I have just acquired a 1980 Mercedes Benz 300SD Turbo Diesel. Overall shes is good condition especially the interior apart from slight cracks in the dash and some electronic issues the car is in excellent order for having close to half a million miles on her. Oh by the way the odometer stopped working at 278,000 miles about 7 years ago. Anyway the leather seats are in great condition however are lacking padding and when you sit down you are sitting on springs. My uncle from whom which I received the car says it was originally stuffed with horse hair. Is this true? What should I use as a substitute for padding. All the seats are a bit low in that area however the back seats especially. Any thoughts or suggestions would be awsome thanks!
I would like to know as well as I need to do my drivers seat...
Robert
Hello Alex and Robert,
I think the original seat pads were made out of coconut fiber.
You can get replacements from GAHH and they will transform the way your seats feel, those are rubberized coconut fiber and look identical to the originals.
Front seats:
We can supply a set of 4 - 2 cushions and 2 backrests - $430.10 (506.00 list) or you can also get the individual pieces
Cushions - $98.60 (list 116.00)
Backrest - $116.45 (list 137.00)
Rear seat:
Cushion: $170.00 (200.00 list)
Backrest: $197.20 (232.00 list)
+ shipping
You should have a good upholstery shop do the replacement since it involves more than just swapping the pads, you need to re-stitch some the seat cover and maybe re-pleat the entire seat.
The look and feel of the finished product is well worth the investment.
If either one of you is interested, pls send an e-mail to info@mbclassic.net or joe@mbklassik.net
Tks,
Joe
Quote from: Alex T. on 19 May 2011, 04:54 PMMy uncle from whom which I received the car says it was originally stuffed with horse hair. Is this true?
For the record, he probably is correct - here is the back of the rear seat backrest of my car, which I removed last week while fitting a new aerial (needed to get to the wiring behind the seat).
In the close up, you can see the horse hair (coconut fibres?) coated in the binding adhesive. The manufacturer detailed on the label still exists in the town of Kitszingen, Germany Link (http://www.fehrer.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=73&lang=en). The text on the left side translates as "Horsehair spinning, rubber and foam cushion hair factory". I doubt that they can still supply W116 parts though ;)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Type17/2011/_MG_0004.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/Type17/2011/_MG_0003.jpg)
search 'pool noodle' - a very successful way to fix your fronts.
In my back seat (I always look for the cheap way first...) I pulled all hte old broken horse hair out and roughly cut some foam to fit, rounding edges as needed. For the backrest (rear) i used much thinner foam glueing pieces where needed to bulk up - ie the side supports.
The fit is far from perfect, but they are comfortable and peering in you'd be none the wiser.
Quote from: Japes on 21 May 2011, 03:13 AM
search 'pool noodle' - a very successful way to fix your fronts.
In my back seat (I always look for the cheap way first...) I pulled all hte old broken horse hair out and roughly cut some foam to fit, rounding edges as needed. For the backrest (rear) i used much thinner foam glueing pieces where needed to bulk up - ie the side supports.
The fit is far from perfect, but they are comfortable and peering in you'd be none the wiser.
i pulled my drivers seat today, managed to install a new "height lever" as the handle was missing from the old one, free up the height adjust track, and when I was there, stuffed a foam wedge under the centre off the seat. The seat already had a variant of the pool noodle repair, where strips of foam were rolled into a tight cylinder (Swiss roll), tied with twine, and placed on their ends around the edges as per the pool noodle. I laways wondered why the seat was so firm at the outside, and sagged in the middle. :P
The height adjustment really has helped too.
Quote from: Alex T. on 19 May 2011, 04:54 PM
My uncle from whom which I received the car says it was originally stuffed with horse hair. Is this true?
A common urban myth.
the padding material is made out of rubberized coconut fibers, it even says so on the MB website if you search long and hard enough.
Joe , will new pads only make the difference or is there some way to firmen the springs up beneath as well?
thanks JJB
Quote from: Gerard on 22 May 2011, 04:50 PM
i pulled my drivers seat today, managed to install a new "height lever" as the handle was missing from the old one, free up the height adjust track, and when I was there, stuffed a foam wedge under the centre off the seat.
I need to do this to both of my seats as both of my handles are broken so I have no idea how the height adjusts...did it require disassembling the whole seat in order to replace the metal part the handle connects to?
Quote from: Raptelan on 24 May 2011, 07:59 AM
Quote from: Gerard on 22 May 2011, 04:50 PM
i pulled my drivers seat today, managed to install a new "height lever" as the handle was missing from the old one, free up the height adjust track, and when I was there, stuffed a foam wedge under the centre off the seat.
I need to do this to both of my seats as both of my handles are broken so I have no idea how the height adjusts...did it require disassembling the whole seat in order to replace the metal part the handle connects to?
Not dissassembling the seat, but certainly removing it. Its straightforward, with one or two little challenges.
Expose the bolts at the rear of the seat. I had to grip my height handle with a pliers and slide the seat forward, it was hard to move as it was gummed up.
Loosen the rear bolts (10mm socket) but dont remove fully.
Expose the front bolts, loosen but dont remove.
loosen the seat belt rail, again 10mm and remove bolt, pay attention to 2washers behind.
Wind seat back to vertical or near it. Remove all the bolts carefully at this stage.
Get in the back of the car and gently lift the seat in stages towards the drivers door. I got it balanced on the sidesill, then got out of the car and could grab it from outside. Be very careful as you could easily break trim, scratch etc.
i put the seat upside down on some mats, and sprayed a bit of WD40 on the sliders to loosen. Operate the height lever to allow the spring to pull the rail to its most relaxed end (mind your fingers, head!!!! etc), the spring can be removed with a pliers at its end. Access to the height lever retaining screw (big philips) is not clear, but I managed it by taking my time. When the screw is out, remove the old seat lever.
I bent the end on the new height lever slightly to allow it to fit easily in the seat frame (compare the old and new to see). Free up the roller mechanism with oil or whatever. Have some cloths to prevent oil destroying the leather or pads etc.
Have a few bits of foam on hand for the seat base, and maybe some variants on the "pool noodle" repair.
Re-assy is the reverse, taking care when lifting (mind your back) and so as not to tear your trim and leather bits!
Gerard
jjb, besides the pads, sometimes you will find one or more springs in the seat are broken and that will contribute significantly to the "loose" feel we sometimes experience in these cars.
A good upholstery shop will be able to repair the spring box saving you some money on a replacement.
With a good spring box and new pads the seats will feel as if the car just left the factory.
Oh, one tip on the height adjustment lever replacement: I have found that as long as your tracks are cleaned and lubed, you can leave the spring out and still adjust the seat without any problems. Did that when I re-assembled the 78 450SEL after its body resto. It will save you from getting hurt trying to reconnect the spring and allow the seat to fully slide down to its first track slot, which is almost impossible with the spring in place.
Tks,
Joe
Joe my rear mbtex is only 'ok' - although a professional clean will probabely bring it up. how much is the rear seat and seat back cover replacement? i figure if im going to redo the internals' might as well redo the lovely tops also
jjb, because MB-Tex is practically indestructible unless your rear seat is torn, you can clean it with soap, warm water and a soft brush and it will most likely look as good as new.
If you do wish to replace the covers for the rear the prices are:
$550.80 for the kit (648.00 list) - cushion, backrest and armrest cover
Tks,
Joe
can the pleats in them be rejuvenated any ways or would this be a true new cover scenario?
i only ask as if i recover my fronts i wouldnt want them to look tooo different to the backs...
Absolutely, a good upholstery shop will be able to re-stuff the pleats and do all the sewing necessary to make the seat look new.
Question: What color is your interior? I ask because if it's bamboo it gets a little tricky. That color fades unevenly and you may have a color difference between front and back, black, blue and tobacco are a lot more forgiving
Tks,
Joe
sounds good and yes, it is bamboo/biege
do the pleats actually get stuffing in them? that will improve the feel indeed! :)
If I remember right yes, they have a strip of foam/padding inside, the new covers come already fully "pleated" so yo don't have to worry about it.
Tks,
Joe
how much are the new covers for the front seats/back and head rest Joe?
thanks!
would you suggest having those heated seat options as ok? seeing as the seat will be in pieces, seems a good time to do it ?
James,
front seat kit runs $550.80 - 2 cushions, 2 backrests and arm rest cover
Head rest kit: $82.45 for the pair
Tks,
Joe
Alex,
I have recently replaced the pads in the rear of my 1980 300 SD. I concur with the posts. The pads from GAHH (California) were around $440 delivered, and I too, then went to a local trim shop to have them replaced. I could have done it, but the muslin was rotted away. So, the shop replaced it and re-stitched the MB Tex. The shop charged $500 total. So, a grand was spent in total.
Mark
Resurecting an old thread.
From what I've been able to determine GAHH and World Upholstery are indicating the Fiber padding for the W116 is no longer available. Any other sources that anyone knows about or high quality substitutes or DIY solutions. Visually my seats look great. However, I basically have a huge SL since I don't let anyone sit in the back seats. :D
They are listed on this site:
https://cabrio.de/en/interiors-khm/padding-panels/mercedes-benz-1/116
And just in case: GAHH is very eager to drop prices by 40% if you have a reasonable story with an outlook to more sales. :)