I just picked up a used 2007 MCS. The inside of my car is a little funky. So I want to give the whole interior a good cleaning. I'd like to remove the seats to do it the right way. But I know the front seats have the airbags in them, and I'm a little nervous never having owed a vehicle with seat airbags before.

Are there any special precautions that should be taken before unplugging a front seat from the car to avoid any airbag-related issues?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

No. 4 bolts... and there are some connectors under the middle of the seat to undo... so unbolt and tilt back slightly and youll see them.

 

If you're unplugging the airbag you should read what other people have to say....I don't think it's just a case of unplugging...there are some people who have not been able to get the airbag light to go off after seat removal....

 

The only thing you need to do is ensure you do not turn the key on while the seats are unplugged. If power is applied while the seats are unplugged the system will see a open circuit and the air bag light will come on and a trip to the dealer will be in order to reset the airbag light. To be safe it might be better to just disconnect the battery.

 

I would certainly disconnect the battery before unplugging the airbag sensor.

 

I second the disconnect-the-battery recommendation. Under no circumstances unplug the seat with the key in the ignition!

--Dan
Mach V

 

If you do not disconnect the battery then you will have an Air Bag Light after returning the seats to the car. You MUST disconnect the battery befoer unplugging the seat connectors.

 

I third the unplugging of the battery. It will save you from having to have the light reset.

Mark

 

agree with everyone else. disconnect the battery before removing the seats AND be sure to have the seats connections hooked back up before reconnecting the battery.

 

am I correct in saying that it's just the negative needs to be taken off of the battery?

 

Is there a torque spec for the bolts that hold the seats down?

 

NEVER touch an airbag connector with the battery connected. In fact disconnect the negative terminal and wait 20-40 minutes to make sure any capacitors discharge. You don't ever want to have one accidentally go off on you as it can cause a very serious injury.

I made the mistake of driving my BMW without reconnecting a side airbag and I had to go into NCsoft just to clear the light when I reconnected it. A dealer will NOT do this for free!
Remember... better safe than sorry!

 

Here ya go...(taken from my heated seats install How To thread)

DISCONNECT THE NEGATIVE OF YOUR CAR BATTERY AND WAIT A GOOD 5 MINUTES JUST TO BE SAFE. Remember, your seats have airbags inside them. These airbags could deploy, or more likely if you have an issue you could set off the airbag sensor light which can only be reset by the dealer at a cost of about $150. It's not worth it. Just do it right.

To do this, you will need to do the following.

1. Turn off the ignition and remove the keys.

2. Pop the hood and under the passenger side, there's a plastic cover over the battery. It looks like this:



3. Disconnect the negative clamp for the battery. It requires a 10mm wrench. Be very careful and don't touch other parts on the inside of the battery compartment. BE SAFE!



If you want, you can do the same thing for the positive as well. It's more dangerous, you don't want to touch any metal, etc., but I'm a complete moron at this stuff and took off the positive anyway just in case. Again, I'm stupid. LOL

If you're the main driver for the Mini, start with the PASSENGER SEAT. Your loved one will hate you if you mess up, but hey, you'll likely figure things out when you get to your seat. Just take it slow.

On the passenger seat, there are really only Four T40 screws holding in the seat. Two in the front corners along the rails, and two in the back.

BACK OF PASSENGER SEAT:


FRONT OF PASSENGER SEAT:


IMPORTANT! DON'T YANK THE SEAT OUT JUST YET!
There are airbag and other sensor controls attached and locked into the bottom of the seat! Just tilt the seat to the side to access the bottom connections. Under the seat there is thick black shielded cord that plugs into the yellow airbag sensor connector:



In order to disconnect the plug, you need to pull up on the black sliding connector and at the same time pull out on the yellow plug.



Once you've pulled up on the black plug, the yellow connector pulls right out, and you're all set to remove the seat. The seat comes out cleanly, rails and all. Even the seat belt clip is attached to the side of the seat, so the only thing left is the yellow connector plug.

 

Wrap a rag around one of the battery leads also. This will prevent accidental jostling of the car causing the battery to briefly reconnect when you least expect it.

 

Anyone know the torque spec for the seat bolts?

 

Bentley Manual says "Seat to floor (Use Locktite) 35 Nm (26 ft-lb)".

 

Thanks, does it mention which color?

 

I quoted the Bentley Manual. Which color of what? I don't understand our question.

 

Loctite comes in a few different colors that represents how well it does it's job. Certain Loctite's are essentially permanent.

 

I would use blue so you can get it off without air tools if you ever need to again.

Excellent post Oakland!

 

The Bentley Manuel doesn't say, but, yes blue, for the reasons peatun said.