How to Fix BMW Z3 Rocking Sliding Seat in Under Five Minutes Bushing Rails Bushes Replace

[@jamesbingham1081]

This is easily the best most comprehensive and easily accessible tutorial on replacing the bushings on KZbin. Brilliant work, thank you very much.

[@beckyspencer402]

I’m getting new leather seat so I ordered bushing and can’t wait to show them this video. I’ve wanted get this done for 15 years!

[@JeffCarlson0471]

I just did this over the weekend and it was very simple, videos like this helped a lot.

[@papatorr3669]

Helpful video, thanks. Tip for you: to close the window use the switch. To close the door, push on the door, NOT the window!

[@jonreilly3244]

Wow... I'm glad I ran into your video because I watched the others and they made it seem extremely difficult. Thank you sir!

[@patrickdesmond7891]

This was a great video. Easy to follow. Did mine last weekend. Very straightforward. Appreciate you taking the time. Hi to mom!

[@yaninerd.2298]

I was struggling so hard with my bmmer, im so glad I came across this GOD BLESS

[@dougmoring7321]

Done one of my seats. Wish I'd watched this video first. I saw all the others and this is by far the best.

[@OECJuel]

Excellent video! One other important note: Make sure that the key is out of the ignition switch before starting the removal, and don't put it back in until after everything is reassembled. Otherwise you'll be chasing Fault Codes.

[@Mr_Bones.]

97 1.9L Z3 owner here, this is a great and clear video. Wish more videos were this concise and coherent. Thank you!

[@drlest717]

Great job. Clear, concise, clean, and totally helpful. I'm going to change mine tomorrow!

[@akobilis]

Just finished my drivers seat, your video was incredibly helpful, thanks man! Hardest part was getting the 2 rear 16mm bolts off.

[@flyingtilliamdying]

Good video! Thanks for posting it! Disconnecting the battery before disconnecting wires under the seats to avoid the airbag light is a good idea too. Thanks again!

[@neilb43]

I've just ordered the new bush's, this explains the process perfectly. Thanks.

[@PatrickEvabs]

Very helpful- thank you. just did mine AND swapped seats for newer / better leather… but MAN. Took me 3 hours and that was with help. just finished the drivers - Will do the Passenger…. uhhhh eventually

[@bbinder4120]

Thanks for a great how too. I just got my Z3, and this was the first task i tackled. I had to search for the mysterious method of disconnecting the wiring harness when removing the seat, and some mention the problems that arise if the key happens to be switched on in the ignition. I even removed the ground terminal on the battery.

[@chrisrnielsen]

You ROCK Dude! Thanks! I've ordered everything I need and will drop you an update when it's done. (BTW -I've owned my M Roadster since it was new and have fixed a number of things myself. My driver's seat has been doing this for about 7 or 8 years and FINALLY, I know what's wrong - THANKS again!)

[@michaelgambinii4611]

Great video! I did mine today and the biggest problem I had was removing the rear inside mounting bolts. On my M Roadster they are partially underneath the seats and very tight so flex joint socket did not work. After pulling out ny hair for a while, I found a 5/8" spark plug wrench with a hex on top. I put that on the bolt and used a box wrench to turn it. And don't listen to anyone saying that they could do this in 1 hr!

[@drlest717]

Because of your video, I did my first seat and it went completely smooth. Its 100% fixed AND it was a piece of cake. Thank you for your help.

[@XFile91]

About how long would you say this took you?

[@drlest717]

@@XFile91 hi. It’s very straight forward. Once seats are out (15-20 mins job) it takes maybe 20 mins per seat. That’s two rails. Super easy and a fix that will last years!

[@Rekpoint]

Perfect. I ordered new bushings the other day. Picked up an m roadster on a good deal. Fixing some small things to flip it for a profit.

[@ziondiaz7126]

That's wonderful. I'd keep it for a bit and have fun with it! 😝

[@e-motiontraining8162]

Where can I get bushings from ?

[@Rekpoint]

@@e-motiontraining8162 Ebay!

[@debseaman3054]

Zion - do you just look for Z3 Seat Bushings? Is that what they’re called? Thanks for the video. I thought I was the only one w/this annoying problem!

[@edcouto3711]

Great video, straight to the point!! Thank you!

[@brandonmaiden3927]

Will be doing this soon. Thanks for the straight forward video

[@ziondiaz7126]

@@brandonmaiden3927 on a second thought, I think the most likely culprit is the leftside carriage is not on the same screw as the right side carriage. In the video, I did each one separate, but you can try doing both rails at the same time so that you know they are on the same screw and the line up identical.

[@greghames6728]

Fixing mine this afternoon! Thanks for the video :)

[@bartoszuczak5730]

2:03 what happens if it is not aligned perfectly as it was before?

[@IrishGaucho]

Thank you brother, nice quick and easy explanation. I just got my Z3 and this comes extremely handy. Cheers!

[@donalddowning3474]

Informative content. Very usefull for my Z3 issue.

[@PB200559]

Excellent video.

[@unibrowscars5189]

Thanks for your video! You did great, awesome video - I mean your style of presentation.

[@COFFEE-e3p]

thank-you mate ...nice job !!

[@southcoaster1066]

Excellent video!

[@vinopod]

Very well explained, thanks a bunch

[@evgeniyesipov4215]

Great tutorial, nice video quality! Many thanks

[@ziondiaz7126]

Thank you for watching!

[@31acruz]

Another bump in the road I encountered. The small threaded tube with the square taper on both ends is detachable at both ends, and it can lie. It can only go in partially on the permanent end. I marked it with a small white wax/crayon pencil to give myself a reference of when it was truly engaged, it can screw up the insertion by 1/4 of an inch, sure enough it didn't go in all the way, and I had to twist it with pliers to make it fully engage. Secondary the metallic block suddenly would no longer insert itself into the rails no matter what I did (never hit or push to much or you will bend/break something) upon inspection I noticed the two pairs of metal rivets narrow the pathway twice (they pairs are 2 inches apart) once I noticed that I slid the rails all the way out and initiated the metallic block 'past' both rivets and then it went smooth like butter. Little details that can hang somebody up for hours.

[@billforester4954]

Great job on this video, thank you 👍

[@2effed87]

Hello, I did this job now the seat only moves back and forth a few inches before motor sounds like it's struggling and stops. I measured the carriage and electrical connectors are in correctly. Any suggestions?

[@steveschwab922]

Did you switch the rods from one side to the other?

[@johnmccallum2425]

Great Video! Great Instructions!

[@jcreeker5581]

Thx for the video. Very helpful A couple of suggestions. 1. Get rid of the background music 2. After the bolts are loose and before removing the wiring, take the battery cables off the battery. That way one cannot accidentally forget and turn on the key with the seats out

[@papatorr3669]

After disconnecting the cables, touch them together to drain stored energy in the sensors.

[@sdj1969]

Great video. Many thanks!

[@bobspearing4453]

Excellent! Thanks

[@agustinferrera]

Great. Thanks for sharing.

[@machomie]

I just did this and had a problem with the captured nut not centering on the screw because the bushings were too tight. . The Screw was binding when I tightened the two mounting screws. You should not need a lot of force to install the second bushing so the nut carriage will not pull in and bind on the screw.

[@PaulLorenzini-ny2yw]

very good, well done. no one gonna fix an EV

[@deondesouza5065]

What's your source for the replacement bushings? Do you have a brand name-if not BMW OEM-and part #? Thanks!

[@RavaOstia]

Very useful! Keep it up!

[@sergeantretro4427]

nice video good job

[@tubetigeerr]

why my the other side can not move back far enough to let me reach T50 bolt? the one close to the center console. thanks.

[@melissat922]

Is there any chance of causing the airbag light to come on during this job. Have thought of doing it but worried it could cause the dreaded light to rear it’s head

[@ziondiaz7126]

Hi there, since the power seats work when the car is off/key is out, you can work on the seats without ever turning on the car and the light won't turn on. I did this and had no issues. The airbag light is triggered when you turn the key to ignition on and notices the seat isn't there. Worst case scenario is you can go to a BMW Indy shop to have them code the light out for you for like $40. Hope that helps.

[@melissat922]

Zion Diaz Thank you. Appreciate the fast reply!

[@ziondiaz7126]

Hi Mellments, I did some more research and found that while that might be the case with the upgrade cars from 99 (OBDII) which is what I have, a 1998 2.8 will have to get the airbag light reset if removed with ignition on. The seats won't move without ignition on so just remove the rear bolt, then front bolt, then disconnect the battery before removing connectors and seatbelts.

[@melissat922]

Zion Diaz Thankyou, I have the 2001 2.2 so should be all good!

[@kevinthompson8989]

Thank you!

[@MrOregor]

Excellent video I did all of this (except the picture) but evidently didn't count the threads right. Is there a way to realign the 2 sides?

[@romangwozdziewicz7072]

Hi Roger, have you managed realignment? What was a result of missalignment? I was quite sure I did it right, but after assembling all of things it seems that the seat sliding working very slow like having some strong resistance. How did it work in your Z3?

[@MrOregor]

@@romangwozdziewicz7072 I managed to get it back in position and left it alone. A few months later, when replacing the rear shocks, I pulled the seat out again and just made sure both sides went in the same number of turns.

[@romangwozdziewicz7072]

@@MrOregor Was the issue very slow or even no slide and the motor started to be hot? Probably I'll do the same thing, thanks for your answer and help.

[@MrOregor]

@@romangwozdziewicz7072 . Yes, do it asap. My motor has since burned out. Hard to find a replacement.

[@Waldvogel45]

another point to watch is: BEORE disconnecting power move the seat back in order to expose the Torx 50 bolt.

[@LmAutomoveisgaia]

I need to remove my seat, but it wont go forward... Its stuck in the back, what can i do?

[@31acruz]

Another good suggestion for your viewers is to 'count the threads or measure the distance of the metallic block containing the bushings or better yet, do both like I did. Also a good idea to 'clean' the area before taking the pic so you can actually see the teeth and measure better.

[@donalddowning3474]

Nice addition via comments.

[@gergoelek1740]

Wery helpful! Thanx!

[@robertmeaney8124]

Where can i get the bushings?

[@natewilson431]

Very good explanation, but why did you close the door using the glass 😭😭😭

[@Waldvogel45]

I confirm that it is important to disconnect the battery otherwise the computer will show an airbag fault light.after reinstallation, and this will need a fault reset tool .

[@damienbarnett2256]

Is it better to use silicone lubricant? Thanks for the video, I will be doing these this weekend. :-)

[@m.j.z.6632]

The two T25 need to be removed first, then slide the rail to uncover the T50, and remove it.

[@michaellebreton4294]

Seats look great for a 147 000 mile car . Were they reupholstered ?

[@ziondiaz7126]

No, all original! There is actually a tear on the passenger seat 😥. The fix might be my next vid if it works lol

[@madreus]

After I reconnected my seat now the forward/backward controls are flipped (backward moves it forward and viceversa). Anyone else ran into this issue?

[@steveschwab922]

You need to switch the rods from the seat that operates in the opposite direction of the control.

[@michaelswanton2224]

You should have replaced the seat belt guides while you had the seat out!

[@nilla003]

2:00, is Mom a filipina?

[@creakyvalley]

Just did this today to my 2001 Z. Disconnecting the under seat wire had me baffled until I found this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4jHfGN7oM-mgtU Thanks for your video; it made things go a lot faster although it did take a little longer than five minutes... :)

[@bbinder4120]

I agree...I had to find another video how to undo the wire connectors

[@soccerlvr8221]

Will be useful LMAO.

[@DinahHarwood]

Nice but lose the music it’s distracting from the good job you’re doing.

[@PresidentCamacho2024]

under 5 minutes?,. good luck with that one ;)

[@schumy1975]

5 minutes...you are kidding...man I did the exact same repair to my Z3 almost 20 years ago, took me a few hours and gave me a sore back for days

[@31acruz]

Good video except you goofed it up at the end. You never pointed to your audience that the top rail shows the T50 screw. THE BOTTOM RAIL DOES NOT, you never showed how to deal with, access the bottom rail T50. If you are going to make videos, make them right till the end.

[@lukalozic9306]

Where i can buy that parts ?