tpz76

I have major leather damage on the passenger front seat back of my 08 TL-S. I found a used one with minimal wear on eBay and am going to replace it myself. I was hoping someone out there has taken one of them out before and perhaps even removed the back from the seat and could give some insight as to any kind of PITA issues I may come across. I'm obviously going to start by disconnecting the battery and then removing the bolts that anchor the seat to the floor pan and disconnect any electrical connectors. After that, I did find a youtube video for an 05 TL base seat leather replacement and with the seat out it appeared that there were only some electrical connections to disconnect and four, I believe, 14mm bolts on each side of the seat back attaching it to the base. Seemed pretty cut and dry, however in my 20+ years of experience in auto servicing, nothing you do for the first time ever goes as planned! So any intel would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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08KBP_VA

The removal process for seatback is very easy
1. Release 2 clips at each lower corner of seat back
2. Pull out slightly and slide panel up, there are 2 hooks at top near headrest

I literally JUST performed this same function on both my rear seats for the same reason. The damage wasnt horrible but it annoyed the @#$% out of me. I did not have to remove my seats though would have been easier. I could not find them online and no way im dropping $300 each new and by chance I found them at salvage yard for $10 while hunting for another car.

The issue you will face are the 2 clips at lower base of the panel can be a challenge to remove. If not removed carefully it could damage the area holding the clip which happened on mine where the clip did not fit well after seat was reupholstered and the panel would not hold. One other issue is getting those damn clips out from the seat once remove the panel, they are a PITA to remove given their placement, had to buy a 90degree long nose to access.

For your ebay purchase Inspect those panels for clip area if they are hogged out where clips attach it will be a challenge to get those panels to stay in place

Good luck...in wrench ratings this is a 1 or 2 wrench job at best.

tpz76

You must have misunderstood me, I am replacing the front seat, backing portion. I have however had to remove the rear seat as well, and yeah when I bought the car, both of the clips were broke, easy fix though.

08KBP_VA

Yup. Have you looked into a leather repair shop if the damage isnt as severe

I paid upholsterer $100 (labor) to replace both bottom and seat back. Good luck

csmeance

step 5 is what you are looking for! also if something is broken, acura has a repair kit per TSB 08-008

tpz76

Yeah, it was completely trashed, I was quoted 300 bucks to replace all of the center (silver portion with perforations) panels, and would not have looked good at all against the seat portion that is 11 years old. And re-skining myself, if I even knew how, would cost like $700 bucks for the cover itself. I actually found a used seat back assembly on eBay for 200 bucks. I actually got the job done a few days ago, only issue was having the airbag light on after the job was done. Turns out anytime you disconnect the SRS system, you need to recalibrate the seat weight sensor. Thankfully I have a friend who was able to provide me with the scanning tool necessary to do so.

Scottwax

I just swapped complete seats into my Accord, took about 10 minutes per side. Took me 3 years of looking to find seats decent enough to swap. Paid $300 for both front seats and the lower cushion for the back seat.