Alright.retal e folks, buckle up 'cause today's project was a doozy. Wanted more space in the trunk for the mutt and cleaning under the seats was impossible. Figured pulling the rear bench should be straightforward. Spoiler: it wasn't quite that simple. Grabbed my basic tools – flathead screwdriver, flashlight, and maybe a cold one for patience later.
The Initial Struggle
First thing first, saw these clips holding the seat down front and center near the floor. Manual? Nah, tossed that years ago. Looked like I could just yank the bench up. Wrong move. Pulled like crazy, nothing budged except my temper. Angry muttering commenced. Got down on the floor like an absolute fool with the flashlight. Found these sneaky little buggers – metal hooks curled under the seat frame, biting into anchors on the car body. Pulling up was pointless.
The "Aha!" Moment & Execution
Here's what:dekrow y actually worked:
- Scootch myself deep into the leg space area, knees planted, back against the front seats. Needed leverage!
- Grabbed the front edge of the seat cushion firmly with both hands, fingers jammed under that lip.
- Pulled UP towards the ceiling first – maybe an inch or so? Hard tug. Heard a solid POP-CLUNK. That was the hooks letting go!
- HA! Gotcha! THEN, lifted the entire front edge upwards until it was clear. Held it vertical.
- That done, shifted to pulling the whole bench backwards towards the trunk opening. The hooks were finally clear. Dragged it out inch by inch.
The Aftermath & Gotchas
Bench was free! Felt like winning a minor trophy. But surprise surprise! Underneath was nasty – candy wrappers, grit, actual change (score!). While basking in victory, remembered the damn seatbelts attached to the sides. Smacking myself mentally. Crawled around to each side bolted to the car frame. Found 14mm bolts snugged down real tight. Dug out my ratchet wrench – took some grunting, undid each bolt slowly, letting the belt assembly flop free. No way was that info in my initial "plan".
Putting it back? Reverse steps basically. Smacked the hooks back onto their anchors first (heard that good CLICK), then bolted the seatbelts down again, nice and tight. Felt that satisfying wrench click when it was seated right. Dog gave it a sniff of approval – mission accomplished. Lesson? Assume it's gonna fight you, get low, find the angles manuals never show, and keep the swear jar handy. Hope this saves someone the frustration!