[goufcustom]

I have a 2007 Pontiac G6 Sedan Value Leader (I4) with clothe seats and the single function riser on the driver seat. I was thinking of adding 2 zone heated seats, back and butt, but before I ordered the kit and did the install I wanted to see how easy/hard the removal of the seat would be, and if once I got it out, if I could remove the seat cover and get the heater in there. Glad I tried before ordering.

First off I am not a car technician, no special skills in cars, just a do it yourselfer with a Masters in Engineering, so I have some mechanical knowledge, but I have never done this before. And it will also become clear that I am not a photographer either…

I got the seat out rather quickly. Took a torx bit to the two rear bolts, and then was able to pull the seat backward and then up and onto the floor boards of the car. Then I layed down in the back and unplugged the cable that gives the seat riser power, sure there is also a connection to some seat sensor too. Once that was disconnected, I flipped the seat on its side because the seat belt is connected to the seat. First remove the two Phillips head screws on the plastic cover on the left hand side of the seat, this loosens the cover so you can get to the torx bolt that holds the seat belt on. Now you can remove the seat belt and the seat is free from the car.

Also you may need to remove the head rest, just depress both latched at the base of the head rest and pull up hard, may be helpful to have someone help you with this and other portions of the removal, but I did 90% of this without help, and overall the seat is pretty lite.

Prior to removing the seat from the car, as this is easier with the seat bolted to something, pull back the seat back plastic cover, this will not come off without more work, but getting it loose will help later, the top of the cover is secured by two friction plastic screws things, you will see, just keep pulling and it will loosen up. Then you have to remove the lumbar handle, but there is a screw on the inside of the seat that is holding it on, so you need a 3 ft long Phillips screw driver, to remove it, you will see why, I failed to snap a picture of this, but you need to go from the outside of the right side of the seat back to the left side in a single shoot to get this screw out, there is just too much stuff in there to turn a screw driver, but you can always try. Once the screw is out you can remove the lumbar handle, it might require some prying from a screw driver…

 

[goufcustom]

Continued

Once that is off you can remove the seat back cover, lift it out and up. Also once you have remove the lumbar handle it is likely that the lumbar mechanism has fallen apart, as you have removed the only thing holding it together, if you haven’t done this, you will likely touch it while proceeding, there is a plastic plate, brass gear, and spring, if they fall out, enjoy getting them back together. When putting the seat back together remember to hold the lumbar plate from the inside of the seat while you press the lumbar handle back on, otherwise you will pop it all out again, learned that lesson once…

Now you can start to remove the seat cover, man is this a pain, and my reward was bitter. Once I got the clips all off, I was able to start pulling the cover back only to find that the seat cover was held in place by rings through the seat cushions that reminded me of chain mail, and looked like they would not come undone without a huge fight, and likely leave me with a destroyed seat.

 

[goufcustom]

Final Set

Also removed the seat back angle lever, there is a cotter type pin holding this together, see the picture, using a screw driver you can rotate this out of place and remove the handle. This aides in removing more of the seat cover. Also on the right side of the seat there is a plastic cover held on by a single Phillips screw, which too is simple to remove.

Some shoots of the underside of the seat.

By this time it was beer time, and time to think. After looking at the chain mail type rings holding the seat cover to the seat cushion, I called it a defeat, as this is my only car, and I need it to go to work, I decided that I would not be able to remove the seat cover, thus I am unable to install the heated seats I wanted to. Someone else may know more than me, and a custom car mod place will likely be able to do it, but not me, unless someone can suggest something. The biggest issue was getting past the line of hooks that runs left to right in the middle of both the butt and back of the seat, this prevents the seat heater from going between the fore and aft section of the seat, or top and bottom… Because I probably could have cut the seat heater and wedged it up there after some complaining, but I can’t even get to those hooks to remove them without removing the hooks that I want to keep in the seat sides…

You can do that all in reverse to get the seat back together and back in the car, I got mine back and working no problem.

Down side, no heated seat, up side… got to take something apart and actually got to get it back together, and I got to vacuum under my driver seat 


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Now to decide to have a pro do the heated seats, or just not do them at all, and maybe get a remote starter instead.

 

[goufcustom]

Man, that was quite the ordeal and makes junkyard heated seats a worthy option. I would like to point out though that I believe the "chainmail" can be removed & replaced with Hog Ring Pliers available at any auto restoration website for under 40bucks. Here's a good place to start:

http://www.nextag.com/hog-ring-pliers/shop-html

Thanks, looks like it could be done, but given my lack of experience in this, I am going to pass on it, sucks not to be able to do it myself, still thinking about whether or not to have a professional do it.

I have a feeling I would have a serious issue re-finding the hooks in the foam to wrap the Hog Rings around once I remove them all, and then I would likely end up not doing it perfectly and getting stabbed in the ass or having a loose seat cover.