GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk3 => Topic started by: eightyeightmph on 05 September 2007, 11:52
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Anyone point me in the right direction?!
Some stiching has popped on one of my leathers & want to sort it our before it gets worse :rolleyes:
Che-ars!
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No one?
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Sorry to be of no help whatsoever, but I would like this info too... I have a driver's seat with a worn bolster, and a replacement seat with some stitching coming undone on the backrest. The replacement seat I have is actually a passenger seat from a left-hand-drive golf, so doesn't have any height adjustment.. So I'd like to take the Arse-part of the new seat and put it on the old one... But I couldn't quite figure out how to dismantle it properly when I had a look :undecided:
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id go somewhere like mj interiors and have it repaired propperly if i was you...
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Well, bit the bullet & attacked my drivers seat tonight....
TOTAL SUCCESS! Have to say I'd got the idea from one of the "MK2 project threads" but nonetheless, I now have a mint Leather seat (or at least as mint as 15 year old seat can be!!)
Took some pics if anyone is interested, but not being the type of person to shy away from a little task like this, I mean if you can rebuild an engine then pulling a cover off of a seat is a piece of piss :rolleyes:
A little time, a pair of needle nose pliers, screwdrivers, needle & thread & I'm dead chuffed! Even Mequiared it to death after :grin: Have to say the damage was supperficial as the leather wasn't ripped, the thread had just given which made things easier. Other than that it's pretty self explanatory...
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So go ahead post the pics!
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Right you are :grin:
Just fitting the Leathers & running the wiring loom behind the dash, once I've done that I'll stick all the pics up with tips & pointers...
OooOOOoo exciting times eh? :wink:
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The Guide...
Having recently picked up these VR Leathers for my 16V, I was a little dissappointed to find a seam had popped. For the price I've paid I wasn't going to lose any sleep, & being handy with a needle & thread decided I'd repair it myself. Other than being dirty, the only issue was some paint splatter/lines on the drivers seat base. Baring in mind that the leather was perfect, it was just the thread had popped meant I could just re-sew in the original holes....
The Leathers...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image026.jpg)
Paint 'marks'....
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image035.jpg)
'Aggrevate' with Olive Oil & a ear bud...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image034.jpg)
Paint be gone :grin: ...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image036.jpg)
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Now the seat was paint free, it was time to have a look at the popped seam....
First of all stand back & have a look at how the thing goes together, being out of a 3Dr car this meant the seats have the tilt forward mech. making the stripping process that bit easier. The plastic tray/trim needs the front screw taking out, then the near invisible 'trim tabs' sliding back (srewdriver down between the seat base & the trim) in to losen the plastic off.
With that done flip the seat upside down. At the back you'll find the strip of carpet wrapped around the rear struts of the subframe. Un-hook the little metal tabs on one side to reveal some wire threaded/coiled through a hole. This runs around the bottom of the seat material & is tightened to keep the cover nice & tight. Some pliers & a good pull made light work of this meaning that I could follow it round the base, un-hooking as I went.
Once loose, do this...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image031.jpg)
Bit of a fiddle to keep the foam in place but easy enough. Once this is done, you'll need two pairs of pliers, at least one being of the needle nose variety.
The seat is connected to the foam via an ellaborate network of wires (similar to coat hanger wire) these need un-hooking to free up the cover. The wire is imposible to 'bend' in situ, but can be unhooked if you hold the one in place & wriggle the other..... ((did that make sense :rolleyes:))
Have a look....
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image032.jpg)
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image039.jpg)
Once these are all unhooked I could get at the damage... almost... I decided to drop the back off the seat, dead easy with the 3 dr ones, just unsrew the two cross-headed screws that the release mechs. grab on the base...
**WARNING** Heated seats have pads, these are connected to each other so go easy on the wiring if you pull the seat about!
This happens...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image059.jpg)
Once that was done I peeled back to the next set of wires/hooks & repeated the unhooking fiasco to give this...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image062.jpg)
Finally I could get at the popped seam...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image063.jpg)
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A 1/2 hour play with a needle & thread...(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image109.jpg)
Although the drivers seat bolster was in pretty good shape the sponge was pretty worn, being a budget repair & the fact the seats were being fitted in the morning I didn't have the time/inclenation to source a new bolster. As it happened I had some packing foam (pretty much the same as the stuff used for seat bolsters) so fabricated a repair to fix up that hole.
Worked a treat :grin:
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image108.jpg)
With the sewing done, it was just a matter of refitting everything back together. Unfortunately it was Tea time, so when I returend it had gone dark... relocation to the kitchen table & all was well again :wink: Refitting is the exact opposite of stripping it down, takes a little time to get the wire hooks all firmly in place & the cover sitting square on the pads, but otherwise it's a sinch!
Almost done...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image111.jpg)
With everything back together I gave the entire seat a once over with Megauiars 2 Stage Leather Cleaner/Conditioner & was well chuffed to be pointing my Camera(phone) at this...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image112.jpg)
In case any of you were questioning my sewing capabilities....
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image110.jpg)
As new! :smug:
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Finally, with a near mint leather interior (door cards as well) it was time to swap out with the 'fake' RECAROS in the GTi. These are heated seats & came with the loom & switch so out came the interior & off with (most of) the dash :smug:
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image115.jpg)
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image113.jpg)
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image114.jpg)
Running the loom is pretty straight forward, there are a 3 connections, blue/grey, green (with a black wire) & the brown earth. If you pop the light switch out & shine a torch in you'll see where these connect, the rest is just laying behind trim & under the carpet to get it looking smart!
Da daa...
(http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m12/eightyeightmph/Golf%20Seat%20Repair/Image122.jpg)
THE END :smiley:
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After all that & no one gives a sh!t... what's up with that :undecided:
Just messing, hopefully this'll be useful to someone one day!? :grin:
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good little write up :)
ive got to repair mine when i get around to it so will be usefull
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I have my original driver's seat (with a nice hole in the bolster), and a replacement which is what is currently in the car.
I want to get the arse-section of the replacement off, and fit it to the old drivers seat. There are two reasons for this:
1) the replacement seat I have actually has some fraying of the seat back, whereas the old seat back was fine;
2) the replacement is actually a passenger seat from a left-hand-drive car, so doesn't have height adjustment.
Trouble is, all my seats are 5 door ones, so swapping backs over isn't as easy :sad:
I had a very quick look at them when I had the seat out last time, but couldn't see how to take them apart without breaking plastic :sad:
Anyone know of a guide for dismantling of 5-door seats?
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My previous seats were 5Dr, the plastic trim is the same. You'll need to get the seat in good light, but there are little plastic 'pins' which hold the trim in place. If you can get a screwdriver (flat blade) down between the plastic & the seat you can push them back to release them....
They look a bit like this...
(http://products.jetpress.com/products/2013/images/050.jpg)
The top sits flush & will be hard to see. There are two either side ( 2 per panel ). Once these are released it'll be easier to see what comes off where. I found the BIG screws going into the subframe at the bottom of the back rest where much tighter on the 5Dr, you may want an impact driver or a snug fitting screw driver to avoid strippin the heads.
This help any?! :undecided:
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Great write up. Have been searching for some guidance on repairing my mk2 leathers and found your article. thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!! :grin:
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No worries dude, glad it's helped someone! :afro:
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I dont know where to get the replacement foam though!!! :'(
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Bookmarked. :smiley:
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Slack Mods around here should have moved to Info and stickied! :rolleyes:
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Monster thread revival!
Where is 88 these days?
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As opposed to repairing the foam, if you can get your hands on a passenger seat you can swap the foam over from the seat base. Passenger foams are generally in a lot better condition as they are sat in less....
From my build thread....might come in useful....
The bolster on my drivers seat has been badly knackered for a long time (which is a very common fault with this style of seat as I am sure you folks know) and I was actually on my third drivers seat with this car, so I took the opportunity to deal with it. First of all, big thanks to my friends Amy and Gaz for sourcing a pair of seats in the right cloth for me. They came out of a three door, and obviously Kermit is a 5 door. But I had a plan (I didn't know if it would work, but it was my plan and I was sticking to it).
Here is my original drivers seat:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24101903.jpg)
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24101853.jpg)
As you can see, its had it. This was unsightly, and uncomfortable for me to sit on as the metal bar was digging into my leg.
So first things first, lets get rid of the back rest for now - that is the one bit of the seat I will reuse...
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24112158.jpg)
This turned out to be suprisingly easy - you carefully remove the covers either side, remove a clip, and undo one T30 screw either side, and then the back simply lifts away.
Next you have to remove the seat fabric, this is where it starts to get harder...
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24112239.jpg)
The fabric is held down with an assortment of clips, spikes (that are folded down and you have to lever up) on the seat frame, and a wire that attaches at the rear on either side and runs all the away around the base of the fabric. Finally the fabric is secured to a number of rods running through the seat foam, and its a bugger to disengage these...
Now the fabric is out the way and we can see the root of the problem...
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24112250.jpg)
So we will sling that foam in the bin.
Its actually very difficult to completely remove the fabric from the seat base (you can see in the photo the staples that go through the metal base holding the fabric in place), so at this point I elected to use the drivers side seat base of the three door seats Amy sorted me, and the foam from the passenger seat base. Here we can see the base itself, with the fabric still firmly attached at the back:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24112315.jpg)
The passenger seat foam was perfect, so i placed that on the base, reconnected the fabric to it, and reattached the fabric to the seat frame. Even thought the base I am now using is from a 3 door, it is actually identical to a 5 door one, so I now mounted the backrest on the seat and reattached all the trim plastics and handles (and picked out the most intact/unmarked/undamaged plastics from the three seats during build up). Leaving us with this:
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c121/Edwh0re/Automotive%20Connection/2011-12-24104515.jpg)
So to recap, that is the foam from the 3 door passenger seat base, the base and cloth from the 3 door drivers seat, and the backrest from my five door drivers seat! Aka - Frankenseat. :grin:
One perfect drivers seat with no sagging of the bolsters and no damaged fabric. Its so much more comfortable!
Kind of pleased with myself for having done all this. In total it took about 2.5 hours, which involved the full strip down of 3 seat bases, and the rebuild of one seat. Now all I need to do is get my hands on some form of wet vac so I can shampoo the seats properly.
Next up... Bought fast road brakes all round yesterday off of a gentleman on edition who lived close by, and I have a new head unit to go in, once I pull my finger out and do so.