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Oh Darn it. W210 Est Back Seat Release

flat6buster

flat6buster

Active Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2009
Messages
611
Location
Spain
Car
W222 S350, 911sc
Ooops. Sometimes I just know that trying DIY repairs is not worth the effort.
I had my seat back stuck after the seatbelt caught in the mechanism. Well yesterday I tried to break the seat apart to release it and was really pleased with myself when I a) released the seatbelt then b) finally persuaded the seat back to release itself from the catch.

Imagine my misery when I then broke the release lever. For the life of me I can't see how to get this handle part out of the seat to take to a stealership for a new one. Anyone broken their seat apart to replace this item?
 
You will need to take the cover off the seat, the handle is kept inplace with 2 or 3 screws. part number MA210 920 05 64 £18.20
 
Last edited:
No - taking the cover off looked too much like 'destroying the cover'.
 
it is easy to take the cover off, i will be taking mine off to put the arm rest back in at the week end, i will take same photos, on the passengers side seat it is held in place with 2 catches, it will be the one that goes from the handle to the arm rest side that will have come undone in side the seat.
 
I think the original cause was something [umbrella?] being caught by the bottom backrest when it was resecured after it was last dropped - something was forced in the mechanism in the attempts to reopen it. Any ideas appreciated as my 'loadcarrier' merc is rather restricted at the moment.

Although that said it has been a while now so I'm getting used to it!

Sean
 
You could try this, where the armrest is there is a plastic cover on the back of inside the armrest with 1 screw undo the screw, take the plastic cover off, there is a plastic cover covering the the hinge on the seat take that off it snaps on and off, you should now see the cable, pull the cable at the same time as pulling the handle on the other end.
 
I can't claim this one. It's lifted from the other side:


Background
*********
2001 E class estate.

n/side rear seat catch (the 2x seat one) broke. When I pulled the lever up nothing. WD40 failed to make any difference.

I guess that the procedure below would also work on the o/side catch too.

Procedure
*******
Remove all 3x headrests

Drop down o/side rear seat.

lift up the bottom part of the rear seat (as if in preparation for the seat back to fold down on to).

(V.carefully) prise up 4x plastic sleeve inserts that the headrests locate into. I used a large/long flat bladed screwdriver. If the inserts get damaged replacements are available from dealers

(V.carefully) prise up and remove the long plastic capping strip that covers the length of the top of the seat. This is held in place by catches moulded into the underside of the strip so go carefully when you're prising it up. You'll find access slots over a few of the clips to assist in releasing them. Remove the centre seat belt through the slot in the capping strip.

At the extreme edges of the seatback (the bit in the rear load space) there is a small channel into which is tucked the ends of both the carpet on the seatback and the leather edging of the seat covering. Discover this using a small flat bladed screwdriver and ease out the carpet and the leather (The leather is edged with stiff card/plastic which will need to be kept intact to ensure the leather can be refitted in the groove when it comes to reassembly - note how the plastic strip is folded back on itself to keep the tension in the fixing. You should only need to remove the leather from the groove along the top and side of the seatback.

Leaning on the seat to depress the wadding will take the tension away and helps in removing the leather from the groove. This is also a useful tip to remember when reassembling the seat.

Having freed the leather from the retaining groove you should now be able to peel the leather and foam away from the seat back and reveal the lock mechanism at the top right of the seat.

Observe how the mechanism works and what it connects to (or should do)
I had to replace the whole mechanism and it was a bit of a fiddle reconnecting the rod and the cable.

The lever activates 2 lock openers; 1 is a rod mechanism that opens the main lock over the wheel arch the other is a cable mechanism which releases a lock on the hinge at the other side of the seat (in the centre of the car)

Pushing the rod DOWN will release the main lock via another mechanism located lower down on the seatback. Pulling the cable will release the centre lock. When both locks have been released the seat will then go down - if you've got the loadspace cover/net 'roller-blind' assembly then remove this for now. Once down I covered the hasp on the wheel arch with an old rag to prevent the mechanisn relocking inadvertently - you may need to raise the seat back occasionally when mending the mechanism

Remove the lever mechanism by unscrewing the 3(could be 4) retaining screws.

I found that the cable can be easily released from the centre hinge lock by removing the plastic cover trim strip on the exposed vertical side of the seat. The cable is screwed into the mechanism and can be easily released (and reconnected) this will give extra length in the cable which will be needed when reconnecting the other end of the cable to the main, lever mechanism.

Replace/repair and reassemble the lever mechanism.

Re-attach lever mechanism to seat back. CHECK IT WORKS PROPERLY AND ADJUST IF NECESSARY!!!

Reattach cable to centre lock mechanism and replace plastic trim covering.

Carefully, using a small flat bladed screwdriver where necessary, re insert the seat leather edging strip into groove (leaning on the wadding will give slack to the leather and remove the tension)

Re insert carpet edging into groove on seatback .

Replace plactic trim on top of seat back - feeding centre belt through the access slot.

Re insert 4x head rest liner tubes making sure to insert the 2x locking ones correctly in the right-hand of each pair of holes and that all are correctly orientated to fit snugly on the capping strip.

Re insert all 3x headrest.

Re attach rear loadspace cover 'roller-blind' assembly if desired

Raise rear left seat to upright position and fold flat the horizontal section.

Raise right seat into upright position and fold flat horizontal section.

Raise arms in triumph and tell wife you ARE the greatest man that ever walked the planet. Insist on showing all your family, friends, neighbours passing strangers etc the miracle you have just performed.

Feel smug all day and drink lots of beer/wine that evening.

Best of luck - if you follow your nose you can't go far wrong. Let us all know how you get on.
 
Thank you

Just wanted to say a proper thank you to all of you who offered advice about my seat backs.

Got myself a new seat back catch assembly (thank you for the part number) and finally summoned up the courage to fit it this morning.

Detailed advice made the job easier and enabled me to avoid some mistakes I would inevitably have made if left to my own devices.

I cannot believe I had half the seat trim off, catch taken off, bits and pieces everywhere - and still managed to get it all back together! You'd barely know I'd touched it.

What's more I didn't "save" any parts. Usually when DIYing I manage to accidentally "save" a number of parts taken off when dismantling!

A really heartfelt thank you to surely the most helpful forum in the world. You've returned my car from being a non-estate pain in the a*** to being a machine that does exactly what it should.

I am now cleaning her because I am so chuffed everything on her works as it should again. This forum has restored the pride I had in my car and for that I, and my car, thank you.
 
My 2p

I only found this posting once I had fixed and compiled my pdf, but ill post any how, the more inf the better...

But there is a 100k limit for pdfs here, as it is mostly pics it comes to some 700K so if any one is interested PM me.

J

:wallbash:
 
Pdf

I know this thread is old, but I am having the same problem now hope that you can help me with that.
If anyone has a detailed description with photos it will be great
Thanks
 
Equally would like to say a massive thanks to all who posted here with advice to help mend my seats. In fact in my case, in the smaller seat, the lower end of the cable attaching to the lock between the seats had become unattached, meaning I couldn't get either seat down, but once I had the leather off, I simply screwed it back on, and now it works like new.

The tricky bit is really getting the plastic I sorts out that house the head rest supports. There is a catch about an inch down the tube that you have to lever inwards towards the centre of the tube, using a small screwdriver, whilst with another screw driver applying pressure upwards, so that when you pop the catch, the tube just lifts out.

Don't be frightened by peeling off the leather...gerting it back on is actually one of the easiest and most satisfying buts if the job!

Again, giant thanks to all....
 
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