fixed my rocking passenger seat...

rwalker · 02-22-2003, 10:15 PM

... with duct tape!

My passenger seat had, since my 2000 S4 was new, rocked slightly when no one was in the seat. This slight rocking made a very annoying knocking-type rattle when I went over bumps, braked, or accelerated. Lots of people on the forum have complained of this problem. Unfortunately most dealers either won't fix it ("within specs") or only effect a fix via seat frame replacement (something I didn't wanna waste my time trying to convince my dealer to do).

The reason the seat moved was because the plastic bushing for the left-rear rail runner wasn't quite touching the rail, resulting in about 2mm of up/down movement. This movement was magnified to about half an inch at seat-shoulder height, resulting in the seat rocking. The noise the seat made was magnified by the fact that the rail is welded to the frame of the vehicle.

Here's a drawing of what I saw when I looked at the seat rail end-on from the rear of the car (which I did with a small mirror):

When I first examined the rail, I couldn't make out the bushing, so my first attempt at a fix was trying to bend the seat rail to clamp the runner more tightly. This didn't work. The rail was too strong for my meager tools.

Next, I took the seat out (a *major* headache, I'd advise anyone without black carpet to avoid this procedure). Once it was out, I found the plastic bushing, which I felt a little more confident about modifying. Here's what I did:

I removed the bushing, wrapped the runner in a few layers of duct tape, and replaced the bushing. The duct tape deforms the bushing *just* enough to make it fit tightly against the seat rail.

Voila! No more rocking, no more knocking!

Monster, now w/ Rice · 02-22-2003, 10:19 PM

dealer "could not duplicate customer complaint"
when I had it at the shop
maybe this is what I am hearing?

shep · 02-22-2003, 10:50 PM

Now I have another sh!tty project to do on my car.

Seriously, nice job.

jonah · 02-22-2003, 11:24 PM

... investigating the rocking in my driver's seat. So, its good to see what is going on in there and that something can be done about it. I have a question though: how much does your seat get used (sat in/adjusted) and what kind of wear did you see on the plastic bushing. And how with your mod - do you think it will accelerate the wear of the bushing? (not like it will really matter, just add more duct tape down the road.)

(BTW, awesome illustrations!)

Cup-a-Chow · 02-23-2003, 12:09 AM

No More B5 S4 · 02-23-2003, 01:06 AM

Cup-a-Chow · 02-23-2003, 04:07 AM

Stereo loose? Duct tape it. Seat broken? Duct tape it. Engine mounts broken? Make one from Duct tape. Exhaust hanger broken? Duct tape the Duct tape holder around the exhaust and Duct tape that around the car. Tire flat? Make a Duct tape tire. Bent a rim? Shove enough Duct tape in the bend to make it round again.

There's only 1 tool in my toolbox... Duct tape!

No More B5 S4 · 02-23-2003, 04:12 AM

T60West · 02-23-2003, 07:09 AM

S4Jason · 02-23-2003, 07:58 AM

02-22-2003, 10:15 PM	#1
rwalker New Member Account #: 2123 Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 186	fixed my rocking passenger seat... ... with duct tape! My passenger seat had, since my 2000 S4 was new, rocked slightly when no one was in the seat. This slight rocking made a very annoying knocking-type rattle when I went over bumps, braked, or accelerated. Lots of people on the forum have complained of this problem. Unfortunately most dealers either won't fix it ("within specs") or only effect a fix via seat frame replacement (something I didn't wanna waste my time trying to convince my dealer to do). The reason the seat moved was because the plastic bushing for the left-rear rail runner wasn't quite touching the rail, resulting in about 2mm of up/down movement. This movement was magnified to about half an inch at seat-shoulder height, resulting in the seat rocking. The noise the seat made was magnified by the fact that the rail is welded to the frame of the vehicle. Here's a drawing of what I saw when I looked at the seat rail end-on from the rear of the car (which I did with a small mirror): When I first examined the rail, I couldn't make out the bushing, so my first attempt at a fix was trying to bend the seat rail to clamp the runner more tightly. This didn't work. The rail was too strong for my meager tools. Next, I took the seat out (a major headache, I'd advise anyone without black carpet to avoid this procedure). Once it was out, I found the plastic bushing, which I felt a little more confident about modifying. Here's what I did: I removed the bushing, wrapped the runner in a few layers of duct tape, and replaced the bushing. The duct tape deforms the bushing just enough to make it fit tightly against the seat rail. Voila! No more rocking, no more knocking!

02-22-2003, 10:19 PM	#2
Monster, now w/ Rice Elder Member Account #: 42337 Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 29,104	is it kind of a clicking/rattling sound it makes? dealer "could not duplicate customer complaint" when I had it at the shop maybe this is what I am hearing? __________________ No more Audi! It isn't necessary to be rich and famous to be happy. It's only necessary to be rich. My first account: 19360 Now: 2006 S2000 Gone: 2004 1.8T, Dolphin/Ebony, 6M, Sport, Premium, Lighting, Cold, Infotainment Gone: 2001.5 Brilliant Black/Ecru 1.8TQMS, 17" Celebration/Sport, GIAC Chip, E-Codes, Borla, Strat SS, and alot of audio goodies. And I want to fit in so I'll put this in my sig:

02-22-2003, 10:50 PM	#3
shep Senior Member Account #: 19361 Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 7,285	Awesome! Now I have another sh!tty project to do on my car. Seriously, nice job.

02-22-2003, 11:24 PM	#4
jonah Junior Member Account #: 31273 Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 1,961	EXCELLENT! - i was planning on eventually... ... investigating the rocking in my driver's seat. So, its good to see what is going on in there and that something can be done about it. I have a question though: how much does your seat get used (sat in/adjusted) and what kind of wear did you see on the plastic bushing. And how with your mod - do you think it will accelerate the wear of the bushing? (not like it will really matter, just add more duct tape down the road.) (BTW, awesome illustrations!) __________________ --------------------------------- S4 - "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" [Get your PhatBox install info here]

02-23-2003, 12:09 AM	#5
Cup-a-Chow Junior Member Account #: 16563 Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 1,620	Cool! I'm telling people, duct tape is ALL YOU NEED!!! __________________ <a href="http://www.got-chow.com" target="_blank"> http://www.got-chow.com</a>

02-23-2003, 01:06 AM	#6
No More B5 S4 Elder Member Account #: 41217 Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 30,774	Me too...wait...can you repost your fix please? Thanks. __________________ --------------------------------------------------------- "The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." -2 Timothy 4:22 Click for Peer FATS Times. Updated: 03/15/05<a href="http://public.fotki.com/s4madman/scenerylandscape/wallpapers_1600x1200/"> Got Wallpapers? Updated: 10/29/04</a> The AW Database. Updated: 02/15/05

02-23-2003, 04:07 AM	#7
Cup-a-Chow Junior Member Account #: 16563 Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 1,620	Depends on what you need fixed... Stereo loose? Duct tape it. Seat broken? Duct tape it. Engine mounts broken? Make one from Duct tape. Exhaust hanger broken? Duct tape the Duct tape holder around the exhaust and Duct tape that around the car. Tire flat? Make a Duct tape tire. Bent a rim? Shove enough Duct tape in the bend to make it round again. There's only 1 tool in my toolbox... Duct tape! __________________ <a href="http://www.got-chow.com" target="_blank"> http://www.got-chow.com</a>

02-23-2003, 04:12 AM	#8
No More B5 S4 Elder Member Account #: 41217 Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 30,774	Cool! I have 20 rolls of duct and electrical tape. :-) __________________ --------------------------------------------------------- "The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." -2 Timothy 4:22 Click for Peer FATS Times. Updated: 03/15/05<a href="http://public.fotki.com/s4madman/scenerylandscape/wallpapers_1600x1200/"> Got Wallpapers? Updated: 10/29/04</a> The AW Database. Updated: 02/15/05

02-23-2003, 07:09 AM	#9
T60West Junior Member Account #: 9929 Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 1,044	Brilliant! Thanks. Sad that it has to rock in the 1st place, but this looks like a good fix. __________________ - '01 S4 Silver/Onyx,Tip/Cold/Conv Stock exhaust to be given away to the first person who comes and gets it.

02-23-2003, 07:58 AM	#10
S4Jason Junior Member Account #: 26083 Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 586	Won't that wear down after a while? __________________ Awesome Movie Quote Shirts Big Lebowski quotes, Office Space quotes, Anchorman quotes & More!

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