TorqFix

Removing and installing Bowden cable for backrest release mechanism, bucket seat — VW

Removing and installing Bowden cable for backrest release mechanism, bucket seat on VW: 19 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.

Workshop procedure for VW — the exact step sequence and torque figures, straight from real workshop data.

19 steps

🧭 Before you start

Fits: platform code 138

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  • Perform the worksteps below on both sides:
  • The bolts are microencapsulated and must be renewed each time they are loosened.Before new bolts are installed, the thread of the corresponding fitting must be cleaned.
  • To install blind rivets, use pop rivet pliersVAS 5072.

📋 Procedure

  1. Attach seat repair standVAS 6136 to engine and gearbox supportVAS 6095.
  2. Remove front seat .
  3. Secure front seat to seat repair standVAS 6136.
  4. Remove front belt buckle .
  5. Remove seat trim on tunnel side .
VW? Steps differ between engine variants — check this job against your exact car before you commit to it. Check my car — free →
  1. Remove front backrest .
  2. Remove backrest cover and cushion .
  3. Remove bolts (1).
  4. Remove upper shell of backrest release mechanism (2) in direction of (arrow) from backrest shell.
  5. Unclip Bowden cable (2) from catch (arrow A).
  6. Remove Bowden cable (2) from catch (arrow B). [Note: Perform the worksteps below on both sides:]
  7. Drill out head of pop rivet (1) on backrest strut (3).
  8. Unscrew bolts (2).
  9. Fold up backrest strut (3) in direction of (arrow). [Note: The bolts are microencapsulated and must be renewed each time they are loosened.Before new bolts are installed, the thread of the corresponding fitting must be cleaned.]
  10. Press Bowden cable (1) out of retaining plate.
  11. Slide eyelet (2) of Bowden cable downwards in direction of (arrow).
  12. Remove cable from stud (4).
  13. Remove remains of pop rivet (3).
  14. Remove Bowden cable (1) from openings in backrest shell (2). [Note: To install blind rivets, use pop rivet pliersVAS 5072.]

Who makes these pages, and how

TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.

The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.

Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.

Seen a figure that does not match your manual? Write to us — we correct it and note when. support@torqfix.com

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Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.