Seat Repair

 

At some point, it happens to everyone... the seat in the Discovery sinks and turns into a racing seat.
There's no need to rush to a professional. The solution is simple, inexpensive, solves the problem permanently, and takes only 10 minutes.

 

The lower middle foam is supported by a plastic mesh anchored at both ends with rubber strips.
Over the years, this rubber dries out and tears. This will always happen during a strong off-road jump that sends the seat’s occupant deep into the chair.

 

Solution

  1. Remove the seat from the vehicle. 2 M10 bolts in the front, 2 Torx bolts in the back, and one more Torx bolt to release the seatbelt.
  2. Take the seat out of the vehicle and turn it over.
  3. Using a utility knife, cut off the remaining mesh and rubber. Leave the two metal wires that held the original mesh.
  4. Attach the metal wires with wide zip ties – they are both strong and flexible enough.
  5. Cut a semi-rigid foam about 4 cm thick to the appropriate size (36 x 43 cm) and push it between the seat and the seat reinforcement tube. This will prevent the seat from sinking in the future and will protect the zip ties from tearing.
  6. Clean the seat rails and lightly lubricate them with WD-40.
  7. Reattach the seat to the vehicle and tighten all 5 bolts using blue Loctite.

 

Notes

  1. I did not cut out the mesh and rubber. The rubber has not yet torn on this seat, so this is just a preventive measure. The zip ties reduce the pressure on the rubber.
  2. Do not tighten the zip ties to their maximum limit, as this will only bend the metal wires they are attached to. The more zip ties used, the better the load distribution.
  3. Choose foam that does not crumble when cut. Common mattress foams are not suitable.
Seat Disassembly Before Repair Installing Zip Ties Foam Installing Foam Installing Foam