e39 Seat Twist Repair (Driver Seat) Part 2

Quick tutorial on how to fix that annoying and common BMW Seat Twist. Save your self few hundreds, even thousands of dollars by doing it your self. The most important requirement for this job is PATIENCE. If you have that and few tools needed you should be able to accomplish this task.
Good Luck.
If you need the replace the cable you can find it @
Google part number
52108157408
About $60
Thanks to Cayce West for sharing.

[@RedRoo13]

I repaired both seats in my 530i last weekend and these instructions are VERY accurate! THANK YOU 50CAL!!! You rock man! I wouldn't have attempted this without your video. The only thing I would add is to trim the cable sheathing on longer cables about a 1/4", and on the shorter cables, trim the cable sheathing about 1/2". GREAT VID 50CAL! My seats work like NEW! Thanks again Bro!

[@RedRoo13]

My 530i recently developed twisted seats. BMW's are very well engineered cars but this seat design leaves alot to be desired! The dealer wanted $1400 to repair them and an independent BMW mechanic wanted $350. Thanks to your video, I'm going to have a go at repairing them myself. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thank you for posting this!!! BTW, 50cal, nice ride! I wish my BMW was an "M". Cheers!

[@fantom10011]

Thanks for the video!!! , just finished doing this on a 2002 525i. I followed this and one other video on KZbin. I used 50 , 27, 30 & 45 torx.8mm. Swivel head.

[@cacadodoheadrs]

Just finished both seats with your guide. I highly appreciate your work.

[@RedRoo13]

I never watched Part 1 because I repaired my driver's seat first. I read on a BMW forum (and saw on your Part 2), that the driver's seat is more difficult to repair than the passenger's seat. After repairing both seats, I'd have to agree. The driver's seat took me almost 6 hours but the passenger's seat only took 2 hours. Anyway, it was well worth it because I saved a sh*t ton of money thanks to you. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to post this! Cheers Bro!

[@Xkea1]

Just bought a 528i thanks for the simply fix . Ford was simple this here is just annoying but love your honest commentary.

[@user-ub5rg6fn6e]

Dude...This one of the best How-to's on the seat twist. THANKS A LOT!!!!! Your great at it. Explanation ,clear and concise. SOund was good, (Not too loud not too quiet) not like ALOT of others, they always put music or something too loud and you can't hear what their saying.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thank you man.. As always, I appreciate the support. In deed, It feels for seating comfortable on your vehicle once again.

[@TheIcedog67]

Can you recommend someone to fix this issue, I'm in Atlanta Ga

[@OhThatsHilarious]

Wow it worked thanks, me and my dad were about to waste money on some seats, thankfully we found this video and saved us some money

[@Metrix20]

Until finally I found someone with my problem, thanks for the video!

[@brandonw409]

Hey man, your tutorial is awesome!! I watched your video and went straight to work. Did both the driver side and passenger side in 4.5 hours. Driver side needed both motors done and passenger side only needed one. Mine is an 03 530i and looks a little different under the seat but almost spot on. It was actually pretty easy to get to my motors. One note that I don't remember you mentioning is to be careful how much rubber you cut off. Had to heat one back up and slide it up a little.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thank you. Glad it helped.. It feels good knowing you save your self hundreds of dollars by doing it your self..

[@drassavong]

Thanks for these videos, all the steps and tools to use. I will give it a shot and hope to make my wife happy w/o paying over $2k for two seats at the dealer.

[@Madras64]

good job - one of the better videos out there to fix the problem

[@rmdmrod]

Great video.....working on my 530 this weekend! Thanks for posting

[@JerrysJameez]

Thank you.!!! This video was a tremendous help.

[@charlesmckinley2461]

Another great KZbin video to help you with fixing your twisted seats. You must watch the first one dealing with the passengers eat before looking at how repair the driver seat. I had to repair both of mine, it feels great to be seated correctly again. Thanks

[@OverWatchGaming-RangerJoes]

Good Video, always makes life easier when you have the right tools...

[@PianoOutlet]

Great video, thanks for convincing me to have the dealer do it. The repair is a bit beyond the time and patience I have to spare. Now at least I know it’s a repair and not something major.

[@mybnz190]

Wow, a video that doesn't put me to sleep. Very good holmes

[@The50calKiller1]

+schwartz wolfe Thank you.

[@The50calKiller1]

Your welcome. Glad my Vid was helpful. Yes I do. The bumper sits too low and some times it gets caught on those bars that stick out on the car stoppers at parking lots. The proper way to fix them is removing the entire bumper. Is a lot of work. Now, what you have to figure out is if the grips on the bumper are broken or bent. Mines are bent and I get a gap of about 1/2 inch on the bumper and fender. That means I have to replace it. But rather get an after market M5 bumper.

[@mikebaeza236]

Thanks for this great video! So helpful.

[@michaeldennis2941]

I got my seat out have almost blew up the seat, stopped came to my computer and got on youtube to find help! man you saved my car my seat and maybe everyone near me, I was about ready to go off.............Thanks

[@The50calKiller1]

Hahahaha... I'm glad I was able to save Ur seat, and most important save people around you. Glad my video was helpful =)

[@pauldrake5500]

Great video. I'm planning to buy an E39 with this problem. Glad to see I can fix easily fix it. Thanks.

[@The50calKiller1]

Paul Drake Thanks. Use this issue at your advantage, try lowering the price.

[@esmietana]

Great video and patience is definitely the key.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks, I appreciate the feed back.

[@panflex]

thanks man saving me tons of money

[@carlosjunior3017]

Hey bro thanks for the video just started to take apart the driver seat. finish the passenger bad ass video man Thanks a lot

[@MistressLeissa]

Very nicely done! Thank you for posting this it helped me to at least understand exactly what I was doing, beforehand. I have patience, all I need now is to get the special tools, and the time. I'll let you know if I have success.

[@The50calKiller1]

Any time, have you attempted this repair?

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks bud. Agree, is always worth spend extra $ for the right tool. It always pays off at the end

[@jamesmcceney6763]

Wow, thanks man. Good point on the patience.

[@The50calKiller1]

Oh, Thanks. I'll put that on the description for any one that needs it.. Thanks once again.

[@Randoz001]

great video bro, I will attemp this fix this summer

[@The50calKiller1]

Your welcome pal. Glad my video was of much help. Lucky you your seat still goes up. Mines did not. Therefore, it made this project much harder. Another tip is, you can also file down the cable. =)

[@trickstarjimmy]

Thank you so much, that was very helpful, my car is like new!

[@The50calKiller1]

Your welcome. Glad to hear that...

[@shakurapocalypse1301]

You're the man, bro! Thanks.

[@mrtqrt2326]

Excellent video-thanks for the really helpful advice!

[@The50calKiller1]

Your welcome. Glad it helped u out. Thanks for the support pal.

[@robertwu5025]

Great video! Now I have some confident working on mine 1998 740i. Thanks.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks. Is easier than it looks.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thank you pal. And thanks for the support

[@Bimmerstyle]

Thanks for the helps i repaired my seat .

[@dramphor]

great video...luv the fix...knowledgable

[@luckyone9473]

Thanks for uploading this sir.

[@ahmedsleem8725]

thx very much it is helpful and it treated my seat very well

[@siso033]

Primo your the best.i just fixed my 530i seat.muchas gracias.

[@The50calKiller1]

De nada bro.. Glad you got your seats working once again

[@kwstine1]

Very helpful vid, thanks!

[@robertmontgomery7158]

Nice job 👍

[@The50calKiller1]

Glad to hear that.. Your welcome.. If i'm not mistaken I did add those suggestions, But I think is on the Part 1.. I should of done it on both videos. My bad.. But glad to hear you accomplish this project..

[@EJBermudez]

Nice video. Trying this today on my 97 E39.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks Man. Good luck on ur project. When accomplish u will be glad to took this task by horns. Just keep in mind that not all seats are the same. Some are less complicated than shown on my video. If your seat looks like mine then u know what to expect. Let us know how it went.

[@The50calKiller1]

Oh, I see.. =D I'm happy for you pal. And thanks, I wish more people would take in consideration the time and effort that's put in into making a video. Is not just recording and uploading. I had over 2 hours of footage, and had to turn that into a 9 minute video.. Cheers to you too..

[@JimmyJohnson-ub4rt]

Videos helped a lot, thanks

[@badash786]

Thanks bro really helpful though my car is different i have a Z3 the mechanism is similar in principle so managed to repair twisting seat at last. Feels good when you do it yourself and save money

[@The50calKiller1]

Glad this hard work is appreciated. Thanks for the support

[@shadowman112691]

Thank you so much and I messed up one of the seats I cut the wire lol I thought it was ok until I saw that the wire didn't fit back into the motor so now I gotta find a new wire and my buttons to move the seat back now won't snap back in place lol but the passenger seat is PERFECT

[@The50calKiller1]

I bumped into the same situation. What I did is that i still trim them but just a little bit. about 1/4 of an inch. But if you think they're fine, leave them the way they are. Keep in mind that if you remove too much rubber you will have too much wire sticking out, then the wire will get push back from the motor and the metal cap will not sit flush how it's supposed too. Good luck pal... =)

[@The50calKiller1]

Your welcome. I'm glad to know my vid's are helpful..

[@hanswurst2161]

good job. thanks!

[@sgarcia13GT]

thanks trying this tomorrow!!

[@The50calKiller1]

Saul Garcia So, how did it go??

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks.. =D Wow... it took you less than me. My type of seats are most complicated ones because it has front part of the seat that expands to support your legs. At 6:35 into the video I mention to cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch rubber material. But your right. I didn't warn you guys not to cut too much. I think I did say that on part 1 of the video. But i'm glad you got your seats up and running..

[@Leprovocateur]

Thanks this will be a great help! It is actually a simple Fix! Just time consuming! Well a lot cheaper than 8 hours at $150.00, so it is much simpler! I had to R&R the drivers seat Lower belt tensioner #72 11 8 240 045 on my 1998 540ia the first of November 2016. I had the entire seat out to R&R the Lower belt tensioner. The seat was acting strange then! It got real cold last week here the drivers seat started twisting. The Passenger seat always has, just that hardly any body rides with me so I let it go! So now I just have to do it! LOL!!

[@The50calKiller1]

haha... good luck, anyone can do this. tools are key.

[@999platty]

Great video, but I found an even easier way. Unbolt the seat and lift up or out as per the video. Dont bother disconnecting cable from motors etc, just remove about a section of about 2.5cm of the cable outer coating where ever you can get access to it, slide the outer casing back together and tape up. Facing the seat from the front the lower motor is for the back rest and the upper motor is for the height adjustment. Just tried on my E39 and works perfectly!!!

[@1SNITCH]

Thnx for the directions bro

[@The50calKiller1]

your welcome, glad to help

[@The50calKiller1]

I agree with you with the seat designs. Atleast you found a dealer that provides that service. Must dealers don't. =) thanks...

[@E39ForLife0]

My seats are fine but I enjoyed watching the video

[@ehilter]

So did I. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed it so much I decided to rub one out while watching.

[@ehilter]

@close edge Yeah, it was really nice.

[@igorbrega]

You are the best!!!

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks Pal

[@ronaldswapp3186]

Resetting the Air Bag light can be reset with INPA or DIS and you don't have to remove the seat, just remove the fasteners that secure the seat and the cable is accessible.

[@besimlushaj6190]

Great video

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks.. =) I'm glad this video has been helpful.

[@shadowman112691]

Thank you so much I hated my seats I just watched your video today and finished both seats the same day your a life saver........now do you have any suggestions on how to fix a loose bumper ?

[@arpxdagoodone]

Ice on wrist is really important for mechanic work. :D But actually it's a nice vid, so congrats!

[@The50calKiller1]

What happens is that the rubber seams to expand thru time and it becomes a bit longer. There for, it pushes the wire inside the rubber out and away from the motor. That's the reason why you have to cut the rubber. Once you cut the rubber the cable reaches the motor once again. Hope this helps you understand more this procedure.

[@valeriocancian6863]

Thank you, I have the same problem and now I know why it happens and how to fix it!!

[@Top_g80comp]

good video

[@healing.journey.]

Good job brother

[@The50calKiller1]

Kraig Le Fevre Thanks. Hope this video was helpful.

[@advbike227]

thanks super helpful

[@The50calKiller1]

Thank u buddy..

[@The50calKiller1]

The first motor is for the Recliners. The cable on the left controls the left side. And the cable on the right controls the right side. The second motor is the one that lifts and lowers the seat. The left cable controls the left and the right the right side.

[@marioperez-kb2wl]

Had the hardest time removing the bolt/nut for the seat belt. Totally held up even with a vice grip. Did get the cable off and sure enough had no wire exposed for inserting into motor?

[@The50calKiller1]

@Getthtruth your welcome. Look no further. I'm in Los Angeles area as well.

[@danielrogers6172]

A couple of things to add are the seat tracks on some cars have a limit clip that can be removed to get complete access to the bolts ,power seat forward and look for clip on one track from rear ,its about 3in. long .Second thing is straighten seat in car before unbolting and raise seat up as high as possible for room to work on front drive motor access .this job is for someone with real mechanical experience.

[@The50calKiller1]

Daniel Rogers Thanks for those tips.. I'm sure they will come handy..

[@The50calKiller1]

You can put it back into place without remove the entire bumper. I've done it but because my clips on the bumper are bent. Turn the tire inwards and remove the plastic around the tires and you'll be able to see the bracket. Push the bumper forward and with a flat head screw driver try to slide the grip back into the bracket. Then finish it off by putting everything back where it belongs.

[@coolyves2004]

yeah i check it out and it pretty much is the same from what i can see. i was trying to fix it with out taking out the seat. but my seat is like at a 120 angle.

[@fhestrella1]

I know this video was posted a long time ago but I am having the same exact issue with a Chevy Traverse 2015 on the driver's side. Have you worked on these before? Great video by the way! Thanks.

[@Bzerk69]

I couldn't stop laughing. Thank you

[@86mdwolfie]

The50calKiller1 could you give me a list of tools needed and sizes of the tools needed please, I'm going to attempt this job tomorrow and your video is by far the best one I have seen. Thanks for the work!

[@NDLAP66]

So do you think an impact drill would get the job done easier on the screws with swivel socket and extension? Or will it be necessary to use a manual ratchet wrench?

[@ty5062]

Hi, I have the same problem. How long in total to make this repair ? Thx for the videos & for your response.

[@The50calKiller1]

Your very welcome.. Let us know how everything worked out at the end. Good luck.

[@strikeryachts]

You can do this in the car, use the rear seat belt to hold the after you flip it back.

[@pzpinkslip123]

I saw you did all cables I was wondering if I could do that one cable that's the problem.

[@The50calKiller1]

I'm sure is diferent. But I might be wrong. The only way of knowing is if u take a look under the seat to check if it has the same mechanism. If it looks similar to mine, then it should be the same procedure.

[@The50calKiller1]

Thanks =)

[@manuelarmenta5485]

You can easily reach the nut holding the seatbelt just lift your seat all the way up before removing screws

[@arnog9959]

Your doing it the legit way. you can just undo all 4 bolts, and lean the seat back on the rear seat. Then use lighter to burn the rubber around the metal rods that go into the little motors, once there is no rubber on a small section, you can push that rod back into the motors. takes literally 20 minutes.

[@ZipRocks]

Hey. Great video. I'm thinking about trying to do this myself. My driver's seat is twisted bad. When I remove the seat, how do I realign it so it's straight before cutting the rubber? Is this done manually with no electronics? Thanks so much for your vid. Much appreciated.

[@getitdonegarage]

They are called seat motor drive shafts u can find them on e bay 💪

[@RedRoo13]

Hey 50cal, I've got my drivers seat out and 3 of the 4 cables have plenty of length protruding from the end of the metal fitting. Do I need to trim the cable covering on all 4 or ONLY the one that is flush with the end of the metal fitting? Thanks!

[@CEC_HDZ]

I took a nap today in my 335i and when I was ready to move it back up, it wouldn't, but I can still hear a clicking whenever I push the button to try and recline it back up. Hopefully these steps will fix it.

[@CEC_HDZ]

+770V8 I took mine out today and unplugged the wires and put a little bit of WD-40 on the gear and somehow it fixed my problem. I guess I was just lucky. But it was a pain to get it out, the bolts are really tough!

[@sierradejesus1601]

Great video. Only one problem I connected the main wire back to the seat and the seat isn't moving can u help me out and tell me what could be the problem..?..

[@The50calKiller1]

I sure can help, first you need to figure out if you have an electrical issue of mechanical. But it sound to be electrical. First of all, are you saying your entire seat will not move? It won't move back nor forward and they won't recline? If so, make sure the harness is correctly plugged in and that the motors are also plugged in. If the seat is properly connected to the hardness, you need to figure out if there's power going to the seat motors. You can try that by moving the knobs on the side, you should be able to hear the motors turning. If the motors move but the seat doesn't, that means cables that you just repair are not making any contact with the motors. Take a look and let me know.

[@we3410254100]

I still don't understand the problem. Why do we need to cut the outside of the wire and how does it help to solve the problem?

[@pzpinkslip123]

How do I know what cable is to what side of the seat?

[@Waylander131]

Great DIY video man! Thanks a million! I guess I should do similar job for the seat slide mechanism? One question: what was more difficult working on the driver's seat than the passenger's? The job looks the same to me.

[@The50calKiller1]

For some reason the driver side was more difficult for me. The bolts were tighter and the plastic panels that cover the bolts were also difficult to remove.

[@Waylander131]

The50calKiller1 my car is E32, but the issue is quite the same. Thanks again, your video gave me confidence, and I have fixed that myself! Cheers!

[@The50calKiller1]

=) thank bud.. Good luck on ur future weekend project.. don't loose ur mind on those stupid screws..

[@airwolf0916]

at frame 9:21, what did you say do not turn On? so that the airbag light not to turn on.

[@coolyves2004]

question, would it be just about the same for a 92?