# sport seats side panel how to



## cyman (Jul 14, 2020)

as requested here is a little how to for the replacement of the side panes for the sport seats. this is just for the side panels and does not cover any extras like modifications to airbags.

parts - I managed to get the passenger side panel from parthaus website for £45 for the drivers I had to get the panel from my local audi dealer for £75. both places will check the parts against your vehicle vin code to make sure they are correct.
first thing I would like to point out is that in the other thread it says the parts with 15s written on are the correct ones however when I took my broken ones off they had the 15s markings on but the new ones had 02s on them. the old ones have the part number that end in A but the new ones have the same part number that ends in S.










recommended tools

I recommend you get a set of plastic trim tools from amazon. something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1


















you also need a torx t30 bit with a long extension or a long torx driver


















before you start its worth understanding how this all goes together. if you think of the side panels and back panel all being one piece with the side panels fixing to the seat and the back panel fitting to the side panels with plastic clips that are molded parts of the side panels. the clips can be seen clearly below


















regarding the back panel as described above it simply clips onto the side panels, along the bottom of the back panel there are 2 hooks that hook onto the back of the seat, the top is held in with a single strap which just keeps the back securely attached to the seat.


















what follows are the steps I took to remove the side panels from start to finish

push the seat forwards and tilt the back forwards to allow access

using the large plastic trim tool as pictured above push it in between the side panel and the back panel where they meet starting near the top, push it in flat to the side panel and then move outwards whilst gently pushing in to about a 90 degree angle from the side panel, this releases the clips one by one. I worked down approx. 1/3rd of the side panel on the door side and then did the same thing on the inner panel (remember you have to remove the whole back panel to allow access) I then repeated on the next 1/3 doing outer then inner until the back pops off on both sides. you then lift the back panel so the hooks on the bottom come away and you now have access to the side panels


























the side panel is held in place in 3 places, at the top there is a slide in push fit fixing and then there are 2 torx fixings one near the top and on near the bottom (please note the torx at the bottom is a tight fit and may catch the metal housing just prize it out a little using the driver and continue undoing and it should come away fine) if the top slide in fixing is still intact just pull the side panel down and it will come away.


















the only prep to the new side panel before it is fitted is the removal of the plastic insert from seat pull strap surround from the old panel and then fitting it to the new panel, this is easy and it just needs to be pressed out at the bottom and then it slides down and pops out. fitting in the new panel is the reversal of this.


















you are now ready to fit the new side panel. first have a good look at the new one to get a feel for where al the lugs and clips are then you start at the top and work down.

fist pull a little bit of the pull strap through the plastic guide/hole then slide the top clip that looks like a T from underneath into the wider part of the slot at the top of the seat and then push upwards pulling the strap through as you go if it get in the way.


























now you need to align the side panel in to its correct position ensuring that you get the bottom section in behind the back adjusting trim, there is also a small slot and insert that needs to be aligned on the outside of the bolster. then use one of the torx screws to secure the top bracket making sure that the side panel is held in place as you tighten it (these need to be pinched up so they hold the trim but not done up bloody tight as you don't want to cause any cracks in the plastic)
once the top on is in use the 2nd torx screw to secure the bottom part of the panel (this one I have found needs to be fairly tight and you have to make sure the side panel is pushed in and forwards to ensure correct placement)


















now that the side panel is fitted and looking nice and neat you can re fit the back panel, this is basically a reverse of the removal procedure. first you need to place the hooks at the bottom back over the cross bar on the back and then you need to align the tabs of the side panel into the slots of the back panel(example pics below). this is tricky and can take some manoeuvring. start from the bottom up doing about a 3rd at a time then move from inside to outside as you move up. when you are sure all the tabs are in the correct place you can press the back in fully and it should then be held in place nicely. (for this bit on the inside panel I actually get into the passenger seat to fit that side, if you are lucky they will all line up in one go)


























you should now be all done


























all in all once you've done one it only takes about 10mins to replace the panel. hope this is helpful


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## Erty (Nov 26, 2016)

Thank you.


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## kevin#34 (Jan 8, 2019)

good to know! thanks


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## Rookie975 (Jul 1, 2014)

That's an excellent write up that is bound to help a fair few owners with this issue! Thanks very much


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## jnwright71 (Apr 28, 2012)

Thanks Cyman,

Great write up and it's encouraged me to do mine myself. Did you have to make any adjustments to the upper guide rails and / or replace the headrest guide sleeves as referred to in the TPI ?

Cheers, James


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## cyman (Jul 14, 2020)

jnwright71 said:


> Thanks Cyman,
> 
> Great write up and it's encouraged me to do mine myself. Did you have to make any adjustments to the upper guide rails and / or replace the headrest guide sleeves as referred to in the TPI ?
> 
> Cheers, James


I didnt have to make any adjustments to anything on mine it was a straight swap. The only thing I cant say is if the previous owner had anything done before me or not.

I also wonder whether audi have updated the standard parts now as they did say that was going to be the case in the original American mod details.


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## stevesmith7461 (Aug 25, 2020)

Hi, Newbie here, guess what brings me to this page..... seat faults of course. My dealer (Audi Newcastle) has just quoted me for a fix, are you seated comfortably........ £2300 inc VAT which includes, amongst other things, air bags, new clip and labour. Not great is it! Apparently the airbag has a fitment that is something to do with the replacement bracket and is thus needing changing. Has anybody heard of this ?

Cyman, you did a great job with your guidance but I'm not one for tearing things down like this. Do you fancy starting a business just doing seat repairs ? I would be your first customer (UK only though lol). I'm serious  .

Anyone out there know who I could take it to that would not take my eyeballs out and come back for the sockets?

Steve
Audi TTS 2015 8S


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## DPG (Dec 7, 2005)

stevesmith7461 said:


> Hi, Newbie here, guess what brings me to this page..... seat faults of course. My dealer (Audi Newcastle) has just quoted me for a fix, are you seated comfortably........ £2300 inc VAT which includes, amongst other things, air bags, new clip and labour. Not great is it! Apparently the airbag has a fitment that is something to do with the replacement bracket and is thus needing changing. Has anybody heard of this ?


There are a couple of revisions, first one was just to use stronger ABS plastic for the side panels.

The next one was to install a different / larger bracket that required a modified airbag too. That's where the big expense comes in and of course the one Audi will always quote for.


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## stevesmith7461 (Aug 25, 2020)

DPG said:


> stevesmith7461 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi, Newbie here, guess what brings me to this page..... seat faults of course. My dealer (Audi Newcastle) has just quoted me for a fix, are you seated comfortably........ £2300 inc VAT which includes, amongst other things, air bags, new clip and labour. Not great is it! Apparently the airbag has a fitment that is something to do with the replacement bracket and is thus needing changing. Has anybody heard of this ?
> ...


Thanks DPG that might make a bit of sense then. Sounds as if some of the fixes are reappearing. The dealer indicated that the defect is cosmetic and does not impact safety so optional in that sense.


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## cyman (Jul 14, 2020)

stevesmith7461 said:


> Hi, Newbie here, guess what brings me to this page..... seat faults of course. My dealer (Audi Newcastle) has just quoted me for a fix, are you seated comfortably........ £2300 inc VAT which includes, amongst other things, air bags, new clip and labour. Not great is it! Apparently the airbag has a fitment that is something to do with the replacement bracket and is thus needing changing. Has anybody heard of this ?
> 
> Cyman, you did a great job with your guidance but I'm not one for tearing things down like this. Do you fancy starting a business just doing seat repairs ? I would be your first customer (UK only though lol). I'm serious  .
> 
> ...


I actually am an upholsterer with my own business so I repair leather and car seats all the time  I also spent several years training as a mechanic at my local vw audi dealer in the mud eighties ( not that it to relevant these days lol )

If I was you I would just contact audi parts dept and ask for the price of the outer side panels for both seat . It should be around 150 quid, these should be the latest plastic. I don't know how long they will last but even if you had to do it several times over the years its still a dam sight cheaper than the audi qoute.


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## moro anis (May 27, 2010)

Amazing write up. Thanks and well done.


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## jnwright71 (Apr 28, 2012)

Hi all,

According to the latest TPI, only the Coupe requires new airbags, not the Roadster - weird ...

Perhaps the time has come to group together to take collective action against Audi, a bit like a USA class action law suit. Also, I believe under UK consumer law, you can claim for the cost of repairs for known defects for up to 6 years from the date of purchase (in the case of a car, registration). This is the statute of limitations, so just about every TT mk3 with this issue should still be Audi's sole responsibility to fix. They screwed up the design so have a responsibility to fix.

Does anyone know a good lawyer who might be interested in taking this on ?

Cheers, James


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## stevesmith7461 (Aug 25, 2020)

[/quote]

I actually am an upholsterer with my own business so I repair leather and car seats all the time  I also spent several years training as a mechanic at my local vw audi dealer in the mud eighties ( not that it to relevant these days lol )

If I was you I would just contact audi parts dept and ask for the price of the outer side panels for both seat . It should be around 150 quid, these should be the latest plastic. I don't know how long they will last but even if you had to do it several times over the years its still a dam sight cheaper than the audi qoute.[/quote]

Hence you are happy to have a go at pulling the seat apart, beyond me though..... Very good point regarding the cost of the side panel and how many can be replaced for the cost of the full repair. Worth investigating I feel, even with the dealer.


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## DavidInTheNorth (Nov 30, 2019)

I posted in the other thread that I had my seats repaired in January by an Audi main dealer and that I already see that one of the side panels is now coming away again. The car had only been driven 1,800 miles since the repair.

I've checked the invoice and I see that the part number used for the repair was "8S0881318S" (and "8S0881317S", "8W0881317D", "8W0881318D") matching the new design as described in the post above. The repair only lists four side panels plus two backrest trims as these were broken during the repair, so the brackets weren't replaced.

This suggests to me that repairing only the trims without the more extensive replacement of parts described above might not be a long term solution, it certainly wasn't for me.


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## ianle (Apr 2, 2015)

This is a great write up and I'll be trying it out on the inside panel of the passenger seat that split at the top (I understand that the original parts for the car were brittle and have since been updated). Just waiting for the replacement side trim part (which I hope is the correct one of a possible four) and the right colour....


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## ianle (Apr 2, 2015)

So all done. Inside of passenger seat side trim replaced - took about an hour and £70 for the part. Thx for the write up.


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## cyman (Jul 14, 2020)

Glad you found it helpful. It does look scary to start off with but is very straight forward and saves a ton of cash


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## jks89 (Oct 26, 2020)

Thanks for the write up - is it easy for someone who hasn't done it before to do?


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## ianle (Apr 2, 2015)

jks89 said:


> Thanks for the write up - is it easy for someone who hasn't done it before to do?


I hadn't done anything like this before. I bought the plastic tool set and a longer torx t30 and just gave it a go. There was a moment when I though I wasn't going to get the seat back clips to release on one side, but they did with some persuasion. Putting it all back together was the easiest!

I'm going to now replace both of the black side sills that have got scuffed. That also seems easy enough.


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## Rywarn (Mar 30, 2021)

Thanks for the write up! I have no experience with this type of stuff and it took me about 1.5 hours to do both trims!
Audi quoted me £800 to do drivers and passengers outer trims. 
Parts cost me £160 from Audi directly so a nice saving!


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## cyman (Jul 14, 2020)

Great stuff I'm glad its helping some of you out


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## Graculus (Feb 22, 2021)

cyman said:


> Great stuff I'm glad its helping some of you out


Another a vote of thanks for your excellent guide. I did both seats today and it makes such a difference. I'm very happy doing practically any mechanical job but not so happy with trim and your "how to" made it much less daunting.

[smiley=cheers.gif]


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## russt93 (Feb 21, 2019)

Great guide!

I have this problem with my mk3 on both seats both sides (...I don't think the original owner did anything about it at any point).

So is it right that I'll need...?

8S0881318S
8S0881317S
8W0881317D
8W0881318D

?

Thanks!


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## cyman (Jul 14, 2020)

russt93 said:


> Great guide!
> 
> I have this problem with my mk3 on both seats both sides (...I don't think the original owner did anything about it at any point).
> 
> ...


you only normally need the outer passenger and outer drivers side. if you want to check the part number for yours then call your audi dealer and they will confirm the correct latest part number and provide a price then you can look elsewhere if you wish.


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## russt93 (Feb 21, 2019)

I have this problem with both drivers and passenger seats and both sides as above, surely I'll need four parts?


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## jeebsy (Mar 31, 2020)

The parts department at my local VW garage are happy to order Audi parts in and they're often a lot cheaper than third parties so definitely worth checking.

Both my outside panels have failed so got those parts on order but noticed the inside of the passenger one is coming away at the top too


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## BrassD (12 mo ago)

Wish you did a video of this fix! Im a bit worried to break the clips or over exert but I really want to give it a go. Audi dealer wont even check for problem without first charging £65 per half hr to diagnose the problem! so I am forced to go through a self fix or leave it as it is. I have got the part for £50 plus the tools - going to wait for some nicer weather then tackle this job and take my time.


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## Alan W (Oct 8, 2007)

BrassD said:


> Wish you did a video of this fix!


There is a video on YouTube by our very own jeebsy:

Audi TT 8S mk3 sports seat fix

Hope that helps.

Alan W


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## BrassD (12 mo ago)

Thats a good vid in addition to this, Thanks for sharing. I have just been advised the part wont fit my car - is there a way to find the correct part number without taking apart the seat to get to the broken trim? I bought Audi TT 2015 Onwards Front Right Outer Seat Trim Black 8W0881318E6PS - I have a 2015 TT black edition withe the full sport seat upgrade with leather and alcantara. Any ideas if thats not correct part what would be the correct code for part?


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## ademanuele (Mar 9, 2015)

I live near Manchester (Glossop), is there anywhere I can take my car to get the trim replaced other than Audi (not confident of doing this myself)? I did try a few months ago and could not find anywhere...


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## ademanuele (Mar 9, 2015)

jnwright71 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> According to the latest TPI, only the Coupe requires new airbags, not the Roadster - weird ...
> 
> ...


This is really poor and Audi are not taking responsibility.


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## huddott (Sep 1, 2014)

Before I pull the pin and commit to ordering these panels is someone able to confirm I don’t need to replace the airbags as I’ve seen some posts elsewhere the say because the new side trims have been modified/ changed that’s the case. I have a 2015 S-Line. Thanks in advance BTW I’ve been quoted £370.61 by local TPS branch……… crazy money for four pieces of plastic but what can you do ???? Just suck it up I guess 😢😢😢😢


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## 237tonybates (Jan 26, 2013)

If they are 6ps colour I've got a brand new one for sale , pm please if interested 

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


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## huddott (Sep 1, 2014)

i think they told me the colour was Soul Black ? No idea on colour code of mine, sorry.


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## huddott (Sep 1, 2014)

Just googled it and it appears 6PS is Soul black. I don’t think I’ve enough posts to be able to PM you. Which part do you have ?


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## 237tonybates (Jan 26, 2013)

I've sent you a pm .you should be able to view if not send 

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk


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## KarlSwiss (11 mo ago)

huddott said:


> Before I pull the pin and commit to ordering these panels is someone able to confirm I don’t need to replace the airbags as I’ve seen some posts elsewhere the say because the new side trims have been modified/ changed that’s the case. I have a 2015 S-Line. Thanks in advance BTW I’ve been quoted £370.61 by local TPS branch……… crazy money for four pieces of plastic but what can you do ???? Just suck it up I guess 😢😢😢😢


My TT first registration date i 30th Jan 2015.

i just went to Audi today for an estimate to repair the ripped side trim of super sport seats.
I asked them numberous times if I will need an airbag replacement. They insisted that I dont, just the new plastic side panels.

I have paid in advance and we shall see what happens when the parts come. Not sure what happens if it turns out that I need airbag replacement..and I already paid for diagnostics…labor and parts for the scenario that they don’t need new airbags.
Wont that be “miss diagnostic” and Audi should pay for the airbags? Since its them who billed me first for just trims.
Asking because once they open the panels they will most likely not be able to even put them back at all..(the old ones)


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