Introduction:
This can be a very effective way of changing the complete look of your interior and improving the driving position.
The main reason the bolsters wear is due to the way we get into, and out of our 205's. Most of the time people slide in which puts loads of pressure on the foam. This is only held in place by a thin metal bar so the weight isn't spread over a large area causing them to split. A design fault on Peugeot's part. To solve this and improve the life of your seats just be careful when getting in and out, this should dramatically reduce the wear effects on the foam and keep the seats looking fresh.
I bought a Sorrento green and the seats where looking very tired with heavy bolster wear on the passenger seat especially. The picture below shows how the bolsters looked.
damaged outer bolsters
The Job:
1. To replace the bolsters you firstly need to remove the seats. This can be a tricky job if not attempted before, but once its been done a few times its very simple. To do this you will need a good ratchet and a Torx T-40 bit. You need to slide the seats forward using the runner at the front of the seat. This allows you to get to the bolts at the back; there are usually 3 bolts, two on one side and one on the other. Remember to keep hold of the plastic spacers and also the metal washers that slide in the runners. Once this has been done the seat needs to be slid backwards enabling you to see the two bolts at the front. With the seat flat it is very difficult to get a ratchet in to remove the bolts. I found it much easier to slightly lift the seat up, using the handle on the side of the seat; this will give you more room. The seat should stay in this position allowing you to remove both the bolts. The same method can be used on both seats.
2. With the seats removed you need to remove the plastic cover on the side of the seat, a cross head screwdriver will be needed for this. There are three screws in total. One on the side of the plastic cover, the other two underneath the seat. You will also need to pull it over the handle this can prove tricky but can be done if you're careful.
The sub frame will then need top be removed, a long extension bar is often useful, There are four T-40 Torx bolts holding this to the base of the seat, two on each side.
With this removed you can clearly see the metal clips holding the material/leather to the base of the seat. Using a screwdriver and some pliers the clips need to be removed, this can be a tedious job but shouldn't take too long. With these removed you should be able to lift the material up and gain access to the bolster. If it is badly squashed then prepare for lots of bits of foam (best not to do it on your mums new carpet).
3. With access to the bolster, the material needs to be pushed back as far as possible allowing you too see the whole of the bolster. With a sharp knife, I personally use a Stanley knife; you need to cut down the side of the bolster where it meets the main centre of the seat. The dots on the picture above show a rough alignment of where the bolster meets the seat centre. With the knife you need to cut along this line once this is done you can pull the remains of the old bolster out with your hands.
Finding a new bolster - You can buy them new as far as I know but I usually go for the cheap option. If you go to your local scrap yard armed with a knife then if you are replacing both outside bolsters find a set of seats with the same foam design.
They don't have to be from a Gti there are quite a few base model 205's that use the same designs. E.g. XS's. The inside bolsters are usually in good condition, these can both be cut out. You don't need to remove the seat. Just cut along the material allowing access, and then carefully cut the bolster out.
4. Not long now! The new foam then needs to be slid into your seat making sure the metal support is correctly positioned and goes almost up the middle of the foam. The material/ leather then needs to be pulled back over the new bolster and the foam moved around until the correct position of the foam is achieved. It's often best to compare to the other undamaged side for this.
5. Basically it's got to the stage where it needs to be put back together. The material/ leather needs to be pulled tight back over and the metal clips put back. This will hold the bolster firmly in place. Final adjustments need to be done at this point.
The conclusion:
Once this has been done, the plastic cover can be put back on along the sub frame and its ready to refit to the car.
Here are the results:
the seats look as good as new
I think this a very satisfying and quite simple job to do, virtually anyone can do this and it improves the interior of your 205 as virtually all 205's now have saggy bolsters.
If you would prefer to replace the whole seat, then a passenger seat can be used as a drivers seat. The sub frames need to be swapped and either the plastic adjuster removed or the handle filed allowing clearance.
If you have anymore questions about replacing the bolsters or the seats in general then don't hesitate to contact me.