Front Seat Removal

I recently removed my front seats; here are a few pictures...  Click on any picture to enlarge it.

It is a straight forward process.  There is information for standard power seats and memory seats.  On my car, the passenger side is a standard power seat, while the driver side is a memory seat.

You may find the actual removal of the seats easier with a helper.  These seats are well made and heavy!  You may also wish to put tape around the sharp metal parts prior to seat removal so that they do not inadvertently come into contact with upholstery or paint.

Begin by raising the seat to maximum height and moving it forward.  This will make removing the fixing clip and pin for the seat belt shoulder height adjuster easy.  The fixing clip connects a thin cable to the seat frame.  This cable is mildly spring loaded by a simple retractor mechanism to eliminate excess slack.  As the seat moves forward or backward the cable is also moved, thus adjusting the seat belt shoulder height on the vehicle's "B" pillar.

By examining the pictures you can see that the fixing pin has a small tab attached.  The idea is to rotate the pin about its axis so that the tab is free of the clip, and then to slide the pin sideways out of its hole.  If you can get that method to work, great!  Unfortunately, it wouldn't work for me.  I ended up just giving the fixing clip a sharp tug with my pliers and it came free of the pin easily with no additional drama.

While you're underneath, also remove the seat belt anchor bolt.  It is a small Torx bolt.  If you don't have a Torx wrench or Torx socket, a small 11mm metric socket will also fit well.  Remove the bolt and slide the belt clear of the seat.

Electric Connections for Regular Power Seats

Next, move the seat rearwards so that you can see and reach underneath the front of the seat.  Under the seat you will notice a small white connector affixed horizontally to the seat frame.  This is the main power connector for the seat.  It is mounted in a simple slide mount.  If you slide the connector away from the center of the car it will pop free from its mounting.

While squeezing the two tabs separate the two parts of the connector; be persistent.  Next, I just lightly put the connector back together so that I have seat power to adjust the seat in preparation for removal.

Here's what the seat power connector looks like with the seat out of the car. But, I'm getting a little ahead of my story here...

Electric Connections for Memory Seats

Next, move the seat rearwards enough so that you can see and reach underneath the front of the seat.  Under the seat you will notice a black cover.  This covers the seat memory control unit.  Gently snap the cover off.  Notice how the tabs in the cover fit into the mounting clips.  This will be useful at reassembly time.

On the front of the memory control unit remove the right most connector.  The connector has a small handle that is gently moved over a small detent held in by my thumb in the picture above.

There are also two other connectors on the rear side of the memory control unit (not shown).  You must reach under the rear of the seat to access these and unplug them.

Seat Removal

Go to the rear of the seat and remove the two Torx bolts holding the seat rails to the floor. You may need to move the seats slightly forward to uncover the Torx bolts.  An 11mm socket fits nicely.  You may need to temporarily reconnect the power to re-energize the seats to move them (but don't hammer the connectors home - you'll be needing to remove them soon enough).

In preparation for seat removal, I make sure that the seat is positioned so that the rear Torx bolts and the front floor mounting hooks are uncovered.  I also like to angle the seat as far back as possible and retract the headrest.

Next, firmly grasp the seat (an assistant is a help here) and lift the seat at the rear while moving the seat forward.  This motion unhooks the seat frame from the floor mounting hook.

Just a note of caution.  Use care so as not to bend the thin plate mounted to the seat frame under the floor hook.  If you're not careful, the floor mounting hook will dig into the plate and bend it down.  This will make it impossible to reinstall the seat until the plate is flattened again.

Here's what the floor looks like once the seat is removed. (A wonderful opportunity to finish cleaning up those old spills!)

How to Remove Seat Belt Retractors

Most 540i's have seat belt retractors as part of the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS).  In the event of a collision they eliminate excess slack in the seat belt.  They are located on the side of the seat on the lower frame obscured by a cover.

Remove the small Torx T-20 screws holding on the seat side covers.

There is also a small plastic fastener at the rear of the seat.  You may have to gently move some of the seat leather aside to see it.  By carefully sliding a screwdriver between the frame and the cover material, you can gently pry the fastener out.

When the Torx screws and fastener are removed you can slide the cover off.

Remove the Torx T-50 bolt and remove the seat belt retractor.

By opening the Velcro, the leather coverlet can be removed.  The small electric cable can be unplugged from underneath the seat.

On the side of the retractor is a small switch.  This can be used to arm or disarm the retractor.  When removed from the car it is best to disarm the retractor.  Otherwise, a sharp jolt can fire the retractor making it useless.

On the top of the retractor is a small window.  When the window is green (when normally installed) the retractor is armed.  Turning the switch will disarm the retractor and turn the window to red.  Do not forget to rearm the retractor when it is reinstalled.

Contents

• Front Seat Removal - The front seats on 540i's have electronic controls.  The driver's seat even has a memory.  Are they difficult to safely remove?  No, BMW makes it easy!
• Rear Seat Removal - Underneath the rear seat cushion is the battery, a fuse box, and other electronics.  How can you access this critical equipment?  Learn how here.
• Seats - BMW provides high quality seats.  They not only comfortable, but they also have sophisticated electronics and mechanicals.  Learn seat care procedures here.

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