Z3M seat restoration

[Sean d]

Thought I'd do a separate thread on the restoration and colour change of my Z3M seats, On first appearances they appear to be in great condition and generally are but there are some issues with the drivers seat that revealed themselves when I stripped it, the worst part is the foam inside the back rest bolster, its pretty shot and needs to be replaced, I plan on using the passenger side of the original seats that where in the car, I can cut the bolster foam out and glue it in place of the damaged one,
Also the base bolster had a split and needed a repair
The M seats have 3 times as many hog rings as the sport seats, bloody things are everywhere
Pics to follow

 

[Sean d]

All of the original sealer has now been stripped and the leather is porous, they will be getting a good dose of conditioning before being recoloured, the final colour will be black with light silver grey bolsters

 

[Davyhoogy]

Been looking forward to this... carry on

 

[Sean d]

Been looking forward to this... carry on

Gonna plug them in tomorrow to make sure the heat pads work, I have a new set just in case

 

[Mor61e]

That looks scary

Think I'd have to get some old ones to practice on before trying anything like that

 

[Sean d]

That looks scary

Think I'd have to get some old ones to practice on before trying anything like that

This was my practice
Before and after

 

[Mor61e]

This was my practice
Before and after
View attachment 87530
View attachment 87533

Now they look superb!

 

[Sean d]

Now they look superb!

Thanks, I was very nervous as it was the first time I had worked with leather and the seats where in bloody dreadful condition, they had a thick layer of cream paint on them that hid a myriad of problems

 

[Mor61e]

Thanks, I was very nervous as it was the first time I had worked with leather and the seats where in bloody dreadful condition, they had a thick layer of cream paint on them that hid a myriad of problems
View attachment 87537 View attachment 87538

But with them being in such a state to start off with it must have made it easier to get stuck in

 

[Sean d]

But with them being in such a state to start off with it must have made it easier to get stuck in

Yes I see your point as I had nothing to lose, other then the £300 that I paid for them , the M seats didn't cost much more

 

[Sean d]

Today I wanted to test the heater elements, firstly could not find the switch connectors, no body told me they was between the seats , sorted that and then went to switch the horn relay into the seat spot, none of the relays would fit, I am assuming the relay goes in the slot at the front right,
@Brian H @Faheem , could you guys or anyone else for that matter please confirm this, Just been looking on line it it appears that I need a salmon one ????

 

[mrscalex]

Gonna plug them in tomorrow to make sure the heat pads work, I have a new set just in case

Best to do a continuity check with a multimeter. Even better a resistance test. Just needs a £5-10 multimeter, setting the dial and probing.

If the circuit doesn't work you might need to do that to locate the exact spot anyway. Though it always tends to be on the thick joining sections.

 

[Sean d]

Best to do a continuity check with a multimeter. Even better a resistance test. Just needs a £5-10 multimeter, setting the dial and probing.

If the circuit doesn't work you might need to do that to locate the exact spot anyway. Though it always tends to be on the thick joining sections.

If they don't work I have new ones waiting, we have a multi meter at work, or should I say we did, can't find it anywhere

 

[Sean d]

Just been looking on line and it appears that the exhisting one at the front(whitish with 107) should fit, however there are also some with orange ones fitted

 

[mrscalex]

If they don't work I have new ones waiting, we have a multi meter at work, or should I say we did, can't find it anywhere

They are easy enough to repair if you are okay with soldering. But the factory elements are not the smartest of designs and are prone to issues.

For anyone thinking of repairing/replacing their own heated elements the difficult part is getting the covers off, especially the hog rings. Then putting new hog rings (or an alternative restraint clip) back on. That's for Sport seats. I'm guessing non-Sport seats are easier but I've never had one apart. It's all perfectly do-able but maybe not a newby's job unless you are confident.

I have to say fixing seats up is probably my favourite job on a Z3. It's pretty civilised compared with laying under a car and trying to free off a fixing that hasn't moved in 20 years!

 

[Faheem]

@Sean d As Rob says multimeter is definitely the way to go if testing off the car, but the relay should be this one

To test i just pulled the relay that sits to the left of it (and is the same colour) which I think is for the horn and fit it in its place. This was only done for a couple of minutes and proved the heated seats work.

 

[hard top]

Clever boy you are too @Faheem

 

[Mario]

Can't wait to see the finished article - top job Sean !

 

[Jack Ratt]

@Sean d what do you use to strip the old colouring from your seats ?

 

[mrscalex]

I think Sean uses something else. But the Furniture Clinic method is Acetone - nail polish remover.

Very effective. You only really need to remove the sealer. Not necessary to remove the colour too.