Removing rear seats skoda superb estate

[Duggie12]

Hi all

I fairly regularly carry a boat and an out board engine in my skoda with the back seats down. The weight pressing on the seat is damaging the leather. I'd rather remove then when I'm carrying heavy loads.

Does anyone know if it's a simple enough job and how long it takes? And how you actually do it?

I know how to remove the bit you sit on. It's the back rest part I'd also like to remove.

Thanks in advance

Douglas

[psycholist]

You'll need a 12 point triple square driver to remove the bolts holding the seat and seat belts to the floor of the car. It's a very easy job. The side bolsters come out with another bolt at the bottom of each bolster too. Be warned that the seat backs are surprisingly heavy, so lifting them out takes some strength. If you consider the forces the middle seat belt will apply to the wider part of the seat back in a crash the weight is probably justified... 

[Duggie12]

Thanks very much for the tip :-)

[williamshatnerspants]

I'm impressed, a boat inside! ;o))

[terrytowelling]

sheet of plywood?

[Duggie12]

Yeah it's a folding rib that just squeezes in

Sheet of plywood would really change anything I don't think as the issue is the weight of the boat resting on the rear seat backrests and damaging them.

[chimaera]

Yeah it's a folding rib that just squeezes in

Sheet of plywood would really change anything I don't think as the issue is the weight of the boat resting on the rear seat backrests and damaging them.

The plywood would spread out the load a bit and reduce some of the pressure on the seats. If you remove the seat backs, you're going to need to put in some sort of platform in any case to give you an even load floor.

[Duggie12]

Cheers chimaera

The boat floor essentially spreads the weight

The issue is the seats being pushed downwards against the car floor/seatbelt parts etc

I don't really need it to be level,so if I can whip the seats out easily enouhgh that should do the trick nicely :-)

[williamshatnerspants]

I think a member with an Octavia removed his, so this might be of some help...

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/118533-removing-back-seat/

[Duggie12]

Just getting around to this and must admit I'm struggling! 

I can only see one bolt. Photo attached. Is this the one that needs to come off? 

 

Thanks in advance ! 

 

Douglas 

 

 

[chimaera]

Yes, that's the one you need to remove. It's either T45 or XZN M8 (I can't remember off-hand). Once you remove the bolt and the little bracket over it, life that end of the seat back so it's clear of the other one and wiggle it free of the pin at the door side to remove it. The pin is about 40-50 mm long so it's a bit of a faff (the seat backs are heavy).

[Duggie12]

Cheers chimaera 

 

Got that bit done!

 

You also need to remove a bolt which attaches the center seat belt to remove the bigger seat don't you? 

If that's the case I'll need to nip to screw fix as the bolt head is a big 12 point thing and I don't have the correct bit. 

 

Thanks! 

[chimaera]

If you're completely removing it, then yes. Otherwise there's enough slack on the belt to slide it of your way if you're just trying to remove trim pieces.

[Duggie12]

Yeah taking  the whole seat out. Just need to source the screwdriver bit for the bolt - it seems an unusual size.  Perhaps a friendly car garage will loosen it for me :-) 

 

Thanks 

[chimaera]

It's an XZN head. Buy this set and never worry about these sort of problems again: http://www.drapertools.com/product/33323/Tx-Star-Hexagon-and-Spline-Mechanic-s-Bit-Set-(40-Piece)

[Duggie12]

Thanks

Chimera 

 

I wish I had bought the bits myself !I took it the garage down the road who said they were happy to loosen the bolt for me. Expect the mechanic ha's gone and totally stripped the little teeth from the inside of the bolt head.  He was apologetic and said they were not really designed to come out?!

Anyone any ideas as to how I could get this bolt out now? The mechanic said blow torch it and try vice grips on it. Would soaking it in wd40 do any good? It did seem very stiff when he was trying to loosen it- he said that was due to 'loctite'.

I was thinking of using an angle ginder to cut the bracket off. That would at least free the seatbelt/seat just now and it would just leave me with the problem of removing the bolt. I can always get a new seatbelt bracket from a breakers

Thanks 

[chimaera]

I'd be avoiding that mechanic for ever more - that's unacceptable for a professional IMO.

 

Depending on access, something like a Stilson wrench is probably your best bet to get it out of there. Just be sure to have a replacement ready to drop in there. You'll need to get the bolt from Skoda, especially when it's a safety related item.

[SuperbTWM]

 

2 hours ago, Duggie12 said:

Thanks

Chimera 

 

I wish I had bought the bits myself !I took it the garage down the road who said they were happy to loosen the bolt for me. Expect the mechanic ha's gone and totally stripped the little teeth from the inside of the bolt head.  He was apologetic and said they were not really designed to come out?!

Anyone any ideas as to how I could get this bolt out now? The mechanic said blow torch it and try vice grips on it. Would soaking it in wd40 do any good? It did seem very stiff when he was trying to loosen it- he said that was due to 'loctite'.

I was thinking of using an angle ginder to cut the bracket off. That would at least free the seatbelt/seat just now and it would just leave me with the problem of removing the bolt. I can always get a new seatbelt bracket from a breakers

Thanks 

That will be a pain to get out but you will need an arsenal of tools if you want to succeed.

 

I would start with a small pair of stilsons as above or a pair of mole grips but due to the tightness of that fastener I doubt this will work, a hammer and chisel might have more chance of getting it to turn. Welding a nut to the top of it may work and the heat you put into it may help crack it loose and loosen any loctite that may or may not be on it. Might have to be aware that too much heat may damage the integrity of the seatbelt

 

Then your next bet is to remove the head by grinding it off, you could drill it but those bolts are usually hard so you would need carbide/cintride drills and lots of patience if you wanted to do that. Then of course you have to try and get the stud out which due to the thickness of the bracket means you won't have much to try and hold onto so your back to trying to use a hammer and a punch to get it to turn or trying to weld something onto it.

 

 

[Duggie12]

Thanks guys will give this a shot 

Superb when you say a hammer and chisel, is that when you cut a small notch in the head of the bolt, then put the chisel in the notch and hammer it to try and turn it?

Thanks 

[SuperbTWM]

On 24/04/2017 at 21:47, Duggie12 said:

Thanks guys will give this a shot 

Superb when you say a hammer and chisel, is that when you cut a small notch in the head of the bolt, then put the chisel in the notch and hammer it to try and turn it?

Thanks 

 

No, you wouldn't be able to get enough torque on it I don't think. You could try this and then use a flat blade bit in one of those striking style impact drivers.

 

What I was meaning originally is that You are basically wanting to knock the read round in an anti clockwise direction using the chisel to bite into the head of a bolt.

 

skip to about 1:00 in this video, this is basically the same principal.

 

 

Edited 25 April, 2017 by SuperbTWM

[psycholist]

On 4/21/2017 at 21:16, chimaera said:

It's an XZN head. Buy this set and never worry about these sort of problems again: http://www.drapertools.com/product/33323/Tx-Star-Hexagon-and-Spline-Mechanic-s-Bit-Set-(40-Piece)

 

Not quite - you'll need a 12 point one or two sizes bigger than this set goes to if you ever have to change the rear disks.

 

I'd have a go with the correct 12 point bit before trying the more extreme solutions. I suspect the mechanic stuck a torx into the bolt as the teeth aren't completely removed (The bolt would have just come out if the right tool was used). If this doesn't work I'd see about finding an allen key/Torx a size bigger than the bolt and hammering that into the head to undo it. Then see about vicegrips or a stilson, then try dremeling a slot into the bolt head and use a steel plate as a screwdriver. The other end of that bolt is accessed from underneath the car too, though I have no idea whether you need to take the fuel tank out to have room to work on it... 

Edited 26 April, 2017 by psycholist