kam wrote:What's the deal with changing the center then as mine has sagged on my recaros in my E21, and was going to get them done at some point, but if it's relatively easy DIY job, then I'd like to know how to go about it.
Cheers.
Kam
Kam, i have not worked on E21 seats before and i'm assuming that you are talking about the seat base?
If they are similar to the E30 seats, replacing the centres are the easiest job.
This is how you would change the centre on an E30 sports seat:
1. Slide the seat all the way back and undo the front bolts, then all the way forward and undo the rears.
2. With the seat still in the car tilt it sideways and undo the seat belt mounting, lift the seat out the car.
3. Place the seat on a bench/table at a suitable height as you will be leant over it for some time
.
4. Tip the seat forward so it is leaning on the top of the back rest (having removed the headrest first) at the hinge point on the bottom of the back rest cover you will see 2 cross head screws, remove them.
5. Put the seat right way up and carefully raise the back rest cover up, there are two hidden clips at the headrest end holding the top.
6. You can now see inside the frame of the back rest, there are two recesses, one either side and close to the bottom, remove the two large cross head screws from within.
7. Undo the plastic hinge point covers and set aside with all the other items removed.
8. Looking into the area where you have removed the back rest cover, carefully prize the wire out from the seat back lever (the one that allows you to let rear passengers in) follow this wire down the inside of the backrest frame and bend out tabs holding it back.
9. Viewing the hinge mechanisms, the same wire (hoop ends) leave these attached to the hinge points and feed the wire out through the gap in the back rest side bolster and finally remove the nylon gromit, you will see that you can now lift the back rest off the base.
All that sounds alot more difficult than it is, it is just long winded to describe
Please note that if you want to replace the base side bolsters other dismantling will be required.
10. Remove the seat belt receiver (bolts into either end of a bar that holds the back of the seat base fabric) and turn the seat base upside down, carefully prize the bar out of the hinge point either side, this will release the back of the runners and slide the bar out through the fabric loop.
11. At the front of the seat base, remove the clip and pin that secures the arm for the adjustable bolster and then carefully with a flat screwdriver lift the metal securing tabs/spikes from around the underside of it as well as the plastic strip that will now pull off from the long edge.
12. With the seat base still upside down, you will see that the foam in the base is clipped with "Hog Rings" through the the seat springs and in some places to the edge ot the side bolsters, you will need to tug and twist these out with snipe nosed pliers (keep them and using the snipe nose pliers you will need to bend these backinto a u shape to reclip the new base).
13. Finally look for the other metal tabs/spikes across the back edge of the seat frame and pull the material, bend up the tabs and lift the material off them, the seat base will now be released.
NOTE PUTTING THE HOG RINGS BACK IN THROUGH THE FOAM IS A BA**ARD, you will need to put a cushion between your bench and the finshed side of your base (with the seat upside down between the bolsters) and push the U shaped rings (that you rebent earlier) down into the foam with you snipe nosed pliers and then at the same time turn them so you have the points facing you and then sqeeze them closed around a seat spring.
Good luck, it is not as bad as it sounds, it will all fall int place as you go.
Refitting the new base a building the seat back up is the same process in reverse.
An E30 touring, two E28 M5's and an E28 528i.
(nightmare) and two sets of cloth sports E30 seats, one pair for myself and one pair for a friend. 
).
