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      07-09-2012, 12:09 AM   #1
Cali1Driver
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DIY: Fixing the 2012 1-series convertible rear seat headrests

Shortly after I purchased my 2012 135i convertible, I discovered that I was unable to get the headrests on the rear seats to lower so that they were flush with the back of the seats. I was able to remove the headrests, and was able get them to latch into an up or extended position, but when I tried to lower them, there seemed to be something blocking the headrest, and it would only lower a very small distance below the latched up position. This photo shows the headrests at their lowest position:



At first I thought I was doing something wrong, but after a bit of research discovered that others were having the same problem. I assume that the same issue afflicts the 128i convertible. It appeared that something was changed in recent model cars that was preventing the headrests from being lowered. There was also speculation that BMW made the modification due to US safety regulations or to defend against a litigation-happy culture. I didn’t do any further investigation to verify the speculation, but I did find pictures of European-specification cars that indicated that those 2012 models had headrests that were able to sit flush with the seat back.

Whatever the reason, not being able to lower the headrests defied logic, messed with the aesthetics, significantly blocked visibility when the top was up, was irritating and needed to be fixed.

I was unable to find any information on a direct fix on the interwebs. The post here

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=708956

described the problem and a potential workaround. I wasn’t happy with that answer though because it didn’t address the root problem – that something had been modified and was blocking the headrest. I needed to dig into it myself.

The first step was to get the rear seats out so that I could see what was going on. I removed the headrests. Next up was removing the plastic brackets that sit on top of the seat backs, and that the legs of the headrest slide into. I used a narrow slotted screwdriver to pry 4 tabs to cause them to release the brackets. Here’s a picture of the screwdriver I used:



There are 2 tabs per opening in the bracket. Insert the screwdriver at an angle so the tip is about an inch below the surface. You’ll feel the tab. Lever the screwdriver so that the tab is pried toward the middle of the opening.



There is a useful picture associated with step 4 of the Smarttop controller installation instructions found here:

http://www.mods4cars.com/sms/db/smar...stall_1/en.php

I was able to get my fingers under the front edge of the plastic bracket to apply upward pressure while I was prying the tabs so that the tabs wouldn’t snap back into place once they had been released. It took a fair amount of fiddling with each of the 2 tabs in each opening to get them to release at the same time. Patience and firm but gentle prying was key. Once one opening was released, I continued to put gentle, upward pressure on that side of the bracket so that it wouldn’t reseat while I worked on the other side. Once all 4 tabs were released, the brackets pulled easily out of the seat back.

Next I removed the rear seat bench (bottom) by pulling up on the front edge. The bench is held into place via 4 clips. Here’s a photo with the bench out, so that you can easily see where the clips are located:



The rear of the bench is just slotted under the seat back, and is not held into place via anything else.

Once the bench is removed, I had access to the 2 nuts that hold the bottom of the seat back in place. I’ve placed the nuts just below the bolts in the following photo to give you a sense of where they’re located:



I then pulled the bottom of the seat back out (toward the front of the car) and then lifted the entire seat back up. The whole thing moved fairly easily out once it was around the seat belts.

With the seat out of the way, the culprit and cause of the problem was easily seen:



The bracket that holds the headrest to the frame has a stop, seen clearly here on the right-hand side. It was also very clearly an add-on; spot welded onto the original bracket, as you can see in the following photo:



Only one thing to do: Get to cutting.

But before putting your tool into a strange bracket, it’s best to practice safe cutting. Be sure to wear eye protection and wrap the valuables in plastic, because sparks are sure to fly.



I used my rotary tool (Dremel is a brand of rotary tool) and metal cutting wheel. The cutting wheel made quick work of the first leg of the stopper:



Since the other leg was closer to the side of the vehicle, I figured it was safer to use a pair of pliers to break the second leg of the stopper:



Bending the leg side-to-side did the trick, and it quickly broke free. I did the same procedure on the other side, and the nasty little things were off my car:



From there all that was left to do was reverse the process to reassemble everything, and enjoy my newly lowered convertible headrests sitting flush with the seat back – just as BMW intended them:



The headrests are perfectly functional, and can still be raised and locked into place:



As an added bonus, the lowered headrests radically improve the rearward visibility when the top is up:



Overall, the project took less than 2 hours of time, and was straightforward if you’re fairly comfortable operating a rotary cutter. Highly recommended. Good luck!

Last edited by Cali1Driver; 07-09-2012 at 11:28 PM..
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      07-09-2012, 07:22 AM   #2
pinmagic
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Nice! Fortunately, I have a 2011, so don't have this problem, but your post is definitely going to help a lot of people.
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      07-09-2012, 11:11 PM   #3
Cali1Driver
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pinmagic View Post
Nice! Fortunately, I have a 2011, so don't have this problem, but your post is definitely going to help a lot of people.
Thanks! I do hope it helps. It's good to get confirmation that the problem started with the 2012 models.
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      07-10-2012, 12:40 PM   #4
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Wow. Great write up. I'm sure a ton of people are going to do this. Headrests look like they sit way high.
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      07-11-2012, 08:44 AM   #5
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nice write up
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      07-11-2012, 10:35 PM   #6
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Phaser...great DIY write-up! I would, however, suggest that those of you without the time,
knowledge or skills to perform this particular version may refer to the following thread:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...4#post12300444

Post# 8. Just a simpler alternative...

Last edited by Section147; 07-11-2012 at 11:26 PM..
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      07-28-2012, 05:52 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Section147 View Post
Phaser...great DIY write-up! I would, however, suggest that those of you without the time,
knowledge or skills to perform this particular version may refer to the following thread:

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...4#post12300444

Post# 8. Just a simpler alternative...
Thanks Section! Yes, I used that thread as a starting point. While modifying the headrest post certainly solves the problem, I worry that the safety function would be degraded when the headrest is up. That said-- I don't think it would matter if you never raise the headrest.
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      07-28-2012, 06:33 PM   #8
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American Phaser did it the right way. Well done.
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      07-28-2012, 06:36 PM   #9
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I'm sorry...
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      07-28-2012, 06:41 PM   #10
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LOL, your way works too!
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      07-28-2012, 06:45 PM   #11
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I know...just havin' some fun!
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      09-19-2012, 07:03 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by American Phaser View Post

But before putting your tool into a strange bracket, it’s best to practice safe cutting.


Sage advice.
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      09-26-2012, 02:50 PM   #13
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Thanks for the excellent guide and write-up!

I just did this modification on my 2013 E88. If you don't want to, there's no need to use a saw or Dremel to cut the offending metal headrest stop or U-bracket. Just use vise grips or non-locking pliers!

I simply took off the rubber bumper at the bottom of the U-bracket then used a vise grip to grab that horizontal section. Bend and break off that horizontal section by moving/twisting the vise grip up and down. Once it breaks off, bend back and forth the vertical sections to break them off too.

Using vice grips to bend and break off the U-bracket instead of using a saw is cleaner and faster.
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      07-27-2015, 12:22 PM   #14
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I picked up my CPO 128 convertible in early June. Even the BMW dealership couldn't explain why the headrests couldn't lower all the way.

Thanks to an awesome DIY post, I did this mod in 2 hours this past Saturday . What an amazing difference. The directions were spot on perfect. I wouldn't have attempted it without them. Thanks American Phaser!

'13 128 'vert bw/oyster
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      07-30-2015, 12:45 AM   #15
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I just did mine, too. it is much better view now when top is up
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      10-03-2015, 03:47 PM   #16
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Great DIY

This was the best info I could have hoped to find. Took delivery of 2013 128i convert on Tues, my wife and I both tried to get the headrests down!! Tried again Wed, NOTHING worked. Found this post on Thurs, followed this step by step, only took about an hour. Now it looks better with the top down and I've gained 32sq inches of rear window area. GREAT post. THANKS
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      10-14-2015, 10:39 AM   #17
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Thanks to all .I did this on My 2013 and it worked/looks great
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      04-18-2016, 07:55 PM   #18
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Thanks so much! I'm so glad I found this post. I was able to fix my '13 in about 20 minutes. Here are a few more tips:

* I used bolt cutters to remove the stopper brackets. They snipped off quickly and cleanly at the welds with no sparks and without deforming the rest of the guide bracket.

* The nuts to the seat back take a 13mm socket.

* Keep the rear seat belts out of the way by looping the webbing around the front seat belt guide anchors.

* When pushing the seat belt buckles back through the seat bottom, make sure the release side is facing inboard and the tongue insert side is facing outboard.
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      05-02-2016, 01:32 AM   #19
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Just to mention the obvious; the rear headrests do not go all the way down BY DESIGN. I have discussed this with my dealer mechanic (who can fix anything, he's the head of his "team,") and he said these headrests are fixed as to how low they will go down because they are part of the rollover protection system. Hopefully if your car does roll those headrests will help to protect your head and more importantly your neck in the event of a rollover accident in these convertibles.

I am not writing this to defend the poor rear visibility in the E88 convertibles; this is a real problem, although in all honesty I don't personally find it bothersome with the top down, only when the top is up. At the very least, these cars should have all come stock with either a rear camera or PDC (park distance control). Mine did not.

So go ahead and modify the rear headrest system if you like, but do it with full knowledge that you are bypassing an intentional "safety feature" in these vehicles by doing so.
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      06-28-2016, 10:44 PM   #20
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What happened to the photos? I'm trying to take my rear backrest off to do a color swap with someone but neither of us could figure out how to take off the rear backrest haha. From the sound of it other than the two 13m bolts at the bottom the only thing still holding it in place is removing the plastic guides that hold the headrests in. Does that sound accurate? I just have to finagle 4 spring clips off the plastic headrest guides then take them out and I'm home free?

Sound right guys and gals? Any help removing that and the rear interior panels would be greatly appreciated. I think the rear interior panels should be a breeze once the seat back is out.

Thanks.
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      07-02-2017, 05:46 PM   #21
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Anyone still have pictures for this?
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      11-01-2017, 11:50 AM   #22
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Thanks to American Phaser for this writeup! I'm really happy I was able to lower those things. I just bought a 2013 135i convertible, and the first thing that bugged me was not being able to properly lower them out of view.

For those who are worried about safety, once you see the flimsy metal bracket that prevents them from lowering, it's clear it would provide absolutely no additional protection. Besides, that's what the automatic popup roll bars are for. I'd say lowering them actually increases safety by providing a better rear view. Think about it... how could a soft headrest being 1 inch higher do anything to save your neck in a rollover? If you're actually sitting in the rear seat, you still have the option of raising them to match your height just like in every other car. Also, when you realize this is only a US "feature", it's clear this is the result of American tort lawyers - not an increase in safety.

Anyway, I notice the pictures are missing. I didn't have my phone with me when I did the job so I have no pics either, but maybe I can provide some more clarity if anyone is interested...

I didn't know what he meant by a slotted screwdriver. I just used a small but long flathead screwdriver. As he says, there's two tabs in each hole. They provide friction to the posts, but they also keep the plastic hole liners and plate assembly in place. You have to pry the tabs inward (toward the inside of each hole) as you lift on the plate. Working in one hole, pry one, then the other as you're lifting on that side of the plate. Once it releases, go to the other hole and do the same. Then the whole plate will pop right out. It sounds more difficult than it actually is.

I used a sturdy set of wire cutters to remove the bracket that prevents full lowering. The whole process (once I figured it out) only took about 20 minutes and was well worth the time.

Last edited by evilrho; 11-01-2017 at 11:57 AM..
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