rondocap

There are many people who have experienced the broken plastic trim pieces on the bottom of the driver's seat on W220's. I have an S55 AMG, but they are all pretty much the same for the W220's.

I finally decided to get it fixed. There are actually a few different pieces there, so I took it apart myself before I knew exactly which parts I had to order.

Tools needed:

1 Ratchet, with a Torq 45 (T-45) connection
1 Regular sized Phillips screwdriver
1 Mini phillips screwdriver (This helped in tighter spots)

You can order the parts online from Mercedes, or at your local dealer. This is a diagram of how the seat is put together below:

For me, the part that was most broken was #10. The hinges had completely broken and it was loosely hanging. Part #3 was starting to break apart as well, but it was mostly cosmetic whereas the #10 was structural. The #13 door to the first-aid kit area had broken the little piece that connects it to the car and allows it to swing open, but instead of ordering that I just superglued the little piece back and it was as good as new.

I had to order #10 and #3, about $80 for both with shipping.




This is how mine looked before, in fact the #10 area looked even worse because it had completely come off recently. It was barely hanging on. (The part with the pulse feature)







OK, so here is how I did it:

1.) First, I put the seat very far forward, as that helps you get access. The first thing you want to do is pop up the little plastic piece that goes over the seat belt bolt area. That's #7 on the diagram above for reference. It is not screwed in, so it pops out, just becareful not to break it.

2.) After that's out, you have access to the seat belt bolt. Use the ratchet and T-45 to get it out. It was very easy to do it with the ratchet - although some people have complained it is on very tight.

After the bolt is out, there is one screw that you have to undo with the phillips screwdriver. It's located in the back of #3. I went in the back seat to do this, move the front seat around a bit so you can see it easier. After that screw is out, #3 plastic piece pops out - just once again be careful not to crack anything. It's in there pretty good, so you have to wiggle it out carefully.

3.) With #3 out of the way, you have access to #10, which is where the pulse feature is. Mine was really broken up, but there are 3 phillips screws in total that you need to remove. The first is on the side, the part that was being covered by #3. The other 2 are a bit trickier, you need to remove the first aid box (it pops out as it is on some little hooks) to get to one of them, and to the to the last you need to unscrew it from the bottom, it's near the front part of #10 close to where the black pulse control is.

When removing #10, be careful as the pulse control unit is attached. You can unplug the wire from the back, just pull a little bit. It comes right out.

4.) Now, just replace all of the broken pieces (It may be different for everyone). Make sure to screw it back in the same way you took it all out. The #3 goes back in fairly easy, just make sure to pop it back in place and line it up with the bolt from the seat belt.

All in all, it's not a difficult DIY at all. Just takes a little bit of time, but it looks much better when it isn't cracked it!

rondocap

Oh, here's a question for everyone too:

For some reason I find the little first aid box door hard to open sometimes, the passenger's seat is fine, but on the drivers seat it seems like it is much closer to the bottom of the seat. Has anyone experienced this? Obviously if I am not sitting, it is a bit easier, but still a bit inside - is this normal?

Tmarros

Where did you order the parts from?

rondocap

http://www.parts.com and go to Mercedes S class, and the seat area.

Tmarros

Thank you. I did a little research on my own and found this website. Mbpartsexpress.com and it's pretty much the same layout. Now my only question is when you order, do you get the left front or the right front seat for the driver's seat? I'm assuming the left?

rondocap

Yeah, that website seems good as well - I ordered from parts.com and it came directly from a Mercedes dealership, price was good.

The driver side is always the left side. Look at the diagrams that they have of the seat also to make sure you get the right part - they are numbered and thus you can match them up and see which are broken.

Also, make sure when you install the new part that it matches up perfectly and everything is tight - my seat cover broken again a few months ago because I had not pushed it in all of the way. Now I replaced it and it's in there good!

Arnee

I get mine here:

http://www.primepartssuperstore.com/...layCatalogid=0

$38.50 for part #3.

Tmarros

These prices are lower than i thought they would be. Looks like a quick fix. Can't wait for it to come in the mail

Arnee

yep. I'll be ordering again from Prime Parts. My passenger side is cracked this time.

mcssci

Excellent post. I would add that part 12 has two plastic hooks that engage 10 and 11 and if you lift 12 up to get it out it breaks them. You can't lift 10 up because of the screw hidden by 12. Not sure what to do about that.

Twins05

It seems that I have to order all these Plastic peaces because they break apart . What I need is # 11 and # 10 , now after I reed the comments , maybe I need to buy # 12 and to be sure # 3 as well . Is there possible that these peaces can not be broken ?

billx123

Having had problems with my torque converter I searched many dealers for a price to facilitate the repair.
I finally found EXPRESS GEARBOXES DUNDAS POINT PORTSMOUTH.
They repaired the car by installing a new torque converter and soleinoid valve at very reasonable cost.
This was all done in a period of five hours no fuss no hassle with a helpful staff who were highly skilled.
I HAVE NO HESITATION IN RECOMMENDING THIS COMPANY FOR A FIRST CLASS JOB IN RECORD TIME.

Twins05

Can someone tell me , How to take out # 12 , without to brake it ?

s132008

Hi there, thanks for your information telling how to remove the covers. I was trying to repair the L-shape piece (#3). I however couldn’t detach the L-shape piece after removing the small cover and the seat belt bolt. I had removed the screw at the back but seems there was still something not loosen up. Do you have the similar experience before? Should I just pull it out strongly? Many thanks.

Tony

Steve J

Hi guys I am a "Victim" of the cracked skirts around both front seats.
Thanks much for the information to all those contributors.
Steve J

Steve J

Thanks Sir for taking the time, is it just reflective pretty much for both sides of the seat regarding its dissasembly. Steve

314mercedes

The newer w220 seats are designed different, because of this breakage... if you can find a wrecked 04-06 S500 with your seat color get it..

Skylaw

My '00 had this problem - and aside from bad design, I found I was a contributor to the problem. While cleaning the car, I knelt on the side of the seat cushion - and broke the brand new ones I had just installed (because a prior owner had apparently done the same thing).

314mercedes

so skylaw, hows the 05 seat holding up?...any breakage problems?

Skylaw

The '05 seat has never broken - but then, I am still a bit careful when kneeling on the side of the seat (which usually happens while I am vacuuming the floor). Still, its design is different and it holds up better.

314mercedes

ok...thanks, i think it'll be safe for me to try to implement me a driver side 05' java colored seat....i'm a big boy(386lbs.)6'4'' and the front of mines was already broken when i purchased car so i have it taped on now, and was gonna buy the 2 new parts.. but everyone on here is saying there's are broken.. anyone has a java colored 05 driverside seat for sale?

bmerri71566

Resurrecting an old thread.

I have checked all of the online shops listed and none of them seem to have any interior parts especially the seat trim. Anyone have suggestions?

Thanks in advance

kraut56

MB dealer - not an expensive part.

They will get you the correct colour match.

bmerri71566

Ok thanks.

mbenzagain

I need #3 in the diagram above, in gray. A new one on ebay is going for around $80 but not in my color. Otherwise, my local dealer quoted me msrp of $65. This morning, I decided to try calling an out of state dealer just in case they are not as greedy as my local dealer. I called MB of Eugene (Oregon) and got a great price of $42.50. I also got the specific part# for my color based on my VIN. Then, while on hold, I found a site thru google and found www.mymercedesparts.com and tried the newfound part# and voila, I got a hit at $31.75. So I ended up calling them to verify the part and ordering it online. It turns out they are MB of South Atlanta. I hope that I will end up with the correct part.

Anyway, its worth giving them a try. Most sites don't even list Seats in the categories available. Good luck.