cabriolad

Thanks everyone for all of your help in locating the AMG wheels i am looking for. I still have not found a set yet, but i'm on the hunt.

While reading through the manual of the E320 Cabrio last night, I noticed that the headrests are electric, operated from the door switch. This morning went out to the garage to see if they worked. Unfortunately, I had no luck with either. Does anyone have experience in solving this problem?

Saijin_Naib

Have the key turned so the whole electric system is on, or the car was started? You're going to have a ***** of a time getting anything to move with the keys out

cabriolad

Thanks for your reply....

I had the car started and i tried the switches again, still no luck. I put my ear to the seat and i could hear the servo humming. I heard it on both seats but still no movement on the headrests. So at least the seats are getting electricity supplied to them. They also move front and back and up/down fine.

Any idea as to whether this is an electrical issue or a problem with the tracking mechanism? Has anyone ever opened the seat and tried to replace the headrest post?

Saijin_Naib

I've never replaced it, but I have a similar issue in my coupe. The headrests will raise fine and proper but will not retract, I have to push them back down. You may have to replace the tracking mech, not sure if it's even worth it.

cabriolad

Any one else with any experience on the headrests? I'll call my dealer and see what the track mechanism might cost. Can't wait to here their answer.

docpaul

have the same issue with my pass. side

The repair is apparently simple- a cable that has come off a track.
Getting the seat back off to visualize the problem is a job for SuperMan.
(yes I did remove the screws on the bottom...)

Have tried several times myself also with the help of a skilled mechanic with no luck using very serious amounts of force with two strong people...

In the lowest position I have never used my functioning drivers side headrest adjustment and am 5'10. Although I hate anything on my cars to be broken I have decided to leave it alone.

cabriolad

Well thanks for your input Docpaul. I saw an exploded diagram of the seat and the two screws seem to be the only devices holding the back on. Perhaps they had also glued the back on??
Do you think the headrest might be caught on its track or are you pretty sure its a loose cable?
Anyone else with any info, it would be appreciated.

fred1948

My experience has been that the plastic track gets broken. New parts are less than $30 iirc. The seat back was difficult to remove especially the first time when I wasn't sure how it was held on. There are two screws at the bottom that have to be removed and some people say you can slide the panel down but that didn't work for me. I had to pry the panel out of the grooves on the sides. Once the panel is removed it will be easy to see what the problem is. I still have an extra seat in the garage that I could take some pictures of to show what it looks like with the panel removed.

cabriolad

That would be great Fred . It would really help me out alot to see some pics. of the guts of the seat. Can'y wait to see how MB technicians designed the interior of a seat. Probably more than just foam i bet.
Where would i actually pry the sides at? is there a channel that the hard back section fits into?
Much appreciated friend.........

fred1948

The channel is in the back panel and the side upholstery must be pried from the channel. The is a stiff piece of plastic attached to the upholstery that is in the channel.




This is the plastic rack that is mounted behind the metal brace:


and this is the other side of the plastic rack:

cabriolad

Hello Fred.

I've been working on small issues all day on the cabrio. Now for the headrests and seats.

For some reason the passenger side is stuck in the down position. For whatever reason the drivers side does slide up. Of course the owners manual says in no condition raise them manually. However, since they were not working anyhow i thought i'd move the drivers side up for a day trip of 450 miles. Hopefully i did not bungle things further. Besides,i'm going to have to try to remove them to get some sheepskin covers on.

The photos are a big help. Thank you. after removing the two bottom screws what needs to be pried out of the channel first? I would guess the stiff seat back.

Another post said the seat back was almost impossible to remove. Any tricks i should know about?

I'll check this week with the dealer and see if those geared rails are available before i go to far.

Again, thanks for the help.

fred1948

The channel is actually molded into the back panel. The side upholstry has to be pried out of the channel in the seat back in order to remove the panel. If you look closely at the first picture you should be able to see what I mean.

Also, you should be able to remove the headrest even with the broken mechanism. There is a spot on the back panel in line with one of the headrest posts that allows you to press against the release for the headrest. This spot is about a 1" diameter hole in the molded seat back that is covered with upholstry and has enough flexibility to press the release.

cabriolad

Gottcha....
I see....I thought the black channel was a seperate pc. that the side upholstery and the hard back (panel) fit into. My mistake.

So then if the black channel and back section are one pc. then i understand that the side fabric (with stiffener) needs to be pried from the back(channel). Once that is done and the two screws are removed, the hard back is free.

WHEW....... Thanks Fred, I really appreciate it. I'll try to get around to this project real soon.

Regards,
Scott