Removing the rear seats
Why I Removed the Rear Seats in My E46 M3 for Weight Reduction
The decision to remove the rear seats from my E46 M3 was driven by both functionality and weight reduction considerations. One of the main reasons is the installation of a Clubsport roll bar, which serves two important purposes:
- Safety: The roll bar provides additional rollover protection, a critical aspect for track use.
- Harness Bar: It includes a dedicated bar to properly mount 6-point harnesses, ensuring a secure and safe seating setup.
Since the roll bar makes the rear seats unusable, removing them entirely was the logical next step. Beyond this, it also offers a significantweight reduction benefit, which improves the car’s overall performance and handling characteristics.
To provide a clear picture of the impact, I’ll be weighing each component as I remove it. At the end of this guide, I’ll include a detailed summary of the rear seat delete weight savings, so you’ll know exactly how much unnecessary weight can be shed by removing unused components.
Steps for E46 M3 Rear Seat Removal
- Removing the Rear Seat Bench, Seatback and Headrests
- Removing the Folding Mechanism
- Uninstalling Seat Buckles and Bracket
- Removing the Parcel Shelf (to get access to the Seat Belts)
- Removing Sound Deadening and Insulation
- Weight Summary
- Additional: Clubsport Carpet
Tools needed
- Torx T25 bit
- Torx T30 bit
- Torx T50 bit
- 8mm socket
- 10mm socket
- 12mm socket
- 13mm socket
- pick tool
- pliers
- towel / cloth
1. Removing the Rear Seat Bench, Seatback and Headrests
1.1 Pull up the seat cushion: Reach under the front edge of the seat cushion and pull upward firmly to release it from the clips.
1.2 Remove the seat cushion from the car: Once loose, rotate it slightly and lift it out through the door opening carefully.
1.3 Fold down the seatbacks: Lower both sections of the rear seatbacks to access the center bracket.
1.4 Remove the center bracket: Locate the bracket between the seatbacks and use a Torx T30 bit to unscrew the bolt.
1.5 Remove the center bracket: Once the screw is removed, lift the bracket out.
1.6 Detach the seatbacks: Lift each seatback upward to release it from the mounting point.
1.7 Remove the seatbacks: Slide each seatback sideways out of the side guides. The seatbacks can now be lifted out of the car.
1.9 Quick and Easy Weight Reduction: The rear bench and seatbacks are quick and easy to remove. It’s a simple process, and you could just as easily reinstall them if you only want to take them out for a track day. This step alone already saves around 23 kg (50,7 lbs). However, I’m removing more components to shed even more weight—so stay tuned!
1.10 Removing the Headrests: Sometimes, the headrests can be a bit stubborn to remove. The quickest and easiest way I’ve found is to use a pair of water pump pliers. Gently wiggle the metal rods of the headrest side to side while pulling upward at the same time. One side will loosen first, and you’ll feel it once you overcome the resistance.
Pro Tip: Place a towel between the pliers and the rods to avoid any scratches or damage.
1.11 Pulling Out the Headrest: Once loosened, you can fully pull the headrest straight up and out.
2. Removing the Folding Mechanism
2.1 Preparing for the Removal of the Folding Mechanism: To access the folding mechanism of the rear seat more easily, start by removing the black plastic trim cover and take out the two side bolsters of the rear seatbacks still in the car. These will need to be removed later anyway to take out the parcel shelf.
2.2 Removing the Side Bolsters: To remove the side bolsters, first take off the plastic cover at the top.
2.3 Removing the Side Bolsters: It’s simply clipped in place and can be pulled straight up to detach it.
2.4 Removing the Bolt: Once the plastic cover is removed, a 10mm bolt becomes visible. Unscrew and remove this bolt.
2.5 Releasing the Side Cushion Clip: The side cushion is clipped in at the top. You’ll need to access the clip through the exposed hole and press it to release the cushion.
2.6 Removing the Side Cushion: Use a flathead screwdriver or any other long tool to press down on the clip from above. While pressing the clip, pull the side cushion toward you to release it.
2.7 Close-up of the Clip: Here’s a close-up image showing the clip. The circled area highlights the hole where the clip is located, making it easier to understand where to
2.8 Removing the Side Cushion: Once the clip is released and you’ve pulled the cushion toward you, you can lift it upward to remove it. The cushion is held at the bottom by a plastic guide, which can break easily—so handle it with care.
2.9 Removing the Black Plastic Cover: Now, you can remove the black plastic cover. To do this, carefully remove the four plastic pins holding it in place.
2.10 Removing the Center Pins: You need to push out the small round pin in the middle of each plastic fastener. I used a pick tool for this task.
2.11 Close-Up of the Fastener: Here’s a close-up of the plastic fastener. If you plan to reinstall the trim later and the rivets break during removal, don’t worry—you can easily purchase replacements. They are inexpensive, and the BMW part number is 51467002606
2.12 Remove the Trim Piece: Once all the rivets are removed, the trim piece can be easily taken out. Here’s an image of the removed trim for reference.
2.13 Remove the Rear Seat Ejectors: Now you can unscrew the small dampers, also known as rear seat ejectors. These are designed to push the seatbacks slightly forward when you pull the release handle to fold them down.
2.14 Unscrew by Hand: The rear seat ejectors can easily be unscrewed by hand—no tools are required for this step.
2.15 Remove the Seatback Latches: Next, you can remove the latches where the seatbacks lock into place when upright. To do this, go underneath the parcel shelf and unscrew the two 13mm bolts holding each latch in place.
2.16 Disconnect the Cable and Remove the Latch: Pull the latch out slightly. To fully remove it, you’ll need to disconnect the steel cable. This cable is connected to the release lever in the trunk that allows the seatback to fold down. The easiest way to disconnect the cable is to use pliers to carefully lever it out of its fitting.
2.17 Remove the Latch Completely: With the steel cable disconnected, you can now fully pull the latch out of its position.
2.18 Remove the Fold Release Handle: The release handle for folding the seat is located in the trunk under the rear parcel shelf. Remove the two 8mm screws securing it. Once loosened, you can pull out the handle along with the steel cable.
2.19 All parts and weight summary: Here’s an overview of all removed components and screws from the folding mechanism. Together, they weigh 998.7g (~1 kg or 2.2 lbs).
3. Uninstalling Seat Buckles and Bracket
3.1 Remove the seat buckles: The seat buckles are each secured with a Torx T50 bolt.
3.2 Locate the rear seatback bracket: This is the bracket that held the rear seatbacks in place. It can easily be removed since it’s bolted in place. Unlike many other brackets under the rear seat, which are riveted or welded and require more effort to remove, this one comes out without much trouble.
3.3 Lift the carpet to fully expose the bracket: Carefully lift the carpet to gain complete access to the bracket.
3.4 Remove the four 12mm bolts to detach the bracket: Use a 12mm socket to unscrew the four bolts securing the bracket, allowing it to be removed completely. The bracket, along with the part we removed in step 1.5, weighs 283g (10 oz).
Note: The seat buckles will be weighed later along with the seatbelt retractors in step 4.17.
4. Removing the Parcel Shelf (to get access to the Seat Belts)
4.1 Remove the C-Pillar Covers: To remove the parcel shelf, you first need to take out the C-pillar covers. Start by prying out the small light located on each cover. I use a plastic trim removal tool from my trim removal kit to avoid scratches or damage.
4.2 Remove the Torx Screw and Disconnect the Light: Behind the light, you’ll find a T25 Torx screw. Remove this screw using a Torx driver. Additionally, disconnect the light from its cable by simply pulling the connector off.
4.3 Detach the C-Pillar Trim: The C-pillar trim is still secured with clips. Simply pull it away gently to release the clips and remove the trim.
4.4 View of the C-Pillar Trim Clips: Here’s a rear view of the C-pillar trim, showing the clips that hold it in place. This can help you understand where the pressure points are when removing it.
4.5 Common Issue with Older BMW C-Pillar Trims: Here are both C-pillar trims removed. A common problem with older BMWs is that the fabric on these trim pieces tends to come loose over time. In this image, the left trim still has some of the fabric attached, but it has already come off halfway. On the right trim, the fabric is completely gone, leaving only the yellow glue residue. Don’t worry—this isn’t mold, just old adhesive!
Now would be a great time to replace or reupholster these trims to give them a fresh look.
4.6 Removing the Speaker Covers: Next, remove the plastic covers of the two speakers on the parcel shelf. Simply reach underneath and pull them upward—they are only clipped in place.
4.7 Removing the Speakers: The speakers are secured with three 8mm screws each. Unscrew these to remove the speakers.
4.8 Disconnecting the Speaker Cable: To fully remove the speaker, disconnect the cable. Press the small tabs on both sides of the connector, and then pull the connector off.
4.9 Removing the Speaker Housing: First, remove the cable from its guide and gently bend it to the side. The plastic housing extends through the underside of the parcel shelf. Push it from below while pulling it upward from the top—it comes out easily this way.
4.10 Checking the Parcel Shelf: The parcel shelf cover should now be loose. Lift it gently and check if it’s completely free or still attached anywhere. At this stage, only the two seat belts should still pass through the cover. These will be removed in the next steps.
4.11 Removing the Seat Belt Bolts: The two seat belts are secured at the bottom with a Torx T50 screw. Remove these screws.
4.12 Removing the Plastic Guides: In the parcel shelf cover, there is a plastic guide for the seat belts. Pull this guide out. Then, you can remove the plastic cover from the seat belt by threading the belt through the opening.
4.13 Fully Removing the Seat Belt: Now you can completely pull the seat belt through the openings in the parcel shelf cover to remove it.
4.14 Removing the Parcel Shelf: The parcel shelf can finally be removed. Lift it out of the car.
4.15 Removing the Seat Belt Retractors: The seat belt retractors can now be removed. Unscrew the Torx 50 bolt to detach them.
4.16 Removing the Retractors: The retractors can now be fully removed from the car.
4.17 Total Weight of Belts and Buckles: The seat belts, buckles, and screws weigh a total of 2,127.8 g (~2,1 kg / 4.69 lbs).
5. Removing Sound Deadening and Insulation
5.1 Removing Sound Deadening and Insulation: I removed the insulation from the rear seat area. It was already brittle and fragile, which made it very easy to take out. Simply pull it away by hand, and it comes off without much effort.
5.2 Work from the Center Outwards: To make the process easier, I started removing the insulation from the center and worked my way outwards.
5.4 Weight of Removed Insulation:
Here’s an image of all the removed insulation. This alone weighs 3,6 kg (7,93 lbs).
6. Weight Summary
6.1 Current Interior View:
Here’s an image of how the interior looks now. I’ve reinstalled the parcel shelf and the side bolsters of the rear seat.
6.2 Weight Summary:
Let’s take a look at what all the effort has achieved in terms of weight savings. Below is a breakdown of the removed components:
- Headrests: 1092.9g (2.41 lbs)
- Passenger Side Seatback: 5.4kg (11.90 lbs)
- Driver Side Seatback: 10.7kg (23.59 lbs)
- Seat Cushion: 6.9 kg (15.21 lbs)
- Folding Mechanism: 998.7g (2.20 lbs)
- Brackets: 283g (0.62 lbs)
- Seat Belts: 2127.8g (4.69 lbs)
- Rear Floor Mats: 737.5g (1.63 lbs)
- Insulation: 3.6 kg (7.93 lbs)
Total: 31.84 kg (70.19 lbs)
7. Additional: Clubsport Carpet
Since the car is currently only undergoing a Clubsport conversion, I wasn’t satisfied with the bare spot left on the rear seat area. For a cleaner look, I decided to cut and fit my own custom carpet.
Check out my article here where I show you exactly how to make your own Clubsport carpet.