Has anyone removed the factory seat covers from the rear seat of their 2.5 ?

I have had a mouse die in my rear seat and need to remove the covers to inspect and treat the cushions. The OME covers are pretty well fastened and I have not found details about how to remove them. There’s bolts, zippers, plastic covers and metal clips. Any suggestions, tips or advice would be appreciated

 

Considered taking the whole seat out, confirm it's in one of your seats and see which one by the odor.

 

You're gonna need hog rings and hog ring pliers to get it back together.
A good pair of diagonal pliers to cut the rings to get it apart.

Amazon.com : hog ring pliers kit

I'd go for a decent set, the cheap ones (like I used for my front seat heaters) didn't wear well.

$27 DEWALT Hog Ring Pliers Kit, Includes Pliers and 1000 Ring Pack (P7DW)

Amazon.com: DEWALT Hog Ring Pliers Kit, Includes Pliers and 1000 Ring Pack (P7DW) : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

This is the front seat, but it will give you an idea of what you're getting into.

https://youtu.be/cwmjuVwXYvU?si=Glpls8KOjxCv9qle

Good luck...

 

The seat is already out. I’ve started the disassembly process but I’m not sure of the steps. I’m hoping to hear from someone who has actually done this

 

I have a bunch of hog rings and even a pneumatic hog ring tool. There are no hog rings used in the OEM assembly.

 

I've actually done it. I pulled all of the seats down to foam and installed Katzkins.

I followed a helpful thread when I did so, and will link it here.

as you pull the back seats apart, you will get the idea of how the seat upholstery fasteners work.

go ahead with any specific questions you have while I dig.

 

Yes- hog rings are used in the original assembly. They hold the TOPS of the seat cushion fabrics, and the BACKS of the cushion fabrics in place.

 

Here is the thread I followed. https://www.tundras.com/threads/leather-heated-seat-front-and-rear-installation-write-up.35837/

 

Watching the video I see that I may be wrong. There are wire loops that hold the wire rods in the grooves. They might be replaceable with hog rings when I get to reassembly.
A good thing, is that I’m only dealing with the rear seat for now, and it doesn’t have any electrical elements

 

Bingo- those are the rings.

I checked my photos from install, and from the back of the seat, you pull the headrests, then unclip all the plastic retention clips. Remove the side plastic trim, and then you should be able to pull and gather the seat covers up on top of the seat. From there, use some clippers to break the factory hog rings, and you can completely remove the fabric. Install is obviously the opposite. Leather and heat optional

 

The edges of all the original fabric are/were held in place with long plastic clips on the upper (backside)seat section. The lower seat fabric has zippers on the lower corners but the ends are not accessible due to the plastic caps. One YouTube video claims that you probably will have to break a piece of the clip that holds the covers in place

 

I didn't have to break anything.

 

I’m not sure how to get the side plastic trim off. There’s 1 Phillips head screw visible but it feels like it has at least 2 additional anchor points

 

Driver or passenger?

 

yeah, I don’t think that would have to be necessary!

 

Looking through old pics (it's been 7 years... damn.)

 

The dead mouse I found was in the back part of the passenger side. The worst stench is coming from the lower seat of the driver’s side. I’m afraid that there may be a dead nest in there

 

I will take some pictures tomorrow and maybe it will jog your memory. It would be amazing if you found some!

 

I found all the pictures I took during teardown and reassembly.

The hard part- when shit gets tricky, you're using both hands and can't take pictures!

I know I didn't break ANYTHING, front or back, when I did my seats. I do remember the plastic trim fighting me though. It is held on by a few screws, and then clips, some of which aren't easily visible. Sometimes it take a jiggle, a prying motion, a twist, or a sliding movement to pull the part free.

 

Finishing disassembly and then reassembling.

 

Some of the plastic wraps around the metal seat frame, and some have clips that attach to it.

There are some sharp edges around back, so be careful.

 

Your seats are a bit different from my 2015, but still a help. Hopefully tomorrow will bring me some success!

 

OMG mine is a crewmax.

I would still think that the basic attachment techniques would apply.

Best advice is to slow down and chill when it feels like you need to force something.

 

Good advice!

 

They were in my 2014 front seats when I installed my seat heaters.

 

Lowlife's picture is also the best one that shows where the hog rings are used to attach the seat covers to the foam seat base.

Using his image, the blue highlighted strips are forced into the corresponding grooves in the foam seat base. In the "floor" of those grooves, a solid steel wire is held captive in the foam. You use hog rings to secure the upholstery strips (usually plastic) to the wire anchor in the seat.

 

so I broke 2 tabs on one of these plastic covers. Managed to get the second one off in one piece. I wish I could find a disassembly video that shows parts and sequencing.

 

Yeah, like stereo and headliner installs, it's just hard to juggle the concentration on the work with capturing everything.

I can't see anything obviously broken. Is this the part you think may be broken?