The Complete DIY for Twisted Seat Repair! - Page 5

Kevin The Clean 1 · 13th July 2011, 06:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentZERO

in for the vids

That would be great if someone created a video on this...

Kevin The Clean 1 · 13th July 2011, 07:57

The back of my seat & the vertical height adjustment seam to be fine. However, the forward motion (moving the drivers seat towards the steering wheel) seam to be off. The right side of my lumbar support is closer to the dash then the left side of my lumbar support.

In other words it seams that my right knee when driving is now closer to the dash then my left knee is. Do you fellas understand what I'm saying & can I fix this motor issue with this cable fix... ? I'm assuming not since this type of adjustment (simply moving the seat closer & farther to the dash) requires the seat to move a long the big steel rails the 2 front seat are attached to...

duhfool · 15th July 2011, 06:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin The Clean 1

The back of my seat & the vertical height adjustment seam to be fine. However, the forward motion (moving the drivers seat towards the steering wheel) seam to be off. The right side of my lumbar support is closer to the dash then the left side of my lumbar support.

In other words it seams that my right knee when driving is now closer to the dash then my left knee is. Do you fellas understand what I'm saying & can I fix this motor issue with this cable fix... ? I'm assuming not since this type of adjustment (simply moving the seat closer & farther to the dash) requires the seat to move a long the big steel rails the 2 front seat are attached to...

I never looked into the horizontal motion controls, since my issue was the height and recline adjustment, but if it's like the other motors, you could try to just unplug one of the cables and adjust it until looks straight to you.

Any idea on how it could have been out of alignment, outside of someone messing with it?

agentZERO · 16th August 2011, 03:26

still hoping that someone who has done this repair will record a DIY vid for posterity

sportmodeON · 24th August 2011, 21:07

Used Doc$'s method to repair my seat today. However, since I had good access to the drive cable in question, I was able to complete the repair without removing the seat. Heat gun proved very handy for this job. Thanks again for the DIY post.

Kevin The Clean 1 · 21st March 2012, 00:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by sportmodeON

Used Doc$'s method to repair my seat today. However, since I had good access to the drive cable in question, I was able to complete the repair without removing the seat. Heat gun proved very handy for this job. Thanks again for the DIY post.

How hard was it to do & how long did it take you?? Mine just broke today in the fully reclined position. Only the left side of the back seat raises forward & the right side of the seat does not. It's twists the back frame like a mofo... ;-(

Kevin The Clean 1 · 21st March 2012, 00:34

RealOEM.com * BMW E39 M5 BMW SPORTS SEAT FRAME ELECTRICAL

Would it make it easier to just purchase part #16... ?

jfoj · 21st March 2012, 00:40

My suggestion is remove the seat from the car, but be careful for airbag light issues when you take it out.

Once the seat is out, it is pretty easy to do. Heat up the cable end, pull it off, cut about 3/8" or 7/16" of the tube, heat and reinstall the end piece. Getting the seat back aligned is the tough part.

I recall I took a few male spade terminals on some jumper wires and used my jumper box so I could easily power the seat while I had it out of the car to make adjustments and check the alighnment?

Kevin The Clean 1 · 21st March 2012, 08:59

I'm going to begin the process now. Thanks for all the info here everyone...

edwzrm5 · 2nd April 2012, 03:59

Today I just fixed the passenger seat recline and rear height. Right side was frozen in both cases. The rear height was all the way down but fortunately I could raise the front height all the way. Removing the (4) torx bolts lets the seat tilt back for better access, and the (2) motors and cables are close to the front of the seat. I was able to leave the seat in the car with seat belt, power connector, and tensioner wire left intact. The right side problem case is easier with the seat in the car as the cables are much more accessable than those that drive the left side of the seat.

I used the "middle of the cable" sheath cut method (cut out approx. 0.5 in.) and used heatshrink tubing (3/8) to cover the cut and keep the sections joined. Many thanks to Doc$ and all those who provided details for this awesome thread.