Replacement OEM Seat cover DIY for Seat bottom with pics

The OEM replacement cover comes complete with heated seat panel. The leatherette version cost about $260 at BavAuto. You will need to move 4 wire rods from the old cover.

The edge of the driver's seat bottom is a common wear point and also a look at the pulled out seat cover at the end of the job.



Steps:
1. Remove head rest and put aside.
2. Move seat to a high height position remove the 4 16 mm fasteners holding the seat. You will need to move the seat back and forth to gain access. I used this DIY to guide seat removal and switch disassembly:
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=657042 (I will use a few pics that I found esp helpful)

3. Move the seats forward, one last time before you disconnect the battery, then disconnect it. Remove 2 torque screws at the back of the seat. Remove 16 mm bolt for the seatbelt anchor.



4. Tilt the seat back, pry yellow slide with slot screwdriver and undo the main power to the seats.


5. Remove seat from car. Put a moving blanket over the door sill.

6. Cut zip tie holding the seat heater wire and undo the two harnesses. Pry a hold-down sleeve for the small one, and a wedge shaped lock to push the harness aside for the larger one.
Take a look at the new seat cover to get familiar with the wiring supplied and ignore this if you don't have heated seats.


7. There are 5 tabs of various sizes holding the control panel pry upward on all 5 at the same time (or use bits of cardboard to keep them from locking again)

Several tabs on the seat control panel:



1 under the curved section, 2 larger tabs as circled and 2 smaller tabs

You only need to pull the control panel away from the seat it is not necessary to disconnect.

8. Finally there is a base under the seat controls that is held to the seat by 4 torx screws. Remove these screws and pull this panel away.



9. Push away the U-shaped channel holding the seat cushion to the perimeter lip of the seat frame.



10. Once this is done all around the cushion, the back part will pull from under the seat back and the bottom cushion will pull out so you can do the hog ring removal at a bench.
Cut the hog rings and make sure all of these are thrown away - any traces of the metal can cut the new vinyl.
BMW requires you to recycle the wire rods. Push these through the sewn sleeve. You'll notice that there are no prepunched holes for the zip ties. I used my needle nosed pliers to poke a hole.



11. I positioned all my zipties into the foam cushion so I would be pulling outward.
Use needle nose pliers to cinch the wire rods into the cushion with the zipties. At the back there are 4 more holes in the cover that need to be ziptied. Work systematically so you don't cover up one of the zipties. Cut off excess as you work.
Near the back u-channel, there are 4 prepunched flaps that need to be ziptied to the cushion. I kept the hog ring as an anchor for 2. For the other 2 I pushed the ziptie through about an inch of foam to prevent pull through.

12. Pull the back flap under the seat back.
You then need to attach to the seat frame by folding the u-channel and reattaching the cover, all the way around the frame.

13. Reconnect electrical.
14. Screw base of panel back on and click tabs in place.
15. Put seat back. Reconnect main power and reattach belt anchor and 4 seat fasteners. Reconnect battery and test heated seats. Refasten seats.

The OEM replacement is worth the expense and effort. The vinyl is fresh and there is perfect color and grain match. Gives a factory look to the tear repair and also gives a new seat heating pad. Due to the battery disconnect , you get 3 ABS/ Brake lights that go away on driving. Note I did not do the seat back, only the bottom.

RealOEM.com pages for seat covers - gives a rough idea of cost

See seats group



http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...84&hg=52&fg=10

Originally Posted by xi_ter

The OEM replacement cover comes complete with heated seat panel. The leatherette version cost about $260 at BavAuto. You will need to move 4 wire rods from the old cover.

The edge of the driver's seat bottom is a common wear point and also a look at the pulled out seat cover at the end of the job.

hat go away on driving. Note I did not do the seat back, only the bottom.

nice write-up. You are correct that the OEM cover really is the best option. It fits, looks correct and should last a long time. I will need to replace mine in the near future as some stitching is coming apart. Hopefully the extended leg-zone won't be too much of a problem.

$800 for each replacement cover... damn! That is almost $1600 per seat.

wow!

3 SEAT COVER LEATHER LIGHTGELB 2 09/2001 52108267614 $739.35


4 Cover backrest, leather BROMBEER 2 52107048432 $739.35

Originally Posted by delmarco

$800 for each replacement cover... damn! That is almost $1600 per seat.

wow!

3 SEAT COVER LEATHER LIGHTGELB 2 09/2001 52108267614 $739.35


4 Cover backrest, leather BROMBEER 2 52107048432 $739.35

BMW Replacement Parts is not too kind to leather owners, even shift boots are nearly $100. There are a few sellers at eBay.de that pull off the seat covers as described in this DIY and sell all the leather covers for around $1000.
http://translate.google.com/translat...6r&sl=de&tl=en
My German is horrible so I use Google translate. Some sellers ship world wide.

http://www.leatherseats.com/3Series_leather_kit.asp

From Tischer BMW:
52108267614 List Price Core Price Your Price
SEAT COVER $603.00 $0.00 $482.40

52107048432 List Price Core Price Your Price
COVER-B.REST $658.00 $0.00 $526.40

Originally Posted by John in VA

From Tischer BMW:
52108267614 List Price Core Price Your Price
SEAT COVER $603.00 $0.00 $482.40

52107048432 List Price Core Price Your Price
COVER-B.REST $658.00 $0.00 $526.40

thanks.

After driving with the new covers a few days, it's pretty amazing how much the heated seat grid had degraded over time. The new bottom cushion now heats up very quickly and is more uniformly warm than the upper part that was not replaced.
There are good reasons that BMW incorporates the cover and the heating grid... if the vinyl is cracking, the heating grid is probably getting bad as well.

sorry to bump this old thread, but what description should i look for on realoem? i don't see leatherette as an option...

damnit. this makes me want to add another thing to my diy queue.

Originally Posted by carsos

damnit. this makes me want to add another thing to my diy queue.

right? doing this and replacing my busted seat cover is at the top of my list as soon as i get the right part number and can place the order.

Originally Posted by iansanderson

nice write-up. You are correct that the OEM cover really is the best option. It fits, looks correct and should last a long time. I will need to replace mine in the near future as some stitching is coming apart. Hopefully the extended leg-zone won't be too much of a problem.

if it's really just the stitching that's the problem, you can fix that easy. curved upholstery needles and some heavy duty thread, a couple bucks at a craft/fabric store.

Originally Posted by kap09

sorry to bump this old thread, but what description should i look for on realoem? i don't see leatherette as an option...

On realoem.com the leatherette is referred to as vinyl.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...84&hg=52&fg=10

Xi ter,

Missed checking up on this old thread...so looks like I'll be getting to this...

Do you happen to have an opinion or recollection about whether the seat covers for the bottoms in the front are symmetrical? I'm planning on just stealing the pass seat bottom with working heating grid to my seat.

Doug

^^ The seat bottoms are symmetrical. Your plan will work. ...Sorry last couple of weeks were busy.

I need to do this to my car, I have been looking for a whole seat with not much luck since it is a sport seat and tan with no power.

Power/ no power will have the same seat bottoms and backs. Will expand the possible sources.

Thanks for the thread. Going to do this soon.

It's only been a year, but the prices for these covers appears to be skyrocketing. ECS tuning has the same bottom cover for $359 right now and BMW of South Atlanta at $415. Supply shrinking & demand growing??
note: just bought the vinyl bottom at Tischer for $332. Ouch!