WAIT! Mark, do you have elec rear seats? (archive)

Some "iL's" do not have elec rear seats...but in the USA MOST do have elec/rears up to year 92. The instructions the other guys gave you (Hi Ram & Rod...that sounds sorta funny) (lol) are great for the NON electric rears...but the ELECTRIC rears are more involved. It can be done...and I encourage you to do it yourself...but I'll bet you'll be cursing & spitting by the time you get finished. It's a process in extreme patience and visual/physical acuity!

Here's the instructions for electric rear seat removal to access the battery:

1. Turn on the ignition, move the elec right rear seat all the way forward.
2. Pull away the velcroed leather flaps between the upper & lower seats.
3. Remove the plastic cover on the edge of the seat that's between the seat & the car's body...push it towards the seat, then move up and out the gap created between the upper & lower seats.
4. Use a 17mm socket and 6" to 9" extension to remove the bolt holding the seat belt receptacle down. (you can see the bolt through the opening created by removal of the plastic fill piece in procedure #3.) DO NOT remove the plastic on the lower seat where the switches are...its' not necessary.
5. Raise the front edge of the seat up to release the clip. (its in the center of the lower seat at the forward edge. Locate the clip and push the button in the center...pull up and disconnect the electrical connector.
6. Now, you can remove the lower section of the rear seat. Raise up on the front of the seat while pivoting the rear of the seat downward. You need to do this to remove the rear tongs that go up into the guides in the upper part of the rear seat.

TIP: Take some time to look at how the lower section sits on the rails on the floor underneath the cushion and how the tongs are inserted into the upper rear seat back. WHY? Because when you go to put the seat back together you're gonna curse the day the German engineer who designed this abominable contraption was ever born! It can be done...it just takes patience and concentration. I only know one person who did it in on his first try... it was someone on this board... lucky bastxxx (oops) 8-) My first time took about 45 min...subsequent tries became shorter. I think the quickest I got it back in was about 5 min. Again it takes concentration, timing, and patience.

UPDATE: last month I wanted to check the battery fluid level and reconnect the headrest into the switch in the upper back seat (long story...switch's guide is broken so it disconnects if headrest is manually pulled out of seat) I was able to put the seat bottom back in in less than a MINUTE! It happened so fast I didn't believe it...I had to double check! Oh YEAH BABY...who's da man! (LOL)

Good luck,
Q
91 735iL

Help!

My battery is dead and I can't figure out how to gain access. Do I need a special tool or is there something I need to tug.

Thanks,

Mark M.

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