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If you're like me and don't have the money to replace your seats or get them reupholstered, simply do the seat bottom swap!
The driver side seat wears out alot faster than the passenger side, especially on the outer bolster. This mod is for swapping your passenger seat bottom to your driver side and vise versa.
What year S2000 does this work on?
I did this on my 2003... I'm not sure if it works on all years but the seats didn't change all that much. I did read in the service manual that the 06 and up model added a passenger seat belt sensor, a weight sensor, and the driver side added a seat position sensor that will need to be disconnected.
How long does it take?
This job should only take about 45min if done right; however, it may take longer if you have the optional OEM alarm system and/or the OEM headrest speakers like I do.
What tools are needed?
You will need a 3/8 ratchet, a 3/8 extension (longer makes it easier), 12mm and 14mm sockets (both 6 point if you can to prevent rounding of the bolts), a flat tip screwdriver, and a torque wrench*.
*Use a torque wrench to properly torque down the bolts!!! If you don't have one, borrow one or buy one. These are your seats we are talking about here!
If you have the OEM alarm system, you will need a 10mm wrench, and a phillips head screwdriver.
Are the seat bottoms different?
Yes they are, the seat bottoms are different. The outer bolster of both seat bottoms are reinforced because that is the side you slide over to sit on. But if your seats are like mine, there's almost no cushion left so its like leather on metal. So I figured I'd get more life out of them by swapping them.
Disclamer: Do this mod at your own risk. I am not responsible for any damage caused to your vehicle.
If you have any questions regarding this write up, please PM me.
Okay, first things first... if you have the OEM alarm, disconnect your negative battery terminal with your 10mm wrench.
Next, start with the passenger seat and remove the two front 12mm bolts. A long extension makes this easier.
Then, remove the two 14mm bolts on the back side of the seat.
Tilt the seat out of the door and disconnect the headrest speaker harness if you have it. Then very carefully take the seat out of the car and put it somewhere safe. The seat bottom is very sharp and could ruin your interior or your paint job!
Congrats, you now have a 1 seater
You will now need to remove the clips (marked in green) that hold the headrest speaker harness on the bottom of the seat (if you have it). Then gently pop out the seat adjustment cable clip (marked in red).
The easiest way to pull the clips out is to pull them at an angle and push the anchor parts in from the sides with a flat tip screwdriver.
Then remove the two front 14mm bolts and the two back 12mm nuts (marked in green).
You are now ready to separate the seats. I did this on the ground as it seemed a little easier. First you pull the seat up and then out. It was a little tricky to get the seats apart at first, but you'll get the hang of it.
Now onto the driver's side seat. Take the bolts out the same way you did on the passenger side. This is little difficult... you have to lean the seat out of the door in such a way that the seat bottom clears the steering wheel. Make sure you don't pull on the seat too much because you have a harness for the seat lock sensor attached. If you have the OEM alarm system and head rest speakers, you will have a lot more harness to worry about.
The green circle represents the seatbelt harness; simply unclip and leave to the side.
Now, if you're like me and have all the OEM options, you have a few more harnesses to disconnect. The purple circle is a clip that holds the alarm harness in place. To remove it, squeeze the plastic anchor together at the end and it should slip right out. Then remove the three connectors circled in red. Finally remove the two speaker harness connectors like you did on the passenger side.
Now take the seat out.
Now you have no seats Now would be a good time to vacuum up the interior. I didn't because it was 3am and I didn't want to wake the neighbors.
This is what the bottom of your seat looks like if you have the OEM options mentioned above. If not, you will only have that one grey connector in the middle of the seat. Skip the next two steps if you don't have those options.
I started by unscrewing the four screws holding on the two small electrical boxes and the one big alarm control unit. Then I used the flat tip screw driver to pry out the achors.
Right after I took all the pieces off the driver side seat, I put them on the passenger seat so I knew where everything went and didn't lose anything.
Disconnect the grey connector from the seat by prying it with a flat tip screwdriver. If you have the headrest speakers you can remove the cables like you did on the passenger side.
Next remove the seat bottom like you did with the passenger side.
Then swap the seat bottoms and install them. Hand tighten the two nuts and the two bolts before you torque them. Using your torque wrench, tighten the two front 14mm bolts to 35 ft/lbs and the two back 12mm nuts to 16 ft/lbs. Repeat this on the other seat. Now you can snap the harnesses back on the seat bottoms.
You can now install your seats back into the car. This is easy because its just basically in the reverse order. Be sure to connect all the connectors before bolting down the seats. Hand tighten all four bolts first to align the seats. Then torque the two front 12mm bolts to 16 ft/lbs and the back 14mm bolts to 22 ft/lbs (29 ft/lbs for 06 and above seats).
Connect your negative battery terminal and you should be good to go!
Before
After
If I have any wrong information or am missing something please PM me and I will update accordingly.
Dude, awesome DIY! I'd like to do this as my OEM seats are not in great shape and the driver's side is covered with marine caulk from a boat repair project last spring-- where did you find the replacement seat bottoms?
Phil, that's a fantastic DIY write up! I would have considered it on mine, since my passenger seat was nearly flawless, but the driver's side left bolster did have some wear from yours truly.
Originally Posted by chazzguitar,Jul 24 2009, 06:41 AM
Dude, awesome DIY! I'd like to do this as my OEM seats are not in great shape and the driver's side is covered with marine caulk from a boat repair project last spring-- where did you find the replacement seat bottoms?
07-23-2009, 12:18 PM
DIY seat bottom swap
Now would be a good time to vacuum up the interior. I didn't because it was 3am and I didn't want to wake the neighbors.
