bolster

[haggisboy]

Hey there have looked at the archives but they are still not clear!

Has anyone actually replaced a front seat bolster?

I have an 88 3dr gti (without front quarter lights). The cloth is in great condition but the bolsters have collapsed. I have found a golf at a scrappies but it is a H reg.

1.   Will the bolsters be the same?

2.   How the hell do you go about changing them? I have noticed the black clips but when I take them out they still don’t seem to give off enough slack to take the cloth off!!! Is there an easy and simple method?

3.      Would probably take the whole seat as I think a spring at the lumber area of my driver’s seat has gone. Unfortunately I have a 3dr and the one at the breakers is a 5.

Any help in change much appreciated!

[Organisys]

ok,ok

1. The bolsters will be the same.

2. I think you may need to strip down the whole seat, starting at the underside of the seat base.

3. You can use the seat from the 5 door, and swap over the tilting mech' from the 3 door seat. In the seat upright of the 5 door, if you feel through the cloth you will find the location where the tilt leaver goes.

 

[Gambit]

supposedly the tilting mechanism is already there on 5 door seats, its just covered over. so u just need the plastic leaver & trim

though never actually checked this to be sure!!

i changed the seat base on mine last year, but fiddly but not rocket science! extra pair of hands is helpful!!

[kkh120]

I did this job a while back and wasnt too bad. Be careful about the foam base which contains the bolsters. Pre 90 spec gtis have a smaller base than the 90 spec and these are not interchangable.

The sides/bolsters are part of the base foam.

To replace, remove the seat from the car. Undo the necessary bits to seperate the back of the seat from the base.

On the base you have to remove the sides that allow you to get the fabric off. These were held in with thread lock on mine and I had to use an impact driver to loosen them. (Mine was a 3 door, not sure about the 5 door?)

Small bits of wire hole the fabric and foam to the frame, its tucked in under a "lip" on the frame base. When you undo this the fabric and foam comes away from the base.

You can then, with a bit of difficulty remove the fabric from the foam. It is held onto strengthening bars(?) that run on the inner part of the bolster. It may easier to cut these than try and undo them.

When I read this back, its not that easy to follow

If you take the seat out of the car and start to seperate it, it should become clearer. I should have taken pics at the time  :embarassed:

Hope this helps

[haggisboy]

cheers that helps alot

[DarnPB]

I repaired the bolsters in my Audi Coupe last year using what was already there. The seats are basically the same. I removed the foam, which had split through the plastic guard and straddled the bar it sits on, used 1300L contact adhesive, (UHU glue to those not in aviation) to stick it all back together again, then used duct tape where the plastic guard should have been, applied a coating of spray glue over the whole lot to help prevent the foam turning into dust like it does when it gets older, then refitted the whole lot again. It worked.
Alternatively, you can go to a scrappy and dismantle the opposite seat to the one that need repairing, cut of the bolster nearest to the centre console, (that part is always in good nick) and graft into the seat that needs doing. Again, glue, tape and a little imagination is needed. Very cheap repair that last's, and a very satisfying job. Takes an hour or two.

[Organisys]

Not as satisfying as buying a cheap set of Recaros (in cloth that matches the door cards and rear bench already in your car) and fitting them instead!! 

 

[DarnPB]

Sounds like more luck than judgement though.

[Thom89]

Has anyone priced up new foams, could be that theyre a resonable price....
Tom

[...joe]

new seat base foam is about £70-£75 from VW. not sure about the back rest section.