Can I remove the back seat?

[cyberstout]

I just got new "Exact Seat Covers" for out 2008 Prius. Pretty nice for $70. I would like to remove the back seat bottom to make installation of that part easier.

Does anyone know how to do this without wrecking anything?

[Boo]

Yes, the rear seat bottom just lifts/pops out.

Here's a link to one of several threads on the GT Covers, which are supposed to close cousins of the Exact Seat Covers. It might have information useful to your installation of the Exact Seat Covers. One of the posts in it talks about just popping out the rear seat bottom. I think all you have to do is lift from the bottom in the middle.

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-mo...s-fitting.html

BTW, I know there are others here who put in the Exact Seat Covers. If necessary, just do a word search of Exact Seat Covers or exactseatcovers and you should be able to find at least one person you could PM/confer with.

Good luck. Post pictures when you're done!

[hyo silver]

I removed the back seat on a friend's Prius once and it was a major pain in the butt. "Pull here" translated into contorting myself backwards into the footwells and using way more force than I thought necessary. I did break a fastener or two, so maybe I wasn't doing it right. Still, I'd suggest it might be easier to fit the cover with the seat in place.

[cyberstout]

Boo,

Thanks for the advice. Your link to "GT Seat Covers - Fitting?" was helpful. That thread eventually lead me to a PDF link about "installing an XM radio" which gave instructions on removing the rear seat bottom.

My wife is gone with the car right now or I'd be out there trying to get the seat out. I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow.

From what I read it seems you are correct. GT Seat Covers and Exact Seat Covers are the same.

[Boo]

Great! My guess is that you're talking about these XM radio installation instructions/pictures, which also has instructions/pictures for popping out the rear seat:

https://www.metrotpn.com/documents/P...XMradio3.2.pdf

* * * * * * *
Whether the Exact Seat Covers are "imperfects" or "seconds" or knock-offs of GT Covers, I don't know. At $70, they sound like a real bargain.

* * * * * * *
Just a couple of more tips that you may already know:

1. There's lots of sharp metel under the car seats. So watch your fingers and/or wear cheap gloves ... maybe one of those inexpensive cloth work gloves with rubber sticky nubs on them ... I've picked up a pair for as low as 99 cents from Strauss Discount Auto.

2. Watch out for spills of liquids that may soak through your seat covers right down to the OEM covers ... years later when you remove your seat covers you may be dismayed to find a (now permanent) coke or coffee stain on your OEM covers. In this regard, it would probably be a good thing to get a couple of cans of ScotchGuard to spray the OEM covers before you put on the Exact Seat Covers. And of course, you should soak and clean up spills immediately.

* * * * * * * *
Anyway, congratulations on your Prius, and welcome to PriusChat. You've already discovered that there's a huge amount of info here. Just have to use the search, google search, and advanced search functions judiciously: be flexible on search terms, e.g., "GT Covers", "GT Seat Covers", "Exact Seat Covers", "exactseatcovers", etc., and alternate among searching thread titles only, show threads, and show posts.

[Boo]

Also, here are Prius Seat Assembly/Disassembly Instructions in case you ever need them:

http://jaygroh.dreamhost.com/prius/P...20-%20Seat.pdf

[HighBreed]

Thanks Boo for the very helpful diagram and instruction.

It says that the hog rings are non-reusable part. Is this something that can be purchased from Toyota?

[cyberstout]

Originally Posted by Boo

Also, here are Prius Seat Assembly/Disassembly Instructions in case you ever need them:

http://jaygroh.dreamhost.com/prius/P...20-%20Seat.pdf

Thanks for the link. There is an excellent diagram and text instructions on page 15. [The XMradio link has some photos and some text that is also helpful.]

If you kneel in front to the seat facing the back of the car you can reach under the front of the seat bottom. You will be able to feel where the attachment clip is located. Put one hand under the seat on each side of the clip then give it an abrupt pull straight up. Then do the same for the clip on the other side. Then tip the front of the seat upward to disengage the rear hook.

My seat covers are now installed and I'm quite happy with them.
I did make one modification to the front covers. It's a bit hard to put into words but I'll give it a try.----

There are two straps on the front of each seat cover bottom section that are designed to pass under the seat.
There are two buckles on the rear of the upper part of each seat cover bottom section.
On my 2008 model I was not able to run the straps back around between the seat cushion and the bottom of the seat back because the fabric is continuous. There is a strip of velcro to join the bottom and the back sections together which seems adequate even without the straps and hooks. After the velcro is joined this part gets tucked down at the back of the seat. [Easier to do with the seat tipped back.]
I cut off the strip of fabric along the top rear part of the seat bottom cover (along with the plastic buckles, around 3"wide) right next to the velcro strip. Since you can't feed the straps into the buckles anyway, this part would only be in the way.
Then I sewed the fabric strip, with buckles, on to the bottom rear of the seat back section. This allowed me to attach the straps from the front of the seat cover bottom section (which otherwise would have had nowhere to go) to the bottom of the seat back section.

PriusChat has been very helpful to me. I hope this might be helpful to someone else out there.

[Boo]

Originally Posted by HighBreed

Thanks Boo for the very helpful diagram and instruction.

It says that the hog rings are non-reusable part. Is this something that can be purchased from Toyota?

Other than eBay or Amazon, I don't know where one would get hog rings or hog ring pliers. That's professional stuff used I think by only professional auto seat or furniture upholsterers.

BTW, when prius2go installed his leather seat covers himself, he used 5 mm cable ties instead of new hog rings to install the leather seat covers.

Are you thinking of removing your OEM seat covers and installing new ones yourself?

I hear that's a monumentally hairy task to be avoided at all costs, and is best left for a professional auto upholsterer who would charge around $400 - $500.

When I asked my good mechanic/body shop guy whether he would install new seat covers for me, he said no. That he wouldn't even attempt to do it himself for his own car. He said that I should go to a professional auto upholsterer. That even my Toyota dealer would farm out such work to a professional auto upholsterer.

And when prius2go finished successfully installing leather seat covers on his Prius, he repeatedly and emphatically warned other PriusChatters not to try to do it themselves. You can read about his adventures and see pictures of his good work and beautiful leather covers here:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-te...h-leather.html

Anyway, good luck.

[Boo]

Originally Posted by cyberstout

My seat covers are now installed and I'm quite happy with them.

Wow, you move fast! Less than a day after your wife brings home the Prius, and you've already installed the seat covers!

Post pictures when you have a chance. [Note that you may have to use a low resolution camera or setting in order to do that on this forum. When PriusChat adopted new software recently, the file size for photos and other attachments became very limited. Don't know whether this limit has been fixed yet.]