kipper485

My driver's side tilt seat handle broke too... the slots which hold the lift handle cracked through plastic fatigue!


I read all the posts on the forums and spent about 5 hours trying to fit the replacement handle and surround.


First good advice was to take the seat out. I did so by removing the headrest, unclipping the electrical connector under the seat cushion at front left (passenger side) of seat and removing the 4 bolts holding the seat to the floor.


I removed the 2 10mm bolts at the front side of the seat cushion (the cushion I usually sit on!), and removed the cushion.


I followed various bits of advice recommending that the back of the seat should be peeled up to gain access to the 2 clips holding the seat handle surround into the seat frame. If the cable ain't broke, I won't bother in future!


It took me an hour to figure out how to separate the seat cover at the bottom. The two plastic strips are "U" shaped in cross section with one strip inverted along the inside of the other. I eventually found I was able to separate them by using a skewer bent at 90 degrees at the end which I hooked under the end of the inverted strip. I pulled the skewer upwards whilst using a flat head screwdriver to push down inside the end of the other strip. This separated the ends of the strip which I then pulled apart.


I pulled the seat cover off the foam as far as I could following the advice that it was a "doddle" to feel up the back of the seat and squeeze the clips holding the handle surround into the frame. I found that the route to the inside of the handle was obstructed by an impenetrable jumble of metalwork and stitching.


After the blood supply to my hand was restored, I replaced the seat cover, deciding that this operation would only be required if the cables had broken.


Further exploration around the plastic seat handle surround revealed that if I pushed down the seat cover and foam underneath the surround sufficiently, I could see a 20mm (approx) hole in the metal frame of the seat. I was successful in releasing one of the clips using a flat screwdriver through this hole, but not the other, thicker clip which I couldn't locate. In the end, I used a pair of tin snips and a hammer and chisel to split the old handle surround in half, being careful not to damage a small plastic block which holds the cable end and is not part of the handle surround. I eventually removed the old handle surround by destroying it piece by piece and removing the bits with a pair of long nosed pliers.


The new handle clipped easily in place, but, stupidly I followed the advice of a forum poster who claimed that the cable would automatically locate into place. It doesn't.


I tilted the seat forward using either pliers on the cable nipple to pull the cable, or did so by manually releasing both clips at the other end of the cables at the bottom of the seat. I unhooked both cables at the bottom of the seat. This gave maximum play in the cable at the top. Next time, I'll ensure the cable nipple is correctly located into its seating before pushing the handle surround into position, but this time I spent a further hour with my long nosed pliers trying to coax it into place, with eventual success.


I hope this helps other incompetent buffoons who are tempted to carry out the same repair.