Seat trouble

Rob Hawkins outlines some of the typical problems that can arise with a vehicle’s seats and provides a general guide to stripping and fixing them.

The front seats in most vehicles have become over complicated with airbags, seatbelt tensioners and lumbar support mechanisms, not to mention various cables for adjustment and electric motors. Consequently, many are expensive to replace and seemingly beyond the scope of DIY repairs, or are they? To find out what can be stripped and repaired, the following pages provide an overview of the general procedures in removing the trim, seat covers and other components to be able to repair or replace broken parts.

Most of the photographs show the front seats from an MGF/TF, but we’ve noticed similarities with other models. The seat covers for example, are usually secured to the framework with plastic edging strips, metal hog rings and metal clips. The hog rings can be quite sharp, so investing in a pair of hog ring pliers or a good quality pair of side cutters will save on cut fingers.

We’ve also followed the stripdown of a driver’s seat from a BMW MINI R50 (2001-2006 models) with independent MINI and BMW specialist MJR Minimatt. If such a seat won’t recline, lock, or if it feels wobbly, then the internals of the seat frame may have broken. This is a common problem and usually caused by a broken cable if the seat tilts but doesn’t slide, or a broken part of the seat frame if it doesn’t recline, tilt, lock or the seat back has lots of play. Often the answer here is to strip the seat and replace or repair the frame.

A seat is usually more timeconsuming to reassemble than it is to strip, because the seat cover needs to be correctly fitted to avoid any sagging material. New hog rings should be fitted where necessary and hog ring pliers should be used to help with this.

When removing a seat from a vehicle, especially one with any electrical components attached to it, disconnect the battery and allow at least 15 minutes for any current to discharge. Similarly, be careful when handling the plug connectors for the airbag and seatbelt tensioner. If static electricity crosses the contacts on one of these plugs, it could risk activating the airbag or tensioner.