E90 Folding Rear Seats Retrofit

Tags: E90, seats, folding-seats
Updated: December 23, 2022

Folding rear seats did not come standard on E90s, they came with the cold weather package or as a standalone option. My 2006 325i didn't come with this option so I retrofitted it using parts i got from a junk yard E90.

Parts

  1. 60/40 Folding Rear Seat Backrest (2pcs)
  2. Folding Rear Seat Bench
  3. Rear Seat Bolsters a. Left: 52207162499 b. Right: 52207162500
  4. Support Bracket 52207161259
  5. Release Handles a. Left: 52207151369 b. Right: 52207151370
  6. Seat Locks a. Left: 52207112863 b. Right: 52207112864
  7. Expanding Nut 63121374075 (4x)
  8. 8mm screw 07119901299 (4x)
  9. 13mm M8x1.25x20mm Bolt + Washer 07147165618 (4x) (reuse)
  10. T30 M10x?x22mm bolt 07147161279 (2x)
Backrest: The bench piece is different for folding seats. You can't use the original one from a set of non folding seats. Bench: Bolsters: Release Handles and Locks

Tools

  1. T30 Torx bit/socket
  2. T50 Torx bit/socket
  3. Flathead Screwdriver
  4. 13mm socket

Removing Old Seats

  1. Remove rear bench by pulling upwards. It is only held in with 2 clips which are underneath, under the circled areas
  2. Remove backrest - Remove the two t50 torx bolts - Release the two locks that secure the backrest - Using a flathead screwdriver to pry it open - Once both locks are unlocked, the back rest can be removed - Grab it at the top and pull forwards. Then pull upwards to remove.
  3. Remove old locks -Each side is secured with two 13mm bolts (parts list item 9)

Installing Folding Seats

  1. Install new seat locks - feed the release handle cable through the hole - Connect the cable to the seat lock - Tighten the two 13mm bolts to secure the seat locks
  2. Secure the release handles - Insert two expanding nuts (parts list item 7) into the two outer square holes. These will provide something for the two 8mm screws (parts list item 8) to bite into - Middle square hole is for the release handle to clip into - Tighten the two 8mm screws to secure the release handle
  3. Secure the support bracket (parts list item 4) using the two T30 Torx bolts (parts list item 10)
  4. Loosely position the smaller 40% portion of the backrest - The protruding rod goes into the hole of the support bracket - It should be loosely positioned. If its bolted into position, you won't be able to connect the 60% portion of the backrest
  5. Connect the 60% portion of the backrest - The rod from the 40% piece will fit into a hole on the 60% piece - It took a lot of adjusting and wiggling to get both portions of the backrest to sit properly - I had to push the 60% piece into the rod, simultaneously folding the seat up and down repeatedly
  6. Bolt down the two backrest pieces reusing the two T50 torx bolts from the old seats - The bolts go on either side of the backrest, unlike the non folding seats where the bolts were in the middle
  7. Install the bolsters - There are 3 parts that must be lined up
  8. Install the bench - Remove the middle seatbelt and feed it through the slot in the bench - I believe it's a T50 torx bolt - The bench should clip in easily
You now have folding rear seats! All images: https://imgur.com/a/6l1ONue