# Anatomy of the rear bottom seat clip.



## xczar (May 19, 2013)

Thanks Nick for the picture and opinions. I asked a few weeks ago agout removing the seat as i was trying to install some seat covers. Shelved the idea since I could not lift the dam seat.

Next day off, I will try a long, thin screw driver and see if I can poke the stupid thing around and loosen at least one of the tabs.

At least I have a mental image now.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

This line drawing is making more sense now as two pieces are shown for that clip assembly.

View attachment 15112


Anxious to try something, but just had major surgery, so better take it easy. Would be nice to hear what other dealers have to say on this subject. My dealer told me his employee trying to remove this seat was using dirty words. He told me about other such clips that are one time only.

This reminds me of a Franklin 165 HP aircraft engine, cylinder and head was a one piece casting where the piston with rings on it were inserted from the bottom. If you pushed that piston up a tad too far, that top ring would expand and you would never be able to get it out again. Wanted to make darn sure you had at least four cups of coffee and the phone was off the hook before attaching that assembly to the crankcase and having the connecting rod firmly attached. And doing that six times in a roll without screwing up.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I never have rear seat passengers(too bad GM doesn't offer a two door model cruze), I have the rear seat bottom removed 90% of the time. Nice with the rear seats folded down they are actually flat with it removed. 

I did break one clip but will have to come up with something new when I want/need the rear seat, no way I am paying $20 for a piece of plastic I am gonna break again.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Found it at gmpartsdirect.com. But unable to determine shipping cost without making a commitment. 



"[ 2 ] BODY HARDWARE / SEATS & TRACKS / REAR SEAT COMPONENTS / Cushion assy retainer 
  * cushion assy retainer SEAT CUSHION *
PARTS: Part included with cushion assembly.
MSRP*Online Price*$19.58"
*$12.22*


  This site has better prices:

Aliexpress.com : Buy High quality Seat Fixed Clip Rear seat buckle for Chevrolet Cruze 4pcs/lot Free shipping#KL12067 from Reliable car Seat Clip suppliers on The Home Of Your Cruze

Least it says free shipping. Or this site: Has some nice photos.

Wholesale Chevrolet Cruze Buick Hideo Seat Fixed Clip Rear seat buckle,cruze back seat buckle, Free shipping, $1.71-2.17/Piece | DHgate


 


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, where is "Jackie, Chevrolet Customer Care" on this subject?

Don't know about you, with me, can handle large complicated jobs with ease, it's this simple shouldn't be a problem stuff that drives me nuts.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

NickD said:


> Ha, where is "Jackie, Chevrolet Customer Care" on this subject? Don't know about you, with me, can handle large complicated jobs with ease, it's this simple shouldn't be a problem stuff that drives me nuts.


 I'm here. How can I assist you with this issue?? 

"Jackie, Chevrolet Customer Care"


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> I'm here. How can I assist you with this issue??
> 
> "Jackie, Chevrolet Customer Care"


Find out how we Cruze owners can remove the bottom rear seat without breaking those clips. Please.

Just so we can vacuum under there once in awhile.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

I will see what I can do! Going to go research...

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## xczar (May 19, 2013)

"I will see what I can do! Going to go research...Jackie Chevrolet Customer Care"


It can`t be that easy here, ................ can it ?????

I dig this place.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

xczar said:


> "I will see what I can do! Going to go research...Jackie Chevrolet Customer Care"
> 
> 
> It can`t be that easy here, ................ can it ?????
> ...


Sometimes things are easy. Jackie may or may not be able to get the answer, but there has got to be an easy way to remove the back seat without breaking the clips.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

obermd said:


> Sometimes things are easy. Jackie may or may not be able to get the answer, but there has got to be an easy way to remove the back seat without breaking the clips.


If she does, will pass this information to my dealer's body shop manager. So he no longer has to explain to the insurance companies why he has to charge 40 bucks extra for a couple of plastic clips.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

I do not know if this will be helpful at all but this is what I was able to find. I hope that it is helpful in some way. 


"Pull up on the front of the seat cushion to disengage the retainers and lift out of the vehicle."









Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

lol, not really helpful.... that's exactly how i broke my clip. Honestly I think they are designed to hold only, not to be removed. You remove you run the risk of breaking it. 

stupid design, no reason to have a clip like that on the lower seat.


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## xczar (May 19, 2013)

yeah, ..... that blows.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Nothing wrong with the clips on my old 2004 Cavalier, seat bottom never flew up, same kind of loop under the seat, but a single plastic clip in the frame. One little pull, would snap right out, nothing broke. Using this double plastic clip is far more expensive and really doesn't serve any other purpose than to irritate the consumer.

How is this for a design? Use a 3/4" OD hardened steel shaft with a grove cut into it with a tapered like piston ring in that groove. A 3/4" OD receptacle type tube welded into the frame, so when you push that seat down would never get it out again without destroying the entire seat and frame.


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## LadyInBlue (Aug 26, 2011)

I removed my rear seat last year to install some seat covers. Pull straight up as hard as you can on the front corner of the reat seat. The peg will pop out of the plastic clip. I did this by putting the front seat forward as far as possible and standing facing back. It helps to be small . 
To reinstall, sit on it. Was not easy but was straightforward.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

LadyInBlue said:


> I removed my rear seat last year to install some seat covers. Pull straight up as hard as you can on the front corner of the reat seat. The peg will pop out of the plastic clip. I did this by putting the front seat forward as far as possible and standing facing back. It helps to be small .
> To reinstall, sit on it. Was not easy but was straightforward.


LadyInBlue? Are you a small woman? Ha, wife is also a woman and small, maybe I should leave this chore up to her.


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## LadyInBlue (Aug 26, 2011)

Yeah, I'm small  and strong. I hauled up on that sucker til it popped out. Wasn't gonna let some stupid car get the better of me but I had looked at the instructions and diagram so knew there was no trick to it.
Been working on my cars (or my Dad's) since I was a teenager and even got an 18 year old Celica through MD inspection- that took a few weeks.
I like cars but do a lot less work on them now than I used to. At least I know enought to know when a mechanic is lying to me.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ah so, the woman's touch. See some point in your method by pulling the seat at the corner, where us no so smart men would tend to pull the seat up right by the clip.

This would put an angle pressure on the far side of that clip so that could give. Where at the clip, those tabs have full force over the entire edge getting a far better grip.

Ha, still waiting for Jackie to come back. Since I was raised and taught by women, I have learned to listen to them. Well most of the time.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> "Pull up on the front of the seat cushion to disengage the retainers and lift out of the vehicle."
> 
> View attachment 15245
> 
> ...


Sounds easy enough... so what's the problem, guys?


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Chevy Customer Service said:


> I do not know if this will be helpful at all but this is what I was able to find. I hope that it is helpful in some way.
> 
> 
> "Pull up on the front of the seat cushion to disengage the retainers and lift out of the vehicle."
> ...


Somehow I feel they left out the part to have your credit card handy to pay your dealer $41.89 for two new sets of clips.

With a 3/16" slotted screwdriver and a bit of stretching, was able to release the upper front clip. But will have to get a much longer screwdriver, heat it red hot and bend it in a "U" to release the rear clip. See I already have a minor crack in mine on the frame clip from tying to remove it the normal way.

That drawing is not even correct, not one, but two clips on each side, forgot the upper clip. Then the lower clips are 90 degrees out of phase. Looks more like the drawing for my old 04 Cavalier, that one you could remove the rear seat without breaking either clip.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Got a weird idea of finding a stiff wire coat hanger wire to make a hook to release that rear clip. Searched all over my home for one of those, all plastic.

Back to the drawing board.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

NickD said:


> Got a weird idea of finding a stiff wire coat hanger wire to make a hook to release that rear clip. Searched all over my home for one of those, all plastic.
> 
> Back to the drawing board.


When SWMBO started replacing wire hangers with plastic ones, I would fish them out of the trash and hang them from a pipe in the ceiling of my basement workshop. You can't beat coat hanger wire for impromptu fixes.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Ha, my wife must have done that when I wasn't looking, even my old clothes all have plastic.

Speaking about women, where's Jackie? Wrong drawing, wrong instructions.


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## AZ007 (Sep 26, 2014)

I just broke my seat clips, too. I don't mind that they break since most people won't remove this part, ever. But I do mind the fact that an official replacement costs $20. Come on Chevy, this is a $1 or less part.

I'm thinking about removing the rear seat to make a large dog bed there. He rides in the back more often than humans, plus it would be nice to lose 40#.

PS thanks for digging up the p/n, Nick.


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## Gus_Mahn (Aug 16, 2011)

I recall something about the service manual saying to pull up really hard. It also mentioned the floor may be deformed, and the clip will break. With the fuel tank removed you can get to the back side of the clip. There was a thread about filing down the new clip so it will pull out without breaking.


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## jnorman (Jan 25, 2015)

I too installed back seat covers and had to take out the rear seat cushion.
I had read that you had to pull up very hard and didn't see where from, I tried from multiple places, even the corners (as someone suggested) and it never worked, finally I pretty much forced it out near where the clips were and I got it out. BUT....
1. one the plastic clips ended up breaking
2. the other plastic clip ended up intact still on the metal clip of the cushion

Now I admit I didn't give the exact same extreme force on the corners, but if I did, I'd fear I would have broken something else.
That is how much force it needed.

Unfortunately after taking the cushion off, the metal openings on the seat where the clips sat were slightly bent upwards, probably due to the force of taking off the clips.

Currently I'm short one clip, when I reinstalled the cushion with the cover over it, it seemed to pop back into place ok although not as good as it was, and of course the other side of the cushion that has the broken clip is completely not fastened.


I find it absolutely ridiculous that up here in Canada is it well over $40 a clip, I may be looking picking one up from China if needed.


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