Hi,
Could someone tell me how to remove the MB Tex seat covers on a w123?

Does it require removing the whole seat from the car?

I have a rip in my front seat and I have seen some nice matching replacement ones at the junkyards.

But I don't know how to remove them without causing any damage...

Thanks for any help!

Yes, the seat has to come out of the car.

Remove the plastic side cover pieces, black knob that tilts the seat. they just sort of pry off. be careful, they sort of snap on, and getting them off can break the plastic.

The seat back is held on with 2 bolts on each side. once they are removed, the back lifts off.

To remove the cover off the bottom. It is held on around the bottom in sort of a "U" shap gutter. the edge of the cover has a thick heavy piece of car board sewn to it. It is folded under and held in this gutter.

Turn the seat upside down. compress down on the seat to give the fabric some slack, and start pulling it out of the gutter from the rear around the front, to the other side.

Then once loose, cut the hog rings, maybe 7 of them. the cover should slip off.

On the back rest. there are 2 screws on the bottom that hold the back cover. remove them and the board should slide down.

The Fabric is held on in a similar fashion. a gutter along the bottom and I believe along the sides where if folds under.

Do the bottom first then the sides. as i remember, the top piece folds back under to a gutter also.

To get to the two rear bolts that hold the seat to the floor. You might have to use the side lever to elevate the seat to expose them.

Note:
I know you asked about 123 seats. But if you come across eletric seats and need to move them. use a 12 or 14V battery from a cordless drill etc... and fix a jumper wire to it. then jumping the seat connectors will move the seat.

works on window motors too.

Hope this helps.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Hey Charlie!

GREAT idea about the drill battery ---- that will help me immensely; naturally, I'll have to start carrying a drill with me, now. Tool Box just got heavier.

__________________
daw_two
Germantown, TN

Links:
Sold last car --- 05/2012 1984 300D Light Ivory, Red interior
Cluster Needles Paint
New Old Stock (NOS) parts

Past:
3/2008 1986 300SDL "Coda"
04/2010 1965 190D(c) "Ben"
& many more

Charlie,
Great idea on the drill battery. That could have saved me a lot of trouble in the past.
Do you jumper at the unplugged seat on the 126?
If so, which pins do you use?

Thanks,
Jeff

__________________
1984 300SD 300,000 miles--two tank WVO setup
2.88 diff & 500SEL anti-squat rear end

Thanks for the GREAT description!! Really appreciate the info!

For those who haven't done this yet: hog rings are apparently wide staples that go through flaps of fabric on the inside, and secure the mbtex to the foam cushion material.

The hardest thing for me was getting those plastic side trim pieces off without breaking them. I found that squeezing the circular connector gently on the inside with channel lock pliers while levering them off on the outside works.

Kurt

ps kudos to Charlie for convincing me that this job was even doable!

__________________
- '79 240D - engine swap complete! Engine broken in! 28-31 mpg! Lovin' the ride!
- '86 190D (W201-126) - 2.5 NA engine, 5 speed, cloth interior, manual climate controls, 33-34 mpg (sold to forum member).

I haven`t used the battery yet on the seats. Iam assuming it should work though. there have been some good seat that I have had to leave because I wasn`t able to get to the rearbolts.
should be able to jump to the seat connectors to get them to move.

I have used it on a 300CD to remove all 4 window regulators, and on a 300TD. I just learned this from a couple guys that I run into all the time at the yards that e-bay stuff. on of them is on Benz World.

The battery I use is a DeWalt. I cut off some connectors that will slide onto the flat spades on the battery. and then use the test wires from a Harbor Freight $3.00 multi meter. of course I had to sacrifice the leads for the jumper wire, cut, soldered and slid on some heat shrink tubing.

Think I paid $19.00 for the battery at a used tool store, didn`t include the charger, so have to get that. $25.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works