Realistically, how many hours of work to remove front driver seat for cleaning?

[SmoothIsSlow]

Hi all,

I got a pretty bad case of motion sickness this weekend at the track and vomitted while on track

I got the car interior cleaned professionally and they sprayed a lot of the pet enzyme stuff to get rid off of bio-related odor.

A lot of the vomit got between the space between the driver’s seat and center console, as well as the seat rails. The detail shop got rid off of the majority of it but I am thinking that I should spend a weekend and take out the driver’s seat and get it more thoroughly cleaned that way (the car stills smells a little).

How many hours of work is it to remove the seat and reinstall it? I see that it’s just 4 bolts but I would really hate to underestimate how hard it is and not have a car to drive to work on Monday…

Thanks!

[Pat]

Ten minutes. It involves removing those bolts and a couple plastic clips underneath. It's not rocket surgery. Be careful you don't hit the steering wheel with the seat rails, as they are sharp, You may want to wrap the steering wheel with towels just to be safe. Also, be sure you have the proper tool to fit those bolts. It's not a common one IIRC.

[humfrz]

Well, I have to give you credit for telling THAT story -


humfrz

[SmoothIsSlow]

@Pat I am reading a lot of horror stories on this forum of people with the proper E10 Torx socket still stripping the screws regardless. I wonder if it was a case of people who had a positive experience not commenting on those posts.

[EAGLE5]

This is why you barely eat at track days. A banana or some apple sauce here and there. Some water. Unless you're the iron stomach, always a good idea.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by SmoothIsSlow

@Pat I am reading a lot of horror stories on this forum of people with the proper E10 Torx socket still stripping the screws regardless. I wonder if it was a case of people who had a positive experience not commenting on those posts.

They can be a royal pain in the ass. I have stripped at least three and drilled the tops out to remove. I went in knowing what I was getting into and read a lot of info prior. I replaced them with hex head bolts.

Removing the head rest prior to taking the seat out makes life easier.

If you have trouble you can always leave it for another day. A stripped bolt won’t stop you from getting to work.

[new2subaru]

Here is a photo of what I mean. Not mine.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=22

[Leonardo]

The first three bolts took 2 minutes. Then... 2 days for the last bolt. I would carefully use a breaker bar, not an impact driver, to remove them.

Here is how I finally got the bolt out...
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/show...t=54722&page=2

[SmoothIsSlow]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

This is why you barely eat at track days. A banana or some apple sauce here and there. Some water. Unless you're the iron stomach, always a good idea.

Yup, I got nauseous doing my second track day ever. I decided it was because I didn’t eat enough. Def overcorrected.

Also about Dramamine for my next outing. I am determined to track and I will have to conquer the motion sickness one way or another.

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

The first three bolts took 2 minutes. Then... 2 days for the last bolt. I would carefully use a breaker bar, not an impact driver, to remove them.

Here is how I finally got the bolt out...
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/show...t=54722&page=2

not really but ya lol

[SmoothIsSlow]

Originally Posted by Leonardo

The first three bolts took 2 minutes. Then... 2 days for the last bolt. I would carefully use a breaker bar, not an impact driver, to remove them.

Here is how I finally got the bolt out...
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/show...t=54722&page=2

So for a well-prepared/lucky individual, the whole affaire could be 5 minutes?

[Leonardo]

Yeah, that was three years ago... I took the seats out, skinned them, and installed a 100% leather seat skin kit. The bolt stripping was frustrating.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by SmoothIsSlow

Yup, I got nauseous doing my second track day ever. I decided it was because I didn’t eat enough. Def overcorrected.

Also about Dramamine for my next outing. I am determined to track and I will have to conquer the motion sickness one way or another.

I've felt nauseous at most track days I go to, but especially at Thunderhill. I've puked at least twice there, but always into the trash. I cannot drive karts. I also cannot usually let someone else drive.

[soundman98]

Originally Posted by Pat

Ten minutes. It involves removing those bolts and a couple plastic clips underneath. It's not rocket surgery. Be careful you don't hit the steering wheel with the seat rails, as they are sharp, You may want to wrap the steering wheel with towels just to be safe. Also, be sure you have the proper tool to fit those bolts. It's not a common one IIRC.

don't forget that there are side impact air bags in the seats, meaning there's a plug under the seat, and the potential to ignite the airbag if power is not disconnected for at least 5 minutes before unplugging the harnesses.

you don't want that surprise!