Utterly bonkers seat runners

[tileart]

I know there have been comments and advice before (and is also a candidate for one of the worst design aspects of the S Series, as per another thread), anyhow here’s my two-penneth:
Reluctantly I recognised it was time to take the driver’s seat out of my S3 so that I can get under the dash for a good poke around, in pursuit of identifying the odd clicking noise I’m getting from behind the dash.
After stretching my arms by about 20%, banging my chin on the sill, and finding some approximately right-sized spanners, I finally got the rear nuts/bolts undone (the fronts were relatively easy). I’m hoping there is some good automotive-engineering reason why the factory assembled the seat runners this sloppy way, probably so the weight of the seat+driver is distributed across the floor of the car rather than putting all the strain on the mounting holes. (I do recall taking out the seats in a couple of M Series some years ago, but they seemed to be comparatively sane).
Best part though was that I got to see the original 1992 Quality Control stickers on the bottom of the seat.
Anyhow when I come to put the seat back I shall use some “waffer-thin” (as in Mr. Creosote) lock nuts on the rear bolts, so that hopefully in another twenty years a future owner won’t have quite so much grief.

[GreenV8S]

It's not too bad if you slide the seat far enough to see the top of the bolt, and then put an open end spanner on it from above.

[phillpot]

tileart said:

I know there have been comments and advice before

Yep, sure has................. seat mountings

[tileart]

Thanks for all those engineering solutions, and for the link to "please take a seat". At least nobody suggested Aralditing the rear bolt heads to the frame (you can tell I don't have a welder).