Stuck seat release W203 estate

[Privatedoc]

Hi folks...decided to do a full tart-up of my W203 estate because I love it and think there is many more a year in the old girl yet

The rear seat backrest mechanism (drivers side) seems to have stopped working though and no amount of pulling up on the lever will unlock it, even though the red tell-tale button is up.

Am I missing something , is it a cable operated lock and the cable has snapped ? ....how can I gain access to it to check?......it currently means neither seat back can fold flat as the roller blind mechanism attatched to the other seat back ...the 2/3 bit stops it from folding.

I reckon I'm just being stupid but if anyone else out there has had similar problems, I'd love to know how to solve it.

Thanks in advance

 

[Privatedoc]

anybody?

 

[Privatedoc]

still stuck and haynes manual seems to miss that bit out! doh...any ideas????

 

[Stratman]

The bits you are interested in are 41, the lock, and 45, the cover. Unfortunately I can't help with a diagnosis.

 

[Privatedoc]

Thanks stratman. I'll have a look at removing the cover and getting to the screw no 42 tomorrow....too dark and cold now in the wilds of Ayrshire!

 

[Privatedoc]

Sorry to raise this again but still stuck...think a cable has snapped or slipped etc, need to strip the whole seat down to get into it...anyone got any tips etc?

 

[Rayny]

When I had this problem I released and attempted to move the seats several times - each time I released them and they would not fold down I just gave them a slightly harder push back to lock them into place again. Eventually, after about 9 attempts, they just folded down as normal.

Luck or pigheadedness on my part ?

 

[antpurley]

I have a w202 estate and recently fixed the same problem.
To get to the mechanism I did the following.
1.Remove all head rests.
2.Headrest sleeve inserts must be removed but be careful as about one inch down on each is a little plastic lug that should be bent in or the whole thing may snap.
3.Remove plastic cover on top of seats,it clips on by the handle.
4.The fabric at top of seat has the edge tucked into the seat at the top and should be pulled towards the rear of the car.There is a piece of card all round the edge which helps put the seat cover back together.
5.Pull away foam and cloth to reveal mechanism.
6.The catch pulls a lock at the bottom of the seat operated by a cable and a large spring lock near the top that is operated by a thick coat hanger sized wire.
7.See where the problem is by trying the handle.Mine had broken clean off and was no longer operating anything.I bought a second hand one of ebay and it took 10 minutes to replace and attach everything.
Hope this helps.

 

[Mike Wood]

I have same problem with W203 Estate - but it has leather seats.
I contacted local Merc dealer (Inchcape) - They have full documented procedure for my car, quoting 1.5 hrs to fix first seat back, and 3.1 maximum for both if needed.

So far I tried to fix myself but even after reading all the forums no luck with a working W203 solution. 1/3 seat back is well & truly stuck.

Should be fixed on Tuesday !!!!

 

[Mike Wood]

OK, so its Tuesday. The seat is fixed by the main dealer. 1.5 hours work and £45 for new lock mechanism - all plus VAT of course.
They had to break a piece of trim to gain access - but that will only cost me extra £4.56.

The lock was seized and had to be replaced. So I checked the other seat and squirted in some lubricant and during testing it is now stuck!!! Fortunately I had removed the load cover so hope its easier to fix the second lock with that off.

 

[Mike Wood]

Solution

:bannana:
OK, so its Tuesday. The seat is fixed by the main dealer. 1.5 hours work and £45 for new lock mechanism - all plus VAT of course.
They had to break a piece of trim to gain access - but that will only cost me extra £4.56.

The lock was seized and had to be replaced. So I checked the other seat and squirted in some lubricant and during testing it is now stuck!!! Fortunately I had removed the load cover so hope its easier to fix the second lock with that off.

OK, so they had said that it was seized.... I decided to strip down the nearside lock myself - should be easier than with the load cover in place.
Steps:
1. remove rear side seat squab. 10mm nut at base then unclip middle and top.
This gives access to the side of the seat
2. carefully unclip the trim cover at top of seat around lock handle. Start at the rear and carefully remove going forwards. There are 2 little clips to be released.
This exposes the seat cover fixings.
3. Unclip seat covers. work around the lock handle. The side cover is harder because the seat back is still in place but there is enough room to work down past the lock
4. Remove headrest and remove the two guides. There is a latch to be pressed part way down. Shine a torch down the tube to see where it is.
5. Peal back the covers and cushion to expose the lock
6. Undo the 2 T40 bolts and the lock will come away from the seat back.
7. The inner plastic cover easily prises off to expose the primary latch mechanism which can be tripped to release the lock from the latch.
8. lower latch is a cable which can be slid out of the boy then disconnected from the lock.
My problem was the rod to undo the primary latch was bent and didnt quite operate the release. I straitened it a little and it now works.
Put back in reverse order. Best connect the cable end for the lower latch before doing up the 2 T40s....
Couple of hours work - === happy bunny.
Hope this helps another person in future.