Damaged Passenger Seat On My 3 Door Rav4 Xt3 2004

[Oskar8]

I need to repair/replace the front passenger seat on my Wife's 3 door Rav4 which has a unremovable seat stain.

I have located a replacement seat from the same model/year rav which is being scrapped.

My question is how difficult is it to remove and replace the seat...the guy selling the seat said it was very straight forward but he would say that!!

I would appreciate any help please.

[firemac]

I need to repair/replace the front passenger seat on my Wife's 3 door Rav4 which has a unremovable seat stain.

I have located a replacement seat from the same model/year rav which is being scrapped.

My question is how difficult is it to remove and replace the seat...the guy selling the seat said it was very straight forward but he would say that!!

I would appreciate any help please.

The seat should be anchored to the floor by several bolts which are fairly easy to remove. However, the thing to watch out for is the electrical connections underneath the seat that are linked to the seatbelt pre-tensioners and also the side airbag triggers (yours seems to be a 4.2 facelift model - round front fogs - so should have side airbags). As I understand it you need to make sure that you don't touch any of these connectors for a time after switching off the ignition as they involve capacitors that take some time to discharge fully once switched off - 30 mins seems to be a safe period.

Once the seat bolts are out, you car gently raise & support the seat just enough to get at the connectors and separate them. As far as I know they are failsafe in that they can only be connected one, correct, way but it would be advisable to take a few photos with your phone before starting to disconnect them.

The new seat should have a fabric label on the n/s indicating the presence of the side airbag. If not, then they may not be the same as your model's. Also check the new seat has the same electrical wiring & connectors as the old one. Also note that the driver's and passenger's seats are not interchangeable; that may sound like the bl**ding obvious but sometimes people overlook that until they are ready to fit the replacement!

Have you checked the price with Mr.T of a replacement seat cover before going for a complete seat?

[Oskar8]

Thanks very much for the very thorough response...

I did think about a replacement seat cover but did not know where to start..any info on this would be much appreciated

[firemac]

Thanks very much for the very thorough response...

I did think about a replacement seat cover but did not know where to start..any info on this would be much appreciated

Try your local Mr.T first. As far as I know, they come in separate parts, for the squab & the seat back.

Then there may be auto upholsterers on the web who could help - they may be able to re-dye your cover?

Good luck.

[Madasafish]

Warning: you MUST check the new seat has the same airbag system# as your old one. If not you will get an airbag warning light - and a MOT fail... (and you cannot get around that by removing the warning bulb.. the testers check that.)

# as in airbags in the same places, no extra airbags your current one has not got.