How To Repair Worn Seats (16v)

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How To Repair Worn Seats (16v); can be done to all models
Topic Started: Mon May 12, 2008 10:05 pm (1,028 Views)
merc190uk	Mon May 12, 2008 10:05 pm Post #1
Steve Posts: 7,501 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: November 1, 2005	my 16v seats had worn through so i got hold of some material to repair them, this is how i did it should you wish to tackle it yourself. the basics first, said seat remove the seat from the car, just four bolts (the easy bit) With the seat on it side remove the wheel from the side (pulls off or screwdriver behind it for leverage) then undo the screw and remove the second part. this allows you to remove the plastic trim same the other side with the trim you now have two bolts to remove on both sides one has the seat belt buckle attached, picture for rebuild reference. back now comes away from the base by just lifting out. with the seat turned over and pressing down you can lift out the seam from the frame work easily. this gives access to the underside of the seat from here you can remove the horse hair section from the springs as it is just folded over the spring section now my seat is suffering from the standard broken springs that a lot of these seats do, this was welded up during the rebuild. back to the seat. you now have to remove these copper staples with pliers that hold some of the under sheet down, think there was only four of them then its time to unclip these that hold the metal supports bars that run under the padding, pain to unclip and i found unhooking them with a screwdriver the best way but you may find another. then they part From here on it is just a case of remove the stitching from the areas that you are replacing. now i can be bit of an animal and i just cut them out with my Stanley blade :lol: but you can spend ages doing it the right way if you wish. the under layer that holds some foam supports that shape the seat then the main material this is a bit i cut from my standard seats that is almost identical (normal 91 model 2.0) then it was time to get the sowing machine out. now i'm new to all this sowing stuff but once i got the hang off it (and my other half showed me how to work the machine )(thanks love ) i enjoyed working on the base as i had no idea what way to tackle it so just went for it no photo taken of my stitching it as i was concentrating too much but the end result is ok not perfect as i left the material slightly loose in one corner and not totally straight but its a lot better than it was and should it rip again i will do a better job with more confidence next time. this picture is with all the cloth replaced on the lower section of the seat this job took all day but i did weld the spring back together and change the base over to the adjustable on from my later seats, just a case of swapping my springs over as the 16v ones have a extra metal support at the sides. and i had to drill some holes for the front clamp if you wanted to do this on standard seats its the same set up. hope this helps someone Steve.



Martrider	Mon May 12, 2008 11:22 pm Post #2
Longest build time in history? Posts: 1,531 Group: Members Member #2 Joined: November 2, 2005	Nicely done mate, but jesus, you have too much time on your hands!!! Can you make me a nice copy of your front bumper instead? I've got a 16v to work from! lol But you should have asked baout the seat, i have a spare drivers one and the check is fine, muddy but fine!! lol



pentoman	Tue May 13, 2008 5:45 am Post #3
Resident OVP Expert Posts: 2,697 Group: Members Member #11 Joined: November 6, 2005	Blimey, good hard work!



jeremy	Tue May 13, 2008 5:45 am Post #4
Member Posts: 6,562 Group: Members Member #2,018 Joined: December 9, 2007	My God, A man who welds and sews, Tattoos, and, in touch with his feminine side LOVL!!!!!! jeremy



Downside190	Tue May 13, 2008 7:53 am Post #5
W201 Junky Posts: 2,538 Group: Members Member #1,576 Joined: August 5, 2007	nice, not only does it cover replacing the seats but fixing in the spring for it too! More usefull info and could be applied to other car seats as well.



NEIL	Tue May 13, 2008 8:12 am Post #6
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	Write-up from heaven, thanks Yoda I can't imagine Mercedes make seats like that at all any more, so many different materials, sections, and components. The new AMGs I've been in have been utter crap compared to the 16v interiors.



Tim.W	Tue May 13, 2008 8:29 am Post #7
Sportline Crazy Posts: 1,223 Group: Members Member #1,655 Joined: September 1, 2007	wow what a brilliant and comprehencive write up! A+ :lol:



merc190uk	Tue May 13, 2008 9:42 pm Post #8
Steve Posts: 7,501 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: November 1, 2005	jeremy, you made me cry now LOL.gif i need to resize those pictures as i didn't realise i had done them so big. Mart, i never asked as i wanted to see if it could be done, rather fix than throw away and thanks all for the nice replys



shrekky	Tue May 13, 2008 9:49 pm Post #9
Member Posts: 3,912 Group: Members Member #223 Joined: March 23, 2006	jeremy May 13 2008, 06:45 AM My God, A man who welds and sews, Tattoos, and, in touch with his feminine side LOVL!!!!!! jeremy should see his painted toe nails :ph43r: :lol: :lol: hmmmmmmm has that seat been repaired before steve ?........mine doesnt have the leather bit going across the seat in the middle,mines all cloth



merc190uk	Tue May 13, 2008 9:55 pm Post #10
Steve Posts: 7,501 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: November 1, 2005	shrekky May 13 2008, 10:49 PM jeremy May 13 2008, 06:45 AM My God, A man who welds and sews, Tattoos, and, in touch with his feminine side LOVL!!!!!! jeremy :evo2: should see his painted toe nails :ph43r: :lol: :lol: hmmmmmmm has that seat been repaired before steve ?........mine doesnt have the leather bit going across the seat in the middle,mines all cloth :lol: i'll take your eyes out with them :lol: as for the leather section, i thought that about the seat but nothing seamed reworked when i took it too bits ? so no idea mate :wacko:



Tim.W	Tue May 13, 2008 10:37 pm Post #11
Sportline Crazy Posts: 1,223 Group: Members Member #1,655 Joined: September 1, 2007	this topic should be pinned... very helpful and comprehensive. shame to loose it in the depths of forum pages...



merc190uk	Wed May 14, 2008 6:04 pm Post #12
Steve Posts: 7,501 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: November 1, 2005	done



dave_irl	Wed May 14, 2008 8:00 pm Post #13
I love offset. Posts: 8,729 Group: Admin Member #6 Joined: November 2, 2005	Excellent seat autopsy Steve! I like the style, just go at it and fix it. You always get great results



alan	Thu May 15, 2008 11:43 am Post #14
this looks like fun Posts: 3,989 Group: Members Member #2,052 Joined: December 21, 2007	with a little patience would it not be possible to strip all the seats and then with some good leather retrim them??? and if the covers off im sure i saw somewhere you can get things to put into your seats make them heated or would it just be easier to get a set of good leather seats???



ahn2908	Sat May 17, 2008 9:29 pm Post #15
Newbie Posts: 11 Group: Members Member #2,395 Joined: March 8, 2008	Don't come here often, but this man is a top banana! I had an EVO1 once, and having driven it every day for 8 years, that driver's side seat got wrecked. When I eventually sold it, the guy who helped me sell it took all the seats out and re-skinned them. Just like our friend here. Great job, my man! Know anything about whining diffs or rattling idle gears on a 190 2.5 16V?!



dave_irl	Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:36 pm Post #16
I love offset. Posts: 8,729 Group: Admin Member #6 Joined: November 2, 2005	merc190uk Mon May 12, 2008 10:05 pm this job took all day but i did weld the spring back together and change the base over to the adjustable on from my later seats, just a case of swapping my springs over as the 16v ones have a extra metal support at the sides. and i had to drill some holes for the front clamp if you wanted to do this on standard seats its the same set up. hope this helps someone Steve. Hey Steve, I was doing my interior swap today, as you know I already have to do the rear bench skin swap thing, but when I went to fit the front seat the mounting holes were different... Sooo how tricky is it to swap the mounts over? Also its pretty cool gaining the adjustability, as these old ones (though megapimp leather) dont have it.. Is it just: -separate back & base -lift seam out & remove skin / hairy part -detach springs from base -same for donor base -put in the 16v springs and drill two holes -all back together again?? Cheers matey - all going well I can show you at Retro otherwise its grey cloth (boooooo)



hambleford	Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:19 pm Post #17
Newbie Posts: 1 Group: Members Member #3,082 Joined: August 10, 2008	Steve Could you please advise where you bought the material from. I have a 190e 2.5-16v with what appears to be the same blue/grey plaid material. Thanks in anticipation



merc190uk	Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:35 pm Post #18
Steve Posts: 7,501 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: November 1, 2005	Hi hambleford this material was from my standard seats that i removed from my car and just happened to be the same as the 16v ! although i do believe you can get it from mercedes. Dave, i never noticed you had posted sorry bud, do you still need any info ?



NEIL	Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:11 pm Post #19
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	The material is known as MB 'Karo' cloth, and I had heard that it was incredibly difficult to acquire? Would be great if we could find out one way or the other - most 2.3-16s I've seen could benefit from new cloth on the driver's seat base.



merc190uk	Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:37 pm Post #20
Steve Posts: 7,501 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: November 1, 2005	if its that rare i will be stockpiling these seats material and binning the rest



MICHAEL	Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:51 pm Post #21
Member Posts: 5,626 Group: Members Member #555 Joined: September 28, 2006	I have a piece of that cloth and if anyone needs it let me know.



carl mcgraw	Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:45 pm Post #22
Member Posts: 453 Group: Members Member #35 Joined: November 11, 2005	Here's another tip.. Whilst the seat is out, whip off the plastic cover over the back of the upright half; if you add some good strong cable ties between the springs of the two halves and pull them tight (ish) you get a very useful 'pulling in' of the (side) rib support sections (the 'wings' on the side that should be lightly holding you in around the rib area..).. Also, you could consider adding to the seat base padding on the outside of the thighs (so that it supports the sides of your legs and stops you sliding from side to side), and under the knees (where the seat base goes down toward the footwell..) a la race seat; perfect opportunity to 'refresh' the seat and overhaul it ;-D Nice one Steve, missed this one completely!!



NEIL	Tue Aug 19, 2008 6:25 am Post #23
Fewer Posts than Kenny Posts: 16,149 Group: Members Member #63 Joined: November 18, 2005	merc190uk Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:37 pm if its that rare i will be stockpiling these seats material and binning the rest Steve, it's a rumour that I first heard on here, years ago. I don't know if anybody has ever tried to buy some from the dealerships, p'raps Brian & Nick know for sure?



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