Page created: 10-Nov-06

Re-published: 1-Nov-09

RELATED LINKS

Installation Instructions

The foam cushion on my drivers’ seat has slowly been deteriorating over the last couple of years. The bolster on the outside edge, which takes all of the wear whilst getting in and out of the vehicle, was almost non-existent and I found myself constantly sliding into the door lining when cornering.

I’d resigned myself to having to buy a new seat, as I reasoned that any matching second-hand seat was likely to be just as bad, but then discovered that Exmoor Trim were selling replacement seat cushions. Not desperately cheap at £52.00 plus P+P, but a lot cheaper than a complete seat so I placed my order.

The new foam is made up of a number of components in several different materials that are bonded together to form the required shape. This is in contrast to the original, which is moulded in one piece - a process that I guess is only suited to large production runs.

The foam comes with a reasonably comprehensive set of fitting instructions. I did check with Exmoor Trim whether it was worth taking the seat out first, but they assured me it wasn’t worth the effort and they were right. In the end, it only took about half an hour to do.

The first step is to release the three push-in plastic trim fasteners along the underside of the backrest. It helps to tilt the backrest forward for this.

With the backrest cover lifted up, the long black plastic retaining clip for the rear of the seat base cover can be pulled off the metal frame to which it’s attached.

Next, release the black plastic retaining clips beneath the front, both sides and the front corners of the seat base. These are all of a similar design and hook over a retaining bar that runs around the perimeter of the seat base frame.

With all of these clips released, the seat foam and cover can be lifted up away from the frame.

Finally, fold back the large flat plastic retainers and slide them through the slots in the foam to separate it from the cover. In practice, this is a lot easier to do than describe in words!

Fitting the new foam is essentially a reversal of the above the procedure except that the firmness of the new foam makes the cover a much tighter fit. This, together with the fact that there isn’t a lot of space under the seat, makes it much harder to re-fit the retaining clips and I ended up making a small tool from some bent coat hanger wire to pull the last one into place.

With all the clips back in place, the seat base cover is more taught and the shape more clearly defined. In use, it’s much more supportive and has made a world of difference to the driving position. I’m very pleased with the result.