TorqFix

Removing and installing rear seat backrest cover and padding, Cabriolet — VW

Removing and installing rear seat backrest cover and padding, Cabriolet on VW: 13 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.

This is the cover and padding job on the rear seat backrest of a Cabriolet, on the platform codes listed below. The backrest is not reachable on its own: the bench seat, luggage compartment floor covering, rear double belt buckle, side trim panel, backrest and head restraint guides all come out first. Then the trim around the top tether (if fitted) and a clip are levered off with plastic tools, the beading at the front of each cover is freed from the clamping profile of the back panel, the side zips are opened and the retaining straps are pushed through the frame. The thing that catches people out is the centre mounting: never press the backrest down onto it, and keep a foam pad between mounting and backrest to protect the cover.

13 steps

🧭 Before you start

Remove the bench seat and luggage compartment floor covering, then the rear double belt buckle, side trim panel, backrest and head restraint guides. Lever off the top tether trim and the clip with plastic wedges, detach the cover beading from the clamping profile on both backrests, open the side zips and release the retaining straps through the frame. Lift the cover and padding off; refit in reverse order.

Fits: platform codes 5C7, 5C1

Don't miss

  • Never push the backrest down on the centre backrest mounting.
  • Place a foam cushion between the backrest mounting and backrest to protect the cover.
  • Use the removal wedge and release lever, not screwdrivers, on the trim and clip.
  • Free the front beading from the clamping profile on both left and right backrests before opening the zips.
  • Thread the side retaining straps back through the frame correctly on reassembly.

Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.

📋 Procedure

  1. Remove bench seat .
  2. ⚠ The backrest of the rear seat system must not be pushed down on the centre backrest mounting! To prevent damage to covers on backrest, place a foam cushion or similar between backrest mounting and backrest. — Remove luggage compartment floor covering .
  3. Remove rear double belt buckle .
  4. Remove side trim panel .
  5. Remove rear seat backrest .
VW? Steps differ between engine variants — check this job against your exact car before you commit to it. Check my car — free →
  1. Remove head restraint guides .
  2. If fitted, lever out outer trim (1) for top tether using removal wedge3409(2).
  3. Lever clip (1) off rear seat backrest using removal lever T10236(2).
  4. On left backrest, detach beading of front part of cover (1) from clamping profile for back of cover (2).
  5. On right backrest, detach beading of front part of cover from clamping profile for back of cover as described.
  6. Open zips at sides.
  7. Release side retaining straps and push them through frame.
  8. Remove cover and padding from backrest frame.

Other VW procedures

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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.

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Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.