Cross Flag Seat Cover Installation w Pictures
08-13-2010, 05:58 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Cross Flag Outer Back Seat Cover Installation w Pictures
All,
I just completed the installation of a pair of new C6 Cross Flag Ebony leather Outer Back seat covers and I have photographed and documented the process. It is relatively simple (especially after one of the two seats is completed) and I would estimate about an hour a seat to complete the work. You do not need to take the seats out, and the tools required are minimal. Remember you are only replacing the top seat cover that has the headrest and the two side bolsters. There is also a seat bottom and center section that will retain the original seat covers.
I used the following tools:
.Pointed Awl to get staples started for rear of seat bottom tab removal.
.GM Trim removal tool - has a forked tongue for removing those pesky plastic fasteners easily
.Small Needle Nose pliers to pull staples from rear seat tabs
.Drill Driver with phillips head to put in two self tapping screws on the bottom rear leather tabs into the plastic seat base
.Tape to hold seat foam back in place where it comes loose when removing the original covers
That's it. About $239.41 from partstaxi.com for the Outer Back seat covers and two hours of labor and you'll be done. I believe I could do a seat in about an easy 45 minutes now that I've done two of them. Remember the tabs/flaps from the bottom of each bolster and they are attached to the back of the seat base plastic, and the two heavy bolster wires and how they attach and connect, and you'll have it knocked. These are the only two tough parts in the install. The tabs and the wires.
Pictures are located at: http://s864.photobucket.com/albums/a...ver%20Install/
Each of the 97 pictures basically corresponds to one of the numbered steps below. There are a few exceptions so read the item and then there will be a corresponding picture for the task in the album. Sorry, But I didn't have the time to insert each picture after each of the numbered tasks. Volunteers?.
Here is the step by step removal and installation process for the Outer Back seat covers:
Remove original seat cover(s):
1.1 Start - original seat cover - drivers side in this example. Passenger seat is the same process. Place seat in midway point of track so you can acess the front and back of the seat easily.
1.2 Pop off seat latch cover - note original vertical orientation of slot on latch cover
1.3 Seat back latch has been removed
1.4 Unzip Seat back - zippers are tucked under the rear of the seat cover
1.5 Unzipped - pull the fabric up out of the way
1.7 Note leather "tabs" on each side of the bottom of the seat. They are both stapled to the base of the seat plastic. Look for the staples on each
1.8 Use pointed Awl and loosen staples on the tabs
1.9 Use needle noses and remove/pull out the staples from both sides
1.10 Go to front of seat and kneel on bottom cushion facing the seat. Put fingers between headrest bottom, and center section top. Pull up and out on center section until latch wire on center section back disengages from seat back. See pictures.
1.11 Seat back from top down view with center section pushed forward
1.12 Center section view with top and middle catches - center section pushed forward towards steering wheel.
1.13 Remove 4 black plastic fasteners from beneath headrest. use Trim tool.
1.14 all 4 fasteners are now removed from under headrest
1.15 Remove fastener from left side middle by side bolster
1.16 Remove fastener from left side bottom by side bolster - Note orientation of heavy wire in side pockets of bolster ansd note the bladder hose position in relation to the bottom fastener.
1.17 Remove fastener from right side middle by side bolster
1.18 Remove fastener from right side bottom by side bolster - Note orientation of heavy wire in side pockets of bolster ansd note the bladder hose position in relation to the bottom fastener.
1.19 Pull the bottoms of both bolster covers sides up and out towards the steering wheel - about 1/2 way up and off. Important - Note the heavy Wires in sleeve pockets on both sides of the bolsters cover. The top of each sides wire is "hooked" into a hole on the seat back slightly under the bottom of the headrest's yellow foam. Note this as it is critical to the reinstall of the new covers. Don't be like me and at first be looking for a place to use one of the black fasteners to reattach the top wire hook. The top of the wire hooks into the hole in the seat back frame.
1.20 Lift left bolster by the bottom of the wire and remove the top of the wire from the hole in the seat back
1.21 Now do the same for the right wire and right bolster
1.22 Now pull up on the seat cover at the headrest and remove the seat cover from the seat. Be gentle as there is a black piece of foam covering the airbag cover that fell off on both of my seats when I removed the cover
1.23 Set seat cover aside next to new seat cover - preferably on a table side by side. We need to remove and reinstall the right and left bolster wires from the old seat into the new seat cover.
1.24 Remove left bolster wire by pulling it down towards the bottom and out of it's bolster sleeve. Note orientation of the wire with the hook at the top of the wire.
1.25 Put the bolster wire into the new seat cover - left side bolster - hook towards top of headrest.
1.26 Repeat for wire removal for the the right bolster
1.27 Repeat wire insert into new seat covert for right bolster
1.28 Removal process is complete - New Seat cover install begins here...
Seat cover install:
2.1 Lightly Tape black foam cover back in place over black airbag plastic if necessary. I used ordinary packaging tape and did not tape over air bag area of seat.
2.2 Slip new seat cover down over seat headrest and position bolsters in front of seat but not on bolsters. Position seat cover fabric back over back of seat but DO NOT ZIP yet.
2.3 Now remember those pesky bolster wires and the holes in the seat back. Place the left bolster wire in the seat back. You have to angle the bolster wire to do this and get it hooked in the seat back.
2.4 Repeat now for the right bolster wire.
2.5 Install the four plastic fasteners under the headrest
2.6 Pull the seat cover bolsters down over the seat bolster foam and try to get them all the way down until they cover all of the bolster foam at the bottom of the side bolster.
2.7 Position the left bolster wire and put in the middle fastener
2.8 Repeat for bottom fastener. Note the bladder's clear hose position should be under/beneath the fastener.
2.9 Position the right bolster wire and put in the middle fastener
2.10 Repeat for bottom fastener on the right bolster. Note the bladder clear hose position should be under/beneath the fastener.
2.11 Reach under the bottom of each bolster with your fingers and push the leather tab from the seat cover through to the back - under the seat - pull the seat covers tab/flap out from behind the seat back and leave it hanging for now.
2.12 Reinstall the center section to the seatback - Kneel on the seat facing the seat and pull up on the center section and latch the middle catch to the seat back, continue pulling up and latch the top wire to the seat back.
2.13 Reinstall the rear seat back latch. Note the orientation is that the slot will be vertical on the seat back when installed and pushed in to catch.
2.14 Homeward Bound Now - We will screw the left tab/flap to the bottom of the seat back in the black plastic area. I tried to use 3 of my staple guns, but the seat base was like kryptonite... So I opted for some small self tapping 1/2 inch long round head machine screws with small washers. They worked like a charm.
2.15 Stretch/pull out left tab and fold leather tab material in half, in preparation to screw it to the seat bottom plastic. Doubling helps to reinforce the tab material:
Fold Tab:
Attach covers tab/flap with screw and washer:
2.16 Repeat the same process for the right tab
2.17 Do a final positioning of the seat cover on the seat. Make sure that the bottom of the seat cover actually covers all of the yellow foam on the bottom of the left and right bolsters. I had to stretch my cover down again to cover a slight bit of exposed yellow seat foam.
2.18 Tilt seat back slightly forward by unlatching the rear seat latch.
2.19 Stretch one side (passenger side if doing drivers seat/Drivers side if doing passenger seat) of the seat back cover fabric and zip down the seat back cover on that side.
2.20 Stretch fabric and zip down the other side remaining zipper) This will be hard and tight. I used a pair of needle noses on the zipper handle and stretched the fabric together with my other hand until I could "safely" get the final zipper zipped down.
2.21 Do a final stretch and positioning of the seat cover back fabric and then tuck the extra zipper up under the back of the seat cover.
2.22 Wipe down the new seat cover, inspect it for any wrinkles or yellow seat foam showing and if none, you are done. I have some slight wrinkles on the top of the bolsters that I will work on later. It was 90+ in my garage this morning and I was very well cooked and dehydrated so I quit for the day leaving this for tomorrow. Sorry for the sweat drops on a a few of the pictures from the camera.
Note console cover is out for a seperate NAV unit installation, and some APSIS Leather and CF installs taking place at same time.
Take a picture of your work, and enjoy your new flagged seat covers. I wrapped each of my my old seat covers in cloth towel, and put them a nylon duffle bag and stored them in case I ever need them again/later.
Regards,
Ron
I just completed the installation of a pair of new C6 Cross Flag Ebony leather Outer Back seat covers and I have photographed and documented the process. It is relatively simple (especially after one of the two seats is completed) and I would estimate about an hour a seat to complete the work. You do not need to take the seats out, and the tools required are minimal. Remember you are only replacing the top seat cover that has the headrest and the two side bolsters. There is also a seat bottom and center section that will retain the original seat covers.
I used the following tools:
.Pointed Awl to get staples started for rear of seat bottom tab removal.
.GM Trim removal tool - has a forked tongue for removing those pesky plastic fasteners easily
.Small Needle Nose pliers to pull staples from rear seat tabs
.Drill Driver with phillips head to put in two self tapping screws on the bottom rear leather tabs into the plastic seat base
.Tape to hold seat foam back in place where it comes loose when removing the original covers
That's it. About $239.41 from partstaxi.com for the Outer Back seat covers and two hours of labor and you'll be done. I believe I could do a seat in about an easy 45 minutes now that I've done two of them. Remember the tabs/flaps from the bottom of each bolster and they are attached to the back of the seat base plastic, and the two heavy bolster wires and how they attach and connect, and you'll have it knocked. These are the only two tough parts in the install. The tabs and the wires.
Pictures are located at: http://s864.photobucket.com/albums/a...ver%20Install/
Each of the 97 pictures basically corresponds to one of the numbered steps below. There are a few exceptions so read the item and then there will be a corresponding picture for the task in the album. Sorry, But I didn't have the time to insert each picture after each of the numbered tasks. Volunteers?.
Here is the step by step removal and installation process for the Outer Back seat covers:
Remove original seat cover(s):
1.1 Start - original seat cover - drivers side in this example. Passenger seat is the same process. Place seat in midway point of track so you can acess the front and back of the seat easily.
1.2 Pop off seat latch cover - note original vertical orientation of slot on latch cover
1.3 Seat back latch has been removed
1.4 Unzip Seat back - zippers are tucked under the rear of the seat cover
1.5 Unzipped - pull the fabric up out of the way
1.7 Note leather "tabs" on each side of the bottom of the seat. They are both stapled to the base of the seat plastic. Look for the staples on each
1.8 Use pointed Awl and loosen staples on the tabs
1.9 Use needle noses and remove/pull out the staples from both sides
1.10 Go to front of seat and kneel on bottom cushion facing the seat. Put fingers between headrest bottom, and center section top. Pull up and out on center section until latch wire on center section back disengages from seat back. See pictures.
1.11 Seat back from top down view with center section pushed forward
1.12 Center section view with top and middle catches - center section pushed forward towards steering wheel.
1.13 Remove 4 black plastic fasteners from beneath headrest. use Trim tool.
1.14 all 4 fasteners are now removed from under headrest
1.15 Remove fastener from left side middle by side bolster
1.16 Remove fastener from left side bottom by side bolster - Note orientation of heavy wire in side pockets of bolster ansd note the bladder hose position in relation to the bottom fastener.
1.17 Remove fastener from right side middle by side bolster
1.18 Remove fastener from right side bottom by side bolster - Note orientation of heavy wire in side pockets of bolster ansd note the bladder hose position in relation to the bottom fastener.
1.19 Pull the bottoms of both bolster covers sides up and out towards the steering wheel - about 1/2 way up and off. Important - Note the heavy Wires in sleeve pockets on both sides of the bolsters cover. The top of each sides wire is "hooked" into a hole on the seat back slightly under the bottom of the headrest's yellow foam. Note this as it is critical to the reinstall of the new covers. Don't be like me and at first be looking for a place to use one of the black fasteners to reattach the top wire hook. The top of the wire hooks into the hole in the seat back frame.
1.20 Lift left bolster by the bottom of the wire and remove the top of the wire from the hole in the seat back
1.21 Now do the same for the right wire and right bolster
1.22 Now pull up on the seat cover at the headrest and remove the seat cover from the seat. Be gentle as there is a black piece of foam covering the airbag cover that fell off on both of my seats when I removed the cover
1.23 Set seat cover aside next to new seat cover - preferably on a table side by side. We need to remove and reinstall the right and left bolster wires from the old seat into the new seat cover.
1.24 Remove left bolster wire by pulling it down towards the bottom and out of it's bolster sleeve. Note orientation of the wire with the hook at the top of the wire.
1.25 Put the bolster wire into the new seat cover - left side bolster - hook towards top of headrest.
1.26 Repeat for wire removal for the the right bolster
1.27 Repeat wire insert into new seat covert for right bolster
1.28 Removal process is complete - New Seat cover install begins here...
Seat cover install:
2.1 Lightly Tape black foam cover back in place over black airbag plastic if necessary. I used ordinary packaging tape and did not tape over air bag area of seat.
2.2 Slip new seat cover down over seat headrest and position bolsters in front of seat but not on bolsters. Position seat cover fabric back over back of seat but DO NOT ZIP yet.
2.3 Now remember those pesky bolster wires and the holes in the seat back. Place the left bolster wire in the seat back. You have to angle the bolster wire to do this and get it hooked in the seat back.
2.4 Repeat now for the right bolster wire.
2.5 Install the four plastic fasteners under the headrest
2.6 Pull the seat cover bolsters down over the seat bolster foam and try to get them all the way down until they cover all of the bolster foam at the bottom of the side bolster.
2.7 Position the left bolster wire and put in the middle fastener
2.8 Repeat for bottom fastener. Note the bladder's clear hose position should be under/beneath the fastener.
2.9 Position the right bolster wire and put in the middle fastener
2.10 Repeat for bottom fastener on the right bolster. Note the bladder clear hose position should be under/beneath the fastener.
2.11 Reach under the bottom of each bolster with your fingers and push the leather tab from the seat cover through to the back - under the seat - pull the seat covers tab/flap out from behind the seat back and leave it hanging for now.
2.12 Reinstall the center section to the seatback - Kneel on the seat facing the seat and pull up on the center section and latch the middle catch to the seat back, continue pulling up and latch the top wire to the seat back.
2.13 Reinstall the rear seat back latch. Note the orientation is that the slot will be vertical on the seat back when installed and pushed in to catch.
2.14 Homeward Bound Now - We will screw the left tab/flap to the bottom of the seat back in the black plastic area. I tried to use 3 of my staple guns, but the seat base was like kryptonite... So I opted for some small self tapping 1/2 inch long round head machine screws with small washers. They worked like a charm.
2.15 Stretch/pull out left tab and fold leather tab material in half, in preparation to screw it to the seat bottom plastic. Doubling helps to reinforce the tab material:
Fold Tab:
Attach covers tab/flap with screw and washer:
2.16 Repeat the same process for the right tab
2.17 Do a final positioning of the seat cover on the seat. Make sure that the bottom of the seat cover actually covers all of the yellow foam on the bottom of the left and right bolsters. I had to stretch my cover down again to cover a slight bit of exposed yellow seat foam.
2.18 Tilt seat back slightly forward by unlatching the rear seat latch.
2.19 Stretch one side (passenger side if doing drivers seat/Drivers side if doing passenger seat) of the seat back cover fabric and zip down the seat back cover on that side.
2.20 Stretch fabric and zip down the other side remaining zipper) This will be hard and tight. I used a pair of needle noses on the zipper handle and stretched the fabric together with my other hand until I could "safely" get the final zipper zipped down.
2.21 Do a final stretch and positioning of the seat cover back fabric and then tuck the extra zipper up under the back of the seat cover.
2.22 Wipe down the new seat cover, inspect it for any wrinkles or yellow seat foam showing and if none, you are done. I have some slight wrinkles on the top of the bolsters that I will work on later. It was 90+ in my garage this morning and I was very well cooked and dehydrated so I quit for the day leaving this for tomorrow. Sorry for the sweat drops on a a few of the pictures from the camera.
Note console cover is out for a seperate NAV unit installation, and some APSIS Leather and CF installs taking place at same time.
Take a picture of your work, and enjoy your new flagged seat covers. I wrapped each of my my old seat covers in cloth towel, and put them a nylon duffle bag and stored them in case I ever need them again/later.
Regards,
Ron
Last edited by 2015 Coupe; 08-14-2010 at 01:56 AM. Reason: Adding Pictures
08-13-2010, 08:48 PM
#6
Team Owner
Thanks for sharing the detailed write-up!! Many ask about how to do this every year. I hope you intend to leave those 97 pics on your photobucket account 'till the end of time. 
j/k. 
08-14-2010, 01:44 AM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
Ron
08-14-2010, 01:47 PM
#9
Racer
Thread Starter
