in cloth so they don't rub against the springs too much. I was hoping they would last a couple years anyway.

__________________
1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

Wrapping - that was a good idea! I didn't. I noticed "blue" noodle crumbs under my seat within a couple of weeks. What made me wonder about longevity was taking pool noodles out of the garage in preparation for summer. They were very deteriorated. A local matress mfg. gave me an idea to try using stainless steel tubing, crimping it onto the broken springs. That with the "tube" foam should be back in business. Now that I understand how that seat cover comes off - not even going to unbolt the seat.

__________________
BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

How about the foam rolls they use for roll bars on off-road and race cars? How about plumbing insulation?

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Whats this world coming to when a 3 dollar pool noodle isn't made from the finest materials availible to mankind?

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

3 dollars!!

__________________
1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

(\__/)
(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

THats a wild guess...I have no idea what they actually sell for...$3 is more than they are worth IMHO however...

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I got mine from Garden Ridge for about $1.30... a few weeks later I found some at the Dollar Tree, they were a buck at the most, they may have been less. But hey, I only paid .30¢ more to save $274 on a repair!!

Was there any special kind of cloth used in this application?
-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.

Yes. Old t-shirts. But I would have used tube socks in retrospect.

__________________
1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma