I got it done on a 2003 525i BMW sedan, thanks to this video. Be sure the seat is in a good position, not twisted, before you remove the cables. Secondly, leave the key out of the ignition once you start removing the seat, so the airbag light doesn't come on. I didn't do that, but fortunately a friendly BMW repair shop reset the Air Bag light for us for free.
Incredible! All I did was to move the car seat all the way back. Then I leaned the seat to the point where it was straight. I then wiggled the cable shown in this video (I did not removed anything at all). Finally I tried once more to bring the seat back to position and it worked! I had been driving with a twisted seat for a couple of months, this video saved the day for me. THANK YOU kindly! Took me two minutes literally.
One quick tip for the cable adjustment. I did not have a socket small enough for the cable end, and twisting them by hand was too tedious for my seat, so I took a small plastic wall anchor and placed it on the cable head. Then used the smallest socket I had on the anchor to be able to turn the cable and adjust the seat.I can't thank you enough for the best videos on this issue. If I am in LA, I owe you dinner. Thanks.
Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this. Man I just finished this job on my 03 530i and it went just like you showed it. The 8mm bolts are the hardest part by far, also it helps to remove both side plastic seat lower trim covers. My passenger seat was twisting bad. Not anymore my friend. I prolly watched your video 10 times. Thanks so much again
Good job with the instructional video. Clear and concise, as always. This "twisted seat" problem is my next tasking with the passenger seat on my '02 530i M-Sport. I had the driver seat done, locally here in the Los Angeles area about 5 years ago and still going strong, no issues. I will tackle this myself. Thanks again on a job well done!
For some strange chance I just stumbled across your video. This exact same situation started today and I wasn't even thinking about it. I was actually looking for a video on how to remove a power seat from a 2002 Dodge Dakota and couldn't find it. After looking through Dodge Videos I saw on the side contents of next videos available you BMW seat twist repair. Wow, That's just too coincidental but screw it, It must be for a reason so I watched and memorized all that I could about it and will tackle this job over the coming weekend when I have the time and less stress so I "do" have the patience to do this. You did a really good video and simple explanation without dragging it out. I thank you in advance for taking the time to do this for all of us out there who don't want to get sucked in by many dealerships and mechanics who just screw it up and end up charging extreme prices. If anyone has a brain, some mechanical skill and of course, "Patience" then they should be able to tackle this and feel good about achieving success. This actually looks a little easier than trying to get a drivers seat out of this damned truck and fixing the rocking/slide motion that happens from wear and tear. Dodge forum helped out there and got me a 4 page PDF on that job. Been out getting destroyed by mosquitos here in Florida trying to tackle it and trying to blow at mosquitos while trying to turn wrenches outside is way too hard to have any patience with so I'm calling it a night and will continue that repair tomorrow am before the hot sun beats down and the bugs come out too. Then I'll attempt that BMW seat repair. And yes, all of this gets done outside and that sucks.lol Thanks again. Thumbs up for a great tutorial.
You are a life saver! Well, maybe a $2k saver. Thanks for the great video. I just completed my sons 2003 530i passenger seat. It was twisted something terrible and your step by step process made it so easy. I think I had less than $60. in the extra tools I bought. While this model and year was slightly different than the car you were working on, it was easy enough. Actually, this model was easier. Everything was as you said it would be. You rock!
Thanks mate! Here in Japan, the dealers are charging from $700~$1100 for this repair. After this video, I think I going to tackle it myself! Thank you for the step by step video and the description of the tools!
It went fantastically albeit the few curse words and sore hands. The process took about 6hours. I used a heat-shrink tube instead of tape to hold the metal housing over the cable wire. All in all, the seat works like new and I saved about $1100 in specialists repairs. Thanks mate;)
Hey man i just finish just started to bolt the seats down had a little trouble with the safety wire under the seat but got it done. Thanks so much bro you saved me soooo much money. I will be seeing your next video on driver seat in the next hour. Thanks much appreciated
Thanks so much for the video. Very concise and direct. I like that you're not too proud to suggest areas where you figured out a better method along the way (removal of control panel) for access to the bolts that hold in the motors. Keep up the great work! :)
Hi friend. Congratulations, you have the best bmw seat videos, helped me a lot. Just one tip: before remove seats place them at highest position, will be easier to remove seat belt screw.
Thanks.. I'm glad my video is appreciated. Well, my seats would not go up. Both of the wires were bad. But thanks for the advice. Im sure It'll be helpful for some people..
great video thanks worked great for me. i did NOT take the motors out though i just did one side at a time and in total to do the passenger seat it took me about 1.5 hours. also use 1/4 ratchet set for taking those bolts out and wasn't difficult.
Great video , thanks i just fixed mine 530i passenger seat yesterday took me exactly 2 hours it works like a charmer thanks again saved me pocket full dollars great help again cheers mate 👍👍👍
Glad to hear that. It sounds like u have the same type of seats I have. There are few different types of seats, some easy and with plenty of space to work with. But this ones are by far the hardest. Good job and thanks for the support.
I used an open-ended 8 wrench (included with the car) to loosen/tight the motor screws. The access angle for some of them is so tiny that the only way to do is to alternate wrench sides thanks to 15 degree head angle.
Hi Bro thanks for the video. I been watching this video and over i just started my passenger seat so i will be watching throughout the day. Thanks ill watch your second part after i fix the passenger
BMW E39 Seat Twist Repair: Thanks for the very informative video. I am in Sydney, Aus and have now successfully completed the driver’s seat on my 2003 535i M Sport. It took me somewhat longer than indicated but I was being particularly careful but still managed to drop the bolts holding the electric motors into the internals of the seat a couple of times! My seat twisted at 10 years of age (125,000kms) - and I suspect because it has recently been banished to a life outside in the heat of a Sydney summer … (My wife has purchased a new Lexus RX 450h so you guess which car now resides in the remaining garage!) I have listed a few pointers based on my experience which may assist others contemplating the task: Before starting the job raise the seat to the maximum (this will give you more room to work when the seat is removed) and lower the head rest (making it easier to remove the seat from the vehicle). Take off both sets of covers over the seat rails (both front and back) when removing the bolts holding the seat in place to the floor. I could not have completed the job without a 8mm European ring spanner (the kind with the inbuilt ratchet), a mini / small ¼ inch drive 8mm socket and the T50 and T35 sockets from a TORX set. Rather than using a propane gas gun I used an electric heat gun for removing linoleum tiles - it worked a treat and I suspect that a ladies hair drier may have done the job also. It is a neat trick to place some plastic insulation tape over the bolt head prior to placing the ring spanner or socket over the bolt - this holds the bolt firmly and resists the tendency for the bolt to fall out and get lost in the seat whilst delicately replacing the bolts. I was presented with a slightly different set-up to that portrayed - my end of model E39 had electric motors with the spline for cables at either end (rather than side by side); and two motors adjacent to each other and secured by the same plate at either end which meant having to deal with x4 difficult bolts at either end of the electric motors. Needless to say, I trimmed all four cables rather than risking the other cables failing later. In re-assembling, take care with the electrics - as I inserted and clipped shut the cable connection. All seemed well until I attempted to test the seat and nothing worked - but I had already turned on the ignition! I turned everything off and checked the connections and re-seated the connector and it all worked as it should - but the air-bag warning light is now showing… Needless to say, the job worked well and I now have seats working ‘as new’ and replenished with ‘Hide Food’ whilst easily accessible. This is all very pleasing and satisfying and I have avoided a major cost with the BMW dealer. I have used this dealer for service for many years and have a good relationship with them. They were pleased to learn of my success and have kindly agreed to reset the air-bag warning light at no cost.
Your welcome. Glad to hear you were able to successfully accomplish this task. Thanks for the tips. I tried to cover the most pointer that I could, but thanks for pointing out few that I miss. Unfortunately my seats would not go up, therefore it made my process a bit more complicated.
Thanks for the awesome video. Instead of going through the hassle of removing the motor, could I just cut out a small section the outer sleeves in the middle?
apt220 Yes you can. How ever, I will not recommend you doing that. Once you slice the rubber and trim the piece, you have to figure out how to put bond the rubber back together. If they would make crimps that would be awesome.
Thanks pal. I appreciate that complement. Ok. once u remove the cable you will see if the cable needs any trimming or not. when removed, the cable will be almost buried in the rubber. If that's the case cut 1/2 inch. If the cable looks like is has some feed on the rubber, then just cut off 1/4. The total length that it should have is about 1/2. If you cut too much rubber, the metal tip on the cable will not fit on the motor bracket because the cable will the pushing it back.
Greetings 50cal - I'm about to make this repair, but my seats are so twisted - i need some advice on how to be sure to "straighten the seat before removal" Do they move freely after i disconnect the pwr supply?. What am i missing? thanks, jeff
50cal, thanks for the video. I was looking from the rear of the passenger seat and I noticed that there were two bolts that looked like if I took them off, I could lift the seat from the back and expose the whole bottom (without having to unscrew any other bolts). I can send a picture, but I don't know how to send it through my comment. Do you know what I am talking about? In short, is there an easier way to work on the cable without having to remove the seat from the car. Thanks again.
Awesome. Thank you! I heard you say that there is a piece I don't want to break? Because it is 1300? That is kind of scary. When I am twisting it. I am just twisting the cable on the inside right? And what piece were you talking about
Your welcome. The piece I was referring to is at the other end of that cable. To be exact is a small gear that worn out because he recline the seat to far back from one side only. Use the leather as a reference. U will see wrinkles when not well align.
Hey bro so i started to take the passenger seat apart and came to the cables that i need to cut but what about the piece that broke off in the first place. Do i keep in inside the motor or do i have to pull it out. i tried pulling it out just can't seem to get in their
Not a mechanic but tried this repair and got it done after much effort. After putting everything back together I tested it, it worked, initially. Then I looked down on the carpet, the cable was laying on the floor it had detached from origin. The cable had dislodged from the motor but not where it was repaired(?). When I striped it the cable must have dislodged from the origin, motor don't know what else to call it. I don't know how to insure the cable catches again. Pain in the a$$. Any suggestions on how to get the cable to catch again? Do I have to replace the whole cable motor and cable?
Awesome video, thanks. Will do this soon. One question. My seat is twisted but it moves (twisted as a whole). Correct? Now when I'm in there do you think I should do just the defective side or all of em? Which motor is for the recliner? My seat is fine just the r side of the recliner is fucked
De nada... Yes I have. Once. They attempted to fix the seat, they removed 2 bolts and left it like that, they kept moving the seat and ended up bending the frame. Was a bit difficult but I managed to fix it.
Has a preventive maintenance. The other seat went bad from both motors, so is just a matter of time till the other motor went bad. And since I had everything broken apart, mindless well get it done since I had everything in hand.
Hello I need your opinion my seat works fine except for the back part on seat it will not rise or lower .front part is fine it lowers and rises. Could it be a cabel or something else ??? Thx
That's how my seat started. Is just a matter of time till it goes bad and it stops lifting. Next your going to wonder if you should just fix that one cable or all of them. My advice will be to do all the cables at once. They also will go bad at some point. So why not get ahead of the problem.
Well, there's few things you have to consider. By doing it the way you did will bring you issues in the future. Now you run the risk of the cable coming loose and out of place because you cut the rubber in half and is no longer one solid insulated rubber. Another is that not all seats are the same. Mine was clutter and even if it did go up it would have been impossible to do what you did. On mines only one side went up. But I'm glad it did work for you. No more twisted seat for you..
Hey 50cal, I was going to adjust my seat but it actually got stuck twisted, now whenever i try to adjust the seat forward and backward it reclines crooked and stays crooked. I know you said "before you disconnect the power get everything lined up" but I can't because it is stuck crooked. Do you know of a way to disconnect the cable so i can move the lever and get it evened out so I can then disconnect the power to work on it? Do you understand the question?
I know exactly what you mean. So in order for you to adjust the recliner back in place refer to 6:12 minutes on this video. I used a drill to turn the cable, once the motors have been removed. You can do it by hand but it will take a while to rotate the cable fast enough. By turning the cable you will see one side of the recliner moving. The left cable controls the left recliner, the right controls the right. I hope this info helps. If not you can also watch Part 2 video
it might not the the exact same, but is the same concept. Keep in mind that there're different models. This is as complicated as it can get, if anything your seats might be easier.
Hey there mr. 50 cal I have two questions for you The car is a BMW E31 850i, 1991 When I try to move the seat bottom forward or backword the right side of the driver's seat bottom twists to the right. That indicates to me that the right seat bottom is working and the left side of the driver's seat bottom has the problem. The question is whether it is the motor (which mean a gearbox problem) or is it the cable and that depends on which side of the driver's seat bottom motor is on. The next question is where can I obtain the gears if it turns out to be a gearbox issue. The video was great, another great resource for seat information is the Bimmer merchant who is a great resource. Please help me out 50cal Thank you for your video's you have a lot of good karma
Ok so how do you set the seat straight before you disconnet it if one side does not move at all? It is supposed to be straight before you fix the cables, if you cant get it straight, what to do?
+Fernando Garcia Yes, I trimmed all cables. I had the seat out of the vehicle, mindless well get them done all the same time. It makes cense to do them all at once, unless if you want to redo the process all over again few months or years after
hey, que tal? no sabia si te referias a q nacionalidad era pero igual. Soy Salvadoreño y recido el Los Angeles California. No se si esta cerca de donde tu vivas.. ah, y gracias por Subcribirte a mi canal..
Yeah. I had my trunk full of tools. But thats an advice everybody that's doing it for the first time can follow. You can also reset the light by disconnecting the ground as well.
Did you ever figure out a way to shut off the AIRBAG without going to dealer? I did not drive the car but when i put it back together and started the car the light came on and has stayed on
No.. I took it to two different shop but the computer reset did not make the AIR BAG light go away. Dealer is the only choice. How ever, some BMW's have a recall on the air bags system, check with your local dealer for recall on your model.
I'm in Los Angeles. The reason why the light came on was because I drove the vehicle without the seat for few days. Once you remove the seat do NOT turn on the car until the seat is plug back in.
Sorry for the late reply. For some reason your question does not show when I log in from my computer. If it still helps the proper name for that tool is Channel Locks
Thanks.. Yes, some vehicles are different. This vehicle is an "i" edition (525i). Is consider a bucket set, a bit sporty but luxury at the same time. So far is the most complicated to work on. I have work in over 16 vehicles, and so far this seats are the hardest. Thanks for your support on the LIKED =)
Great video man! Did you have to remove the battery? I read somewhere that we have to remove the battery otherwise some error indicator will come up on the dash? Just want to clarify if you did remove the battery before I work on my car. First timer here.
Thanks... If I was you I would do them all. Your going to do all that work just for one cable. Then what if in a month the other cable goes bad? your gonna have to do the whole process all over again. I think is better to do them all. that way you do it once and for all. No more worries for a good while. Good luck pal..
I got it done on a 2003 525i BMW sedan, thanks to this video. Be sure the seat is in a good position, not twisted, before you remove the cables. Secondly, leave the key out of the ignition once you start removing the seat, so the airbag light doesn't come on. I didn't do that, but fortunately a friendly BMW repair shop reset the Air Bag light for us for free.
Incredible!
All I did was to move the car seat all the way back. Then I leaned the seat to the point where it was straight. I then wiggled the cable shown in this video (I did not removed anything at all). Finally I tried once more to bring the seat back to position and it worked! I had been driving with a twisted seat for a couple of months, this video saved the day for me. THANK YOU kindly! Took me two minutes literally.
Lucky!! What model do you have?
One quick tip for the cable adjustment. I did not have a socket small enough for the cable end, and twisting them by hand was too tedious for my seat, so I took a small plastic wall anchor and placed it on the cable head. Then used the smallest socket I had on the anchor to be able to turn the cable and adjust the seat.I can't thank you enough for the best videos on this issue. If I am in LA, I owe you dinner. Thanks.
Thank you very much for taking the time to explain this. Man I just finished this job on my 03 530i and it went just like you showed it. The 8mm bolts are the hardest part by far, also it helps to remove both side plastic seat lower trim covers. My passenger seat was twisting bad. Not anymore my friend. I prolly watched your video 10 times. Thanks so much again
Glad you had that problem taken care of.
thanks for your support.
Good job with the instructional video. Clear and concise, as always. This "twisted seat" problem is my next tasking with the passenger seat on my '02 530i M-Sport. I had the driver seat done, locally here in the Los Angeles area about 5 years ago and still going strong, no issues. I will tackle this myself. Thanks again on a job well done!
For some strange chance I just stumbled across your video. This exact same situation started today and I wasn't even thinking about it. I was actually looking for a video on how to remove a power seat from a 2002 Dodge Dakota and couldn't find it. After looking through Dodge Videos I saw on the side contents of next videos available you BMW seat twist repair. Wow, That's just too coincidental but screw it, It must be for a reason so I watched and memorized all that I could about it and will tackle this job over the coming weekend when I have the time and less stress so I "do" have the patience to do this. You did a really good video and simple explanation without dragging it out. I thank you in advance for taking the time to do this for all of us out there who don't want to get sucked in by many dealerships and mechanics who just screw it up and end up charging extreme prices. If anyone has a brain, some mechanical skill and of course, "Patience" then they should be able to tackle this and feel good about achieving success. This actually looks a little easier than trying to get a drivers seat out of this damned truck and fixing the rocking/slide motion that happens from wear and tear. Dodge forum helped out there and got me a 4 page PDF on that job. Been out getting destroyed by mosquitos here in Florida trying to tackle it and trying to blow at mosquitos while trying to turn wrenches outside is way too hard to have any patience with so I'm calling it a night and will continue that repair tomorrow am before the hot sun beats down and the bugs come out too. Then I'll attempt that BMW seat repair. And yes, all of this gets done outside and that sucks.lol Thanks again. Thumbs up for a great tutorial.
Glad to hear my video was useful in any way. I appreciate you taking the time and sharing this with me, it means a lot
Thank you for the video. The details helped tremendously. My wife is so excited and I have just moved up to hero status. Thanks again and God bless!
You are a life saver! Well, maybe a $2k saver. Thanks for the great video. I just completed my sons 2003 530i passenger seat. It was twisted something terrible and your step by step process made it so easy. I think I had less than $60. in the extra tools I bought. While this model and year was slightly different than the car you were working on, it was easy enough. Actually, this model was easier. Everything was as you said it would be. You rock!
i do the same thing in Holland!, i fixed 20 seats already.
i figured it out when my seat twisted, been helping other people ever since.
Thanks mate! Here in Japan, the dealers are charging from $700~$1100 for this repair. After this video, I think I going to tackle it myself! Thank you for the step by step video and the description of the tools!
Glad to hear my video is helpful =)
Let me know how it went.
It went fantastically albeit the few curse words and sore hands. The process took about 6hours. I used a heat-shrink tube instead of tape to hold the metal housing over the cable wire. All in all, the seat works like new and I saved about $1100 in specialists repairs. Thanks mate;)
glad to hear that.
Good info. I used it and did a successful repair on my 525i passenger seat. Thanks for helping me save sooooo much $$$. Yes, BE PATIENT!
Happy to hear that.
Hey man i just finish just started to bolt the seats down had a little trouble with the safety wire under the seat but got it done. Thanks so much bro you saved me soooo much money. I will be seeing your next video on driver seat in the next hour. Thanks much appreciated
It works like a charm, excellent video, it saved me $800.00 in my local dealer.
Glad to hear that bro.. Those $800 bucks will come handy for the holidays. =D
Thanks so much for the video. Very concise and direct. I like that you're not too proud to suggest areas where you figured out a better method along the way (removal of control panel) for access to the bolts that hold in the motors. Keep up the great work! :)
Hi friend. Congratulations, you have the best bmw seat videos, helped me a lot. Just one tip: before remove seats place them at highest position, will be easier to remove seat belt screw.
Thanks.. I'm glad my video is appreciated.
Well, my seats would not go up. Both of the wires were bad. But thanks for the advice. Im sure It'll be helpful for some people..
This is an awesome video that helped me fix this issue. Thank U brother & keep making videos!
Man great video and instructions. Going to do this on my 740il seats.. I am rich in patience, learning and applying, and Poor in cash.. so Thanks.
Thanks. I'm happy to see some appreciation
You make great tutorials. Very explanatory and detailed. with a lil humor at the end. thank you.
thank's for this video it saved me a lot of time and money,keep up the good work.
Best Video on this BMW seat problem I have seen! Thank you!
thanks for the support and feed back.
great video thanks worked great for me. i did NOT take the motors out though i just did one side at a time and in total to do the passenger seat it took me about 1.5 hours. also use 1/4 ratchet set for taking those bolts out and wasn't difficult.
Matt Bacon
Nice.. Glad you had them fix in no time..
Great video , thanks i just fixed mine 530i passenger seat yesterday took me exactly 2 hours it works like a charmer thanks again saved me pocket full dollars great help again cheers mate 👍👍👍
Great video I just finished repairing my seat, patience was the key, took about 6 hours getting the motor screw out took forever
Glad to hear that. It sounds like u have the same type of seats I have.
There are few different types of seats, some easy and with plenty of space to work with. But this ones are by far the hardest.
Good job and thanks for the support.
I used an open-ended 8 wrench (included with the car) to loosen/tight the motor screws. The access angle for some of them is so tiny that the only way to do is to alternate wrench sides thanks to 15 degree head angle.
Hi Bro thanks for the video. I been watching this video and over i just started my passenger seat so i will be watching throughout the day. Thanks ill watch your second part after i fix the passenger
Great video with plenty of detail.
Do I have to disconnect the battery before removing the harness cable to avoid any codes being thrown or anything?
Great video, that's a huge help. And your accent is awesome, dude!
Glad it helped.
Thanks in regards of my accent.. =)
BMW E39 Seat Twist Repair:
Thanks for the very informative video. I am in Sydney, Aus and have now successfully completed the driver’s seat on my 2003 535i M Sport. It took me somewhat longer than indicated but I was being particularly careful but still managed to drop the bolts holding the electric motors into the internals of the seat a couple of times!
My seat twisted at 10 years of age (125,000kms) - and I suspect because it has recently been banished to a life outside in the heat of a Sydney summer … (My wife has purchased a new Lexus RX 450h so you guess which car now resides in the remaining garage!)
I have listed a few pointers based on my experience which may assist others contemplating the task:
Before starting the job raise the seat to the maximum (this will give you more room to work when the seat is removed) and lower the head rest (making it easier to remove the seat from the vehicle).
Take off both sets of covers over the seat rails (both front and back) when removing the bolts holding the seat in place to the floor.
I could not have completed the job without a 8mm European ring spanner (the kind with the inbuilt ratchet), a mini / small ¼ inch drive 8mm socket and the T50 and T35 sockets from a TORX set. Rather than using a propane gas gun I used an electric heat gun for removing linoleum tiles - it worked a treat and I suspect that a ladies hair drier may have done the job also.
It is a neat trick to place some plastic insulation tape over the bolt head prior to placing the ring spanner or socket over the bolt - this holds the bolt firmly and resists the tendency for the bolt to fall out and get lost in the seat whilst delicately replacing the bolts.
I was presented with a slightly different set-up to that portrayed - my end of model E39 had electric motors with the spline for cables at either end (rather than side by side); and two motors adjacent to each other and secured by the same plate at either end which meant having to deal with x4 difficult bolts at either end of the electric motors. Needless to say, I trimmed all four cables rather than risking the other cables failing later.
In re-assembling, take care with the electrics - as I inserted and clipped shut the cable connection. All seemed well until I attempted to test the seat and nothing worked - but I had already turned on the ignition! I turned everything off and checked the connections and re-seated the connector and it all worked as it should - but the air-bag warning light is now showing…
Needless to say, the job worked well and I now have seats working ‘as new’ and replenished with ‘Hide Food’ whilst easily accessible. This is all very pleasing and satisfying and I have avoided a major cost with the BMW dealer. I have used this dealer for service for many years and have a good relationship with them. They were pleased to learn of my success and have kindly agreed to reset the air-bag warning light at no cost.
Your welcome. Glad to hear you were able to successfully accomplish this task. Thanks for the tips. I tried to cover the most pointer that I could, but thanks for pointing out few that I miss.
Unfortunately my seats would not go up, therefore it made my process a bit more complicated.
Thank you so much! This was hugely useful! My '97 528i has working seats now!
Your welcome. Glad you accomplish this task.. Feels good to have your seats back in working conditions.
Thanks for the awesome video. Instead of going through the hassle of removing the motor, could I just cut out a small section the outer sleeves in the middle?
apt220 Yes you can.
How ever, I will not recommend you doing that. Once you slice the rubber and trim the piece, you have to figure out how to put bond the rubber back together. If they would make crimps that would be awesome.
Nice job. Just happened to my '03 E39 Passenger seat. Going to have to find the right time to take this project on.
Thanks pal. I appreciate that complement.
Ok. once u remove the cable you will see if the cable needs any trimming or not. when removed, the cable will be almost buried in the rubber. If that's the case cut 1/2 inch. If the cable looks like is has some feed on the rubber, then just cut off 1/4. The total length that it should have is about 1/2. If you cut too much rubber, the metal tip on the cable will not fit on the motor bracket because the cable will the pushing it back.
Did you need to do the cable repair on both motors, or was it preventive maintenance? I thought just the seat back was twisting...
Greetings 50cal - I'm about to make this repair, but my seats are so twisted - i need some advice on how to be sure to "straighten the seat before removal" Do they move freely after i disconnect the pwr supply?. What am i missing? thanks, jeff
50cal, thanks for the video. I was looking from the rear of the passenger seat and I noticed that there were two bolts that looked like if I took them off, I could lift the seat from the back and expose the whole bottom (without having to unscrew any other bolts). I can send a picture, but I don't know how to send it through my comment. Do you know what I am talking about? In short, is there an easier way to work on the cable without having to remove the seat from the car. Thanks again.
How do you prevent the airbag light from coming on? disconnect the battery while unbolting the seat?
Awesome. Thank you! I heard you say that there is a piece I don't want to break? Because it is 1300? That is kind of scary. When I am twisting it. I am just twisting the cable on the inside right? And what piece were you talking about
Your welcome. The piece I was referring to is at the other end of that cable. To be exact is a small gear that worn out because he recline the seat to far back from one side only. Use the leather as a reference. U will see wrinkles when not well align.
Very good video, You are a very good presenter.
Hey bro so i started to take the passenger seat apart and came to the cables that i need to cut but what about the piece that broke off in the first place. Do i keep in inside the motor or do i have to pull it out. i tried pulling it out just can't seem to get in their
Your welcome.. Shut!! you did it faster than me. Glad everything worked out for you.
Not a mechanic but tried this repair and got it done after much effort. After putting everything back together I tested it, it worked, initially. Then I looked down on the carpet, the cable was laying on the floor it had detached from origin. The cable had dislodged from the motor but not where it was repaired(?). When I striped it the cable must have dislodged from the origin, motor don't know what else to call it. I don't know how to insure the cable catches again. Pain in the a$$. Any suggestions on how to get the cable to catch again? Do I have to replace the whole cable motor and cable?
Chingon carnal thank you answered tons of of questions,
have you ever taken it apart up to just the skeleton to fix a bent seat frame?
Thanks for the video, this helped so much on my 2002 530i sport..
Your welcome buddy
cool vid I have a 94 bmw 525i going to try it once i have some free time will let you know how i did
Awesome video, thanks. Will do this soon. One question. My seat is twisted but it moves (twisted as a whole). Correct? Now when I'm in there do you think I should do just the defective side or all of em? Which motor is for the recliner? My seat is fine just the r side of the recliner is fucked
Excellent video. I have one of these to fix on Thursday. Appreciate the info.
Mark Merceri Thanks. Let us know how it goes..
De nada... Yes I have. Once. They attempted to fix the seat, they removed 2 bolts and left it like that, they kept moving the seat and ended up bending the frame. Was a bit difficult but I managed to fix it.
Has a preventive maintenance. The other seat went bad from both motors, so is just a matter of time till the other motor went bad. And since I had everything broken apart, mindless well get it done since I had everything in hand.
Do the screws hood the cables in place
My passenger seat recliner does the same your recliner did, everything else is fine. Were the taped cables the ones I need to cut?
I would check if all the cables need trimming since your going to have the whole seat broken apart. Save your self some work in the future
+The50calKiller1 How will I know is they all need to be trimmed?
when you remove the rubber from the metal part the cable should be about 1/2 inch exposed from the rubber.
Hello
I need your opinion my seat works fine except for the back part on seat it will not rise or lower .front part is fine it lowers and rises. Could it be a cabel or something else ???
Thx
That's how my seat started. Is just a matter of time till it goes bad and it stops lifting.
Next your going to wonder if you should just fix that one cable or all of them. My advice will be to do all the cables at once. They also will go bad at some point. So why not get ahead of the problem.
Well, there's few things you have to consider. By doing it the way you did will bring you issues in the future. Now you run the risk of the cable coming loose and out of place because you cut the rubber in half and is no longer one solid insulated rubber. Another is that not all seats are the same. Mine was clutter and even if it did go up it would have been impossible to do what you did. On mines only one side went up.
But I'm glad it did work for you. No more twisted seat for you..
"Good job" Hancock style seriously thanks very helpful video!
Hey 50cal,
I was going to adjust my seat but it actually got stuck twisted, now whenever i try to adjust the seat forward and backward it reclines crooked and stays crooked. I know you said "before you disconnect the power get everything lined up" but I can't because it is stuck crooked. Do you know of a way to disconnect the cable so i can move the lever and get it evened out so I can then disconnect the power to work on it? Do you understand the question?
I know exactly what you mean.
So in order for you to adjust the recliner back in place refer to 6:12 minutes on this video.
I used a drill to turn the cable, once the motors have been removed.
You can do it by hand but it will take a while to rotate the cable fast enough. By turning the cable you will see one side of the recliner moving. The left cable controls the left recliner, the right controls the right.
I hope this info helps. If not you can also watch Part 2 video
Very helpful..any purpose of the tiny cable that's clipped to the seat?
Yes. That cable is connected to your seat belt. If that cable is not connected you loose tension on your seat belt.
Thanks! You're very helpful..my tiny cable seems like it's torn off...I just had my twisted seat fixed today. Your video was a big help.
is it the same process on a 02 bmw 530i both passenger and driver side have the same problems
it might not the the exact same, but is the same concept. Keep in mind that there're different models. This is as complicated as it can get, if anything your seats might be easier.
if the backrest is crooked? need to be regulated or will it do itself?
ah ok i see 6:40
if the your not supposed to drive so the airbag light won't go off what are you supposed to do
once you remove the seat you shouldn't drive the vehicle without the seat like I did. Drive it once the seat is mounted back on and plugged in.
@The50calKiller1 Two heads are better than one. I'm glad that my video Help you.
Thanks pal, you have some great videos on your channel as well.
Superb Vid. Brilliant
Hey there mr. 50 cal I have two questions for you
The car is a BMW E31 850i, 1991
When I try to move the seat bottom forward or backword the right side of the driver's seat bottom twists to the right. That indicates to me that the right seat bottom is working and the left side of the driver's seat bottom has the problem. The question is whether it is the motor (which mean a gearbox problem) or is it the cable and that depends on which side of the driver's seat bottom motor is on.
The next question is where can I obtain the gears if it turns out to be a gearbox issue.
The video was great, another great resource for seat information is the Bimmer merchant who is a great resource.
Please help me out 50cal
Thank you for your video's you have a lot of good karma
Ok so how do you set the seat straight before you disconnet it if one side does not move at all? It is supposed to be straight before you fix the cables, if you cant get it straight, what to do?
On one of this 2 videos I show how to using a drill.
did u cut a peace to all 4 sides 2 sides per motor ?
+Fernando Garcia Yes, I trimmed all cables. I had the seat out of the vehicle, mindless well get them done all the same time. It makes cense to do them all at once, unless if you want to redo the process all over again few months or years after
Love the video where are you located 50cal?
Thanks pal, I'm in Burbank California.
I saw a guy just cut a 1/4" segment out of the black sheath and tape it together. He avoided removing the metal ends and left the motors in place.
hey, que tal? no sabia si te referias a q nacionalidad era pero igual. Soy Salvadoreño y recido el Los Angeles California. No se si esta cerca de donde tu vivas.. ah, y gracias por Subcribirte a mi canal..
Thank you very much. I was able to fix my passenger seat, yet to fix driver side seat.
Nice!! Did you find this project complicated? Or was it easier than it looks?
it was just the right steps, and yes, lot of patience!!
Yeah. I had my trunk full of tools. But thats an advice everybody that's doing it for the first time can follow. You can also reset the light by disconnecting the ground as well.
Dude awesome vid
I did it. Works great! Thanks good sir!
Nice video! I have the same exact model. Did you have to buy a new motor or did you just do something with the cables?
KinderVideoland No.. the only thing you need to do to fix this problem is trim that rubber off of the cable and your this problem will be solved.
Denada... Saludos a Colombia..
got u I did all 4. works great
Nice. This will last for YEARS!! It's been 4 years since I did my seats without a problem
hahaha... Thanks bud. I'm glad you like my videos.. Thanks for the support
Your welcome. Good luck with your weekend project.
Did you ever figure out a way to shut off the AIRBAG without going to dealer? I did not drive the car but when i put it back together and started the car the light came on and has stayed on
No.. I took it to two different shop but the computer reset did not make the AIR BAG light go away. Dealer is the only choice. How ever, some BMW's have a recall on the air bags system, check with your local dealer for recall on your model.
where u located in??? an does the lights came on after u fixed the seat????!! _!
I'm in Los Angeles. The reason why the light came on was because I drove the vehicle without the seat for few days. Once you remove the seat do NOT turn on the car until the seat is plug back in.
Nice.... Thanks to you, I have all the info I need... Lol... Great job
cool im going to do this to one of my e39 528i
@The50calKiller1 You got me motivated to do the job myself so I made a video on my channel now
Thanks for putting together video. Dreading doing this but beats $3k
Ay bro what pliers did you use to take off the seat belt
Sorry for the late reply. For some reason your question does not show when I log in from my computer. If it still helps the proper name for that tool is Channel Locks
Thanks.. Yes, some vehicles are different. This vehicle is an "i" edition (525i). Is consider a bucket set, a bit sporty but luxury at the same time. So far is the most complicated to work on. I have work in over 16 vehicles, and so far this seats are the hardest.
Thanks for your support on the LIKED =)
Great video man! Did you have to remove the battery? I read somewhere that we have to remove the battery otherwise some error indicator will come up on the dash? Just want to clarify if you did remove the battery before I work on my car. First timer here.
Nice.. I'll check out right now. Hey, you helped me how to remove the door pillars. I couldn't figure that out.. Thanks. I hit liked ur video..
=D you said!! Dinner is on you pal.. Glad This video was helpful.
Respecy man for this video
Thanx. Its really works :)
Thanks...
If I was you I would do them all. Your going to do all that work just for one cable. Then what if in a month the other cable goes bad? your gonna have to do the whole process all over again. I think is better to do them all. that way you do it once and for all. No more worries for a good while.
Good luck pal..
great video!
muchas gracias brother Dios te bendiga en grande
Awesome job!!
Does this work for 7-Series????
yes.. It might be a little different but is the same concept.
thanks for the video, great advices,
franz1640 Your welcome. Thanks for the support
Thank you for this video!
Thanks pal... =)
Well, good luck on your weekend project..
Well damn, that was a good DIY vid
is someone in the Bakersfield ca. area to do this
Have you been able to fix them?
but it's really an very good job that's a great full work...