Removal of seatback only - W126 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

bolomiester · #1 05-16-2009, 07:21 PM

I have an 89 300se that has holes worn through the leather on the driver's outside bolster. Otherwise the interior is near perfect.

I bought a seatback from one of the forum members and after cleaning it, and recoloring it with Surflex in the original color, it looks great.

Has anyone ever removed just the seatback while the rest of the seat is left in the car? Is it even possible?

BTW, the Surflex stuff is amazing. The seatback I bought was in good solid condition but had the typical creases you see in a 20 year old leather seat and some pretty bad scratches. I gave it 3 very light coats and it looks practically new.

pawoSD · #2 05-16-2009, 07:45 PM

Its not easy/might be impossible with it in the car. The seat back is bolted onto the seat bottom with a couple bolts on each side, the covers need to be (Carefully!) removed to get at them. And there's a power cable running through for the motor in the backrest (recline)......all in all its not that complex, but you'll likely want the seat out of the car....which also isn't that hard.

bolomiester · #3 05-17-2009, 07:52 PM

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it will best to take the seat out ,and I understand most of the "How" from reading the forum, but there are a few things I'm unsure about.

One is the bracket the inner seat belt buckle slides on. Do I just remove its rear bolt after taking off the plastic cap? And does the plastic cap just pop off by prying up on it? Is the slide not attached to the console in front?

The second is the electrical connection that goes to the inner seat beat buckle. Is it part of the seat's wiring and unplugs as part of the other connectors, or is it separate and do I need to be careful not to break it?

Third is the nice plastic covers over the front bolts. Can I just pry them up by slipping something under them or do they slide one way or the other?

Once everything is loose/disconnented what position should the seat be in to come out easily, and will it come out straight or do I need to tip or rotate it one way or the other.

Is there a secret to removing the covers that are over the bolts holding the seatback on. The one I bought came with them broken and I thought I'd never get the remains of them off. Basically I destroyed them even more.

I hate being such a whimp, but I already broke the driver's side seat switch cover by not being aware of the little plastic ring that snaps into a groove around the "tilt" post. When it finally let go, I was pulling too hard, broke the rear clip and had a devil of a time finding a good replacement.

pawoSD · #4 05-17-2009, 08:15 PM

You don't need to remove the seatbelt slide bar, when you undo the 4 bolts that hold the seat to the floor you can lift it and slide it forward to take it off that track, it is not attached to the console in front, it just ends. All you need to remove is the tab/clip that attaches the little seat belt arm to the seat itself.

I have no idea how to get the covers off without destroying them. I've never done it successfully. Maybe if they were heated up a bit with a heat gun they'd be more flexible....no idea.

The front covers do just pop off.