6N Polo - Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion

Post Instructions on DIY modifications here - use all information with caution!
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Polo96CL
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6N Polo - Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion

Post by Polo96CL »

Golf Mk3 Seats into Polo 6N

The seats in the polo aren't the most attractive or comfortable, and it is often a common choice for owners to put something more sporty looking in such as the Vw Golf Mk3 GTI/Recaro seats in. For this tutorial you will need the following:

Original Mk4/6n Polo Rear seats
Golf Mk3 Front and Rear seats
A flat head screwdriver
A Phillips Cross head or Posidrive Screwdriver
A pair of pliers
Time

FAQ,

Q. I have cloth Mk3 seats and your guide uses leather, does this make any difference?
A. No, as long as the foam and cloth matches up with the Polo MK4/6N Backing then it will work.

Q. Can this be done on a 6n2?
A. Yes, the process is identical.

Disclaimer - I do not take responsibility for any damage, injury or incidents that take place when you are following this guide to convert your Polo Mk4/6N Seats to Golf MK3 Seats. It is up to you wether you decide to go ahead.

We will start with the fronts, these are a straight swap with no modification needed. To remove the original seat, slide the seat back as far as possible and undo the little hex nut on the underside of the bolster, next to the little handle. Once this is undone, slide the seat forward as far as possible and remove the two plastic trim pieces either side of the runners. The long one simple pulls off and the small one requires the flat head screwdriver to prop the little locking tab clip which is found inside the runner. Then pick up the seat with a slight uplifting angle, then slide back using the lever. Be careful here, as the grease is easily picked up onto the carpets (If you're fussy, its advised you put plastic or newspaper down to avoid any grease wiping on your clean carpets). The seat will slide off the runner and you can now remove the seat from the car. To fit the new Golf Mk3 seat, simply slide the runner onto the subframe (at this point you may want to cover the runners in grease), pull the seat forward so it pops just in front of the white plastic, make sure the lever catch is connected onto the designed U clip, otherwise you wont be able to slide the seat easily. Reattach the hex bolt and clip the plastic trim bits back on, repeat on other seat and that's the fronts done.

Next is the rear, be prepared to spend a few hours on this if it is your first time. The Golf MK3 Rear seat backings are too wide for the Polo Mk4/6N mounts so they need to be swapped.

First step is to remove the old seats from the car, to do this, pull the lower seat down so it flips up. On the underside you will see two catches which when the arms are pulled together, they pop out. Now, you need to put these aside for now (it makes sense to get them all out at once). The next step is to pull the popper at the top of the seats, this will make the top section fold down. Now you need to take that flat head screwdriver and look to the lower outside of the seat. You will notice that it is propped in by a latch, to move this, pull it towards to boot will the screwdriver. It will pop out and you will now be able to remove the seat. Be careful you don't loose the small clips which go in between the pin and mount. Repeat for the other side of the seats.

Image

Now you have all the seats out, its now time to strip them down. I will start with the passenger side cloth, to remove the cloth you must pull out the plastic strip which runs in small channels around the edges of the metal seat backing. Here is a picture of the two seats next to each other, its easily a misconception that they can be directly fitted because they look so Similar.

Golf Mk3 seat

Image

Polo Mk4/6N seat

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You need to take the flat head screwdriver and very carefully prise the plastic piping out, I would like to stress how careful you must be as you don't want to tear or damage any of the material should you wish to reuse/sell them in the future. I have taken a video to show you how to remove the plastic. Also included are some pictures should you not have video access.

VIDEO

http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll36 ... 0830-1.flv

Once you have removed the plastic, the cloth and foam will pull back to reveal in inside of the seat.

Image

*Optional*

It is your choice whether you want to keep the headrest mounts on, for my Recaro Colour concepts seats the didn't come with any, so I didn't need to. However if yours do, keep them in. To remove them, simply undo the four cross thread screws with your Phillips or Posidrive screwdriver.

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The next step can be somewhat difficult but its easy enough with the know how. You will notice that the only thing holding on the cloth and foam is the cable and surround for the seat release, to remove the cable simply detach it from the screw which holds it on, this is easy enough with the flat head screwdriver.

Image

Now you need to take the surround off, to do this you need to take the pair of pliers and pinch together the little clips which hold it on. Once they are gripped, simply (but very carefully) take the flat head screwdriver and pop out the surround from the top of the seat. You may need somebody to help you here as the pliers often slipped off the clip.

Image

Now you can remove the cloth and foam, you will be left with the bare metal of the Mk4/6N seat backing.

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You will now need to do the same process with your new Golf Mk3 seats, using the same technique as before, remove the leather/cloth from the seats with the flat head screwdriver and pop off the plastic piping.

Image

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Again, take the surround and cable off using the same method as before.

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Wahey, you're halfway there! Here are the slight but very important differences between the seat pins which mean they aren't a direct swap.

Polo Mk4/6N

Image
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Golf Mk3

Image
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Now, in reverse to how you removed the material and foam, you need to reclip them back on. Take your new Mk3 Golf Seat covers and foam and place them onto the Mk4/6N Polo metal backings. Slowly and carefully, work your way around the edges of the seats with the plastic piping until it has all clipped back in. You will hear a few pops as the plastic snaps back into the mounts. Once done, you will have something that looks like this.

Image
Image

Time to move onto the other seat, start by removing the covers and foam (are you getting the hang of it yet?) and repeat the process until you have the new material onto the Polo Mk4/6N backings.

Ok, now you're almost there. We need to make sure that the bottom half of the Golf Mk3 seats fit the Polo Mk4/6N Mounts. If you flip them over you will see the Golf Mk3 seats have a paddle attached to the ends of the clips. To remove these you have to pull them off really hard, I found a good way to loosen them up was to take the flat head screwdriver and prise the grip on them apart. This meant that they slide off rather than damaging the end of the arms.

Image

When off, they will look similar to your old Mk4/6N Polo ones.

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Now you need to fit them into your awaiting car, firstly fit the bottom part of the seat the same as you removed them. They simply clip into place, however may take some persuasion with a block of wood and a hammer.

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Next step is the backs of the seats, first thing to do is to pop that clip from earlier back onto the bolt pin which holds the seat in, they are very stiff and you will need to use a hammer and a tool to knock it back on securely (Be very careful).

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Now with a good shunt, clip the outside pin into the latch and secure it by pulling it over with the flat head screwdriver.

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Step back and admire your hard work, so there you go, Golf Mk3 Seats into a Polo MK4/6N. Hope it helped you in some way or another,

Daz

The final result...

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Last edited by Polo96CL on Mon Feb 16, 2009 1:12 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Tim_GTi
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Re: Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion - Mk4/6N Polo

Post by Tim_GTi »

Nice guide mate!
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Torq-Al
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Re: Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion - Mk4/6N Polo

Post by Torq-Al »

Very thorough guide with plenty of clear pics.

Nice one Daz! 8)


Need to keep an eye out for some plain doorcards now!
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h4r1s
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Location: Leicester/Sheffield Drives: Polo MKV-6N2 1.4SE 16v 75BHP

Re: Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion - Mk4/6N Polo

Post by h4r1s »

Polo96CL wrote:Q. Can this be done on a 6n2?
A. I am not 100% certain, ask in the MkV section of UK-Polo's.
Yes it can, it is pretty much the same process.

Good guide mate! :wink:
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Polo96CL
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Re: Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion - Mk4/6N Polo

Post by Polo96CL »

What was different?

Would be cool to put it up the top so others with Mk5's don't have to go trawling :)

Daz
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h4r1s
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Re: Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion - Mk4/6N Polo

Post by h4r1s »

Nothing really, Only thing I did different was that I used the foam & mounting bracket from the polo.
f6had
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Re: 6N Polo - Golf Mk3 Seat Conversion

Post by f6had »

A big thanks to the OP for this DIY. It was very easy to follow and I used it to fit a 5 door cloth interior from a late Golf VR6 to my wife's 6N2 today 8)
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