Hi all. My drivers seat is really difficult to slide forward. Even with the under seat bar pulled upward as far as it will go , you can hear the ratcheting sound as it struggles to slide. I've greased the runners which helped slightly. I'm wondering if the whole mechanism may be worn out ( it's done 98000 mile), or is there anything I can adjust ?. I'm considering taking the whole seat out and giving it a closer inspection but I'm open to any quick fix ideas before I do that. Cheers.

Yorkshire Pud said:

Hi all. My drivers seat is really difficult to slide forward. Even with the under seat bar pulled upward as far as it will go , you can hear the ratcheting sound as it struggles to slide. I've greased the runners which helped slightly. I'm wondering if the whole mechanism may be worn out ( it's done 98000 mile), or is there anything I can adjust ?. I'm considering taking the whole seat out and giving it a closer inspection but I'm open to any quick fix ideas before I do that. Cheers.

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It’s a bit of a mechanism. I’ve taken lots out and I wouldn’t attempt to fix one. It’s probably worth getting g a complete seat replacement on eBay. Take it out, have a fiddle and if it doesn’t work just get another.

typecastboy said:

It’s a bit of a mechanism. I’ve taken lots out and I wouldn’t attempt to fix one. It’s probably worth getting g a complete seat replacement on eBay. Take it out, have a fiddle and if it doesn’t work just get another.

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Does the mechanism on bolt from the rest of the seat?
If so should be easy to get one-off a seat with blown airbags as i imagine body breakers would just throw the whole seat away

I’ve thrown loads of them away. Have a look at Club500Italia on eBay. I often see them selling seat bases.

It sounds like something is bent, so the release doesn't move as far as it should, remove the seat and inspect?

Re: Drivers seat adjustment issue - now sorted

Took the seat out to inspect. I saw that, when you lift the seat bar, the bar makes contact with a round peg that then lifts the ratchet teeth out of the runner ( the clicking sound you hear as the seat slides back and forth). My whole mechanism is worn and has play in it, so the teeth werent clearing the runner with the seat bar pulled fully up. I made a small collar to fit over the peg, giving it a bigger diameter and therefore more travel, taking up the play and lifting the teeth clear of the runner. I did consider grinding a few millimeter off the top of the teeth, but didn't need to. That's another job ticked off the list on a car bought cheap due to various faults.

Re: Drivers seat adjustment issue - now sorted

Yorkshire Pud said:

Took the seat out to inspect. I saw that, when you lift the seat bar, the bar makes contact with a round peg that then lifts the ratchet teeth out of the runner ( the clicking sound you hear as the seat slides back and forth). My whole mechanism is worn and has play in it, so the teeth werent clearing the runner with the seat bar pulled fully up. I made a small collar to fit over the peg, giving it a bigger diameter and therefore more travel, taking up the play and lifting the teeth clear of the runner. I did consider grinding a few millimeter off the top of the teeth, but didn't need to. That's another job ticked off the list on a car bought cheap due to various faults.

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How has this fix held up? My 500S has started to do this, very difficult to move the seat back and forth, seems to not want to unlock and when it does, it sticks about the halfway point.

Still going strong. The seat is held in by 4 bolts. Take it out and it is easy to see how the mechanism works. I put a piece of garden hose over The peg which gives it more diameter. Grinding the top off the teeth will give the same result. Don't be afraid of removing the seat, it takes 5 mins and the same to replace it. The wiring just pulls apart at the joint.?

Yorkshire Pud said:

Don't be afraid of removing the seat, it takes 5 mins and the same to replace it. The wiring just pulls apart at the joint.

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Yes, removing the seat is trivial (unless the bolts have corroded). Just to be safe, I'd also disconnect the quick release on the battery terminal before unplugging the airbag. This will add perhaps 30 seconds, making it a 5 1/2 min job.

cheers guys, job for weekend.
just in case it won't bodge using this fix, does anyone know the part numbers to replace it?