How To: Fix your clunking Recaros for good!

Pat · Mar 24, 2007

First of all I cannot take any credit for this fix, it was pointed out by Mick B in the following thread:

http://uk-mkivs.net/forums/thread/675412.aspx

Anyway I decided to do my passenger seat today and take a few photos for reference. It took approximately an hour with no rushing whatsoever [

]

Tools required:

13mm socket & driver, philips screwdriver, flathead screwdriver, axle stand or bricks for support, a lump hammer and a heavy duty chisel - something soft to lay your seat on the ground may be an idea. I used an old duvet.

First take the negative terminal off your battery, your seats have airbags inside and you don't want them going off whilst removing the seat [:|]

Move the seat as far forward as it will go on it's runners, you need to remove the plastic cap (circled in red) Use your flathead screwdriver to carefully pry the cap off

and remove the screw underneath the cap. Do this on both sides and remove the long black plastic pieces which come away easily

Then, move the seat as far back as it will go on it's runners. Look at the centre

See the 2 x 13mm bolts (circled in red) - these need to come off

Tilt the seat forwards, and slide it all the way back until it's free from the runner channels. Then you need to go under the seat and unclip the wiring connector(s) for the airbag and if like me you have heated seats [

]

Take the seat out of the car, remove the black trim (a couple of philips screws) around the base, and lay it on it's side

The following picture shows the pressed joints you need to be looking at. They're near the front of the seat

There's 2 per side

Now what I did was to use the axle stand to go under the opposite side to support the seat as I whacked the pressed 'flaps' down with the lump hammer and chisel

I found it easier to use the chisel upside down as this got all 5 flaps pressed down in a couple of hits. I then finished off using the chisel the right way up. The upper joints are a bit harder to access but by no means impossible. When you've done both of them, flip the seat over and repeat on the other side. Take your time and you'll be rewarded with a silent seat [

][y]

Refit the seat, reconnect the wiring plugs for the airbag and heating element, reconnect the battery and that's it!

Mick B · Apr 3, 2007

So glad its been of use to someone.Its an easy fix and makes the seats clunk free[Y]

Well done

basssound · Apr 3, 2007

So what's this clunking then???

deezer-d · Jul 18, 2007

Hoping to do this at the weekend if it ever stops raining! Do you bend the "flaps" down so as they sit level, if that makes sense?

Cheers

D

AnniGTI · Jul 19, 2007

Thanks Chaps,
I think my drivers seat is clunking as when I brake you can feel it move.

Is it a common problem for recaro seats?

sherad · Jul 19, 2007

Great guide - very useful.

Just to add, even with the battery disconnected, VW still advise this when removing front seats:

Warning:
Electrostatic discharges may result in unintentional
triggering of the airbag. Therefore the mechanic
must electrostatically discharge him/herself before
disconnecting the igniter and earth wires. This
can be done by briefly touching the body or striker
plate on the door.

deezer-d · Jul 20, 2007

Did my driver's seat last night in about 30 mins. Worked a treat no more clunking, thanks guys. Also had the airbag light on and discovered a loose wire in the seat connector block. Fixed that so hopefully all I need to do is get the fault code cleared.

deezer-d · Aug 8, 2007

Mine have started to clunk again [

]. I need to take them out again anyway to sort the airbag connectors out. I must not have hit the star shaped pieces of metal hard enough. Can anyone else who has done this confirm if they need to be bent flat?

Cheers

D

Frizzle · Aug 8, 2007

Thanks for the usefull information i just hope i dont mess up my heated seats

t5fau · Dec 3, 2007

I have a comment about this. Just my drivers seat is clucky so I bashed the lower two crimped joints, which stopped the clunking for an hour !!. So was going to do the tops as well. But i have found that the seat is much stiffer to flip forward now, (As its a 3 door), so these joints are there to allow the seat pivot forward !!!. Surely smacking these up isnt good !..

Any Ideas

timmyb · Dec 5, 2007

I am also interested in this as a fix for 3 door cars. [

]

Thanks
Tim

Pat · Dec 5, 2007

whoops just seen the replies - I have not had a squeak out of mine since doing this, nor has the operation of the mechanism changed - sorry it hasn't worked as well on some folk's seats [

]

this is more of a close up pic of how far back I bent the tabs

t5fau · Dec 6, 2007

HUmm ok, so it seems i may of been a bit ambitious with the hammer. from the pic i imagine i have bent them back too much and they are catching. So its NOT the bending the pins back that stops the cluck, more just the compression of the shaft. I better try again, Grrr

Whos your Daddy · Jun 12, 2008

Trie this and the seats are still clunking, anyone got any other suggestions.

fghtffyrdmns · Apr 21, 2009

Obviously this was ages ago but can anyone confirm what kind of 'clunking' it is. I've got a problem where the top half of my passenger seat moves more than it should which causes a constant rattle when no one's sitting in it. Is this the problem this might fix? Cheers

Pat · Apr 21, 2009

It might well fix it mate, yes [

] my passenger seat was like that which is what led me to do the 'fix'

2 years on, and still no noise. Good times [y]

fghtffyrdmns · Apr 21, 2009

Ah perfect, I'll give this a try some time this week. Thanks.

t5fau · Jul 2, 2009

Grr, why are mine so god dam noisy. Both sides are clunking under heavy acc/braking, drivers side a bit more actually. Think ill try to get the other half to sit in and make them clunk whislt i try to look underneath.

X-4FFY · Nov 25, 2009

Is this just for recaros? I have standard seats and the drivers side cluncks a bit, would this work for that as well?

themac007 · Nov 25, 2009

My passenger side recaro has started to rattle but only when someone sits in it?

As for the above fix, by bashing the rings down flat does this mean that is how they were originally and have bent out of shape?

blitz2g2 · Dec 9, 2009

I shall be trying to fix my seats today, I'm being negative as I find it really hard to believe my drivers seat clunking is replicating the sound of a broken Shock or sub frame etc.

I mean the noise is horrible,

but I did have mecahnics lift my car up in the air and done all the tests, they said your seat bracket is worn.

So fingers crossed it will work!

mohammed26 · Dec 9, 2009

thanks for thread Pat [Y] and very good information too [Y]

blitz2g2 · Jan 21, 2010

just tried this, and seat still rocks back and forward, about 1-2mm of movement when you use your hand whilst standing outside the car and rock it back and forward and you can hear a clicking noise coming from below the seat.

wonder what i can do next

.

matthew84 · Apr 11, 2010

hi,

in the 3rd pic down which shows the under side of the seat, what is the purpose of the spring that seems to connect something on the front to something on the rear as 1 of mine has some how come off on my passenger seat?

my seat still goes forward/back, up/down etc....

matt

posterboy · Aug 8, 2010

you mean clunking not squeaking?

lizardlace · Aug 19, 2010

Has this got anything to do with my seats sliging sideways and rocking back and forth? Or is that just some nylon clips???

How To: Fix your clunking Recaros for good!

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