Howto: Adding more padding to front seats

[LeftieBiker]

If I understand correctly, the best way to do this fix is to place, at a minimum, hard, closed-cell foam underneath the existing foam and directly on top of the springs. If more softness is desired, then a second layer of soft foam, between the hard foam and the OEM foam piece, is what's needed. Correct? That would not affect the seat heater or the fabric itself. It also shouldn't affect the passenger side weight sensor...?

 

[flamaest]

Hi Tttait, Can I ask where you got the closed cell tough foam base layer, or at least the details about this layer so I can find my own? I like your design and I want to make sure I get similar stuff; and I know, it's my responsibility, not anyone else's. Do you have any pictures of your formed foam layers?

I already have the details about buying the HR33 foam, so all that's left is the tougher base layer.

Also, has anyone seen how to open the seat back?

I have owned this car since December 2016. With all this info about the seat foam improvements, if GM does nothing to help us in the next ~60 days, I will need to make the adjustments myself since it does not seem to hard to do. (and I am not paying some shop $400 per seat to insert 10 bucks worth of foam)

 

[Lumpy12]

I swung by House of Foam in Palo Alto yesterday and bought some scraps of high density firm foam - enough to do probably 10 Bolt seats - for a whopping $5.
Today after work I slipped two 1" thick strips in under the existing foam per the awesomely helpful video and it made all the difference in the world. Took maybe 5 minutes. :mrgreen:

Not only does if help with the left leg, but because my ass is moved up a good inch, that annoying bar that hit my right lat below the shoulder blade is now lower and no issue now.

Now the car is perfect!

 

[Tttait]

Hi Tttait, Can I ask where you got the closed cell tough foam base layer, or at least the details about this layer so I can find my own? I like your design and I want to make sure I get similar stuff; and I know, it's my responsibility, not anyone else's. Do you have any pictures of your formed foam layers?

I already have the details about buying the HR33 foam, so all that's left is the tougher base layer.

Also, has anyone seen how to open the seat back?

Unfortunately the closed cell I used was laying around the office, something was shipped to us with it.

Its pictured in the thread about the media campaign to recall the seats. The key quality is that it's tough, I don't think I could tear it with my hands, but it cuts easily. I think it's a polyethylene foam.

When you do the passenger seat it will technically affect the seat sensor. I have not seen any change in its performance, but it does sit right on top of the sensor.

 

[flamaest]

Going to House of foam today to see what they've got.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

So, is it necessary to remove the front clips, if you only add foam at the back?

 

[flamaest]

I didn't quite score foam for 5 bucks, but I did get what I think will work.

They guy at House of Foam was really nice. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Photoflow]

Hi Tttait, Can I ask where you got the closed cell tough foam base layer, or at least the details about this layer so I can find my own? I like your design and I want to make sure I get similar stuff; and I know, it's my responsibility, not anyone else's. Do you have any pictures of your formed foam layers?

I already have the details about buying the HR33 foam, so all that's left is the tougher base layer.

Also, has anyone seen how to open the seat back?

I have owned this car since December 2016. With all this info about the seat foam improvements, if GM does nothing to help us in the next ~60 days, I will need to make the adjustments myself since it does not seem to hard to do. (and I am not paying some shop $400 per seat to insert 10 bucks worth of foam)

Hi.......you mentioned "if GM does nothing to help us in the next 60 days.....". Just wondering, are you thinking or do you have knowledge that GM may actually take action to resolve this seat problem? Or is there any actual movement on this issue from GM? I don't have a Bolt "yet", but I visited a Chevy dealer earlier this week to see the Bolt and I felt the same seat problem described in this thread and others, especially the issue with hitting my left thigh on the plastic base when exiting the vehicle, very uncomfortable. If it wasn't for this seat problem, I'd be driving home a new Bolt today. :-/

 

[MichaelBOLTon]

Tips for adding the foam:

Did this myself the other day and it worked great, but a few things to make it easier.

1) unbolt the seat to get access. Makes it much easier to access the clips & see what you're doing. You can also reach underneath to help fit the foam where you want as well. Don't need to fully remove if you don't want to unclip the harness to the seat. You'll need a torx 50 bit.

2) retaining clips: they are more designed to slide off to the sides, not to pull & stretch the fabric to get them off. Just slide the clips off the frame to the side & it'd very easy to get them on & off.

3) you need less foam thank you think. Only used a little to put on the edges to buffer from the plastic frame. Got my foam from "The Foam Shop" here in Vancouver. They had some closed cell dense foam.

 

[flamaest]

So my seat was uncomfortable before I took it into repair the issue shown in this thread.

http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6193&p=19714

I got my car back yesterday, and it is clear the entire fabric cover w/seat was replaced (back and bottom), but the seat itself was not replaced, and that is OK.

The issue I have now is my seat is even stiffer and more uncomfortable than the one I had. I will be accelerating my project to insert foam into the seat bottom.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE upload a video of how to get into the seat back?

Thanks GM, I am beginning to hate having purchased this car.

 

[Allelectric]

As per Flamaest.
I have purchased a seat base cushion/cover and that has partially solved the pain/problem from that part of the seat for now pending doing the foam insert. The problem now is that I sit higher in the seat and the widest part of my rib cage on the right is now literally resting on the unpadded part of the seat back edge. I hadn't noticed this as much until I put the seat cushion on. I have just done 220 km in the car today and my right rib cage to the back, half way up my back, feels bruised.
Has anyone got an idea how to safely get the seat back cover off and back on again. I am going to have to do it as well now.

 

[flamaest]

Hello everybody,

I was able to install some high density foam in the form of two different sheets, side by side, using the video provided by the user who started this thread.

I have only done the driver's side seat but will be moving to the passenger side soon.

Getting the four clips off was a bit difficult since I wasn't sure what I was doing exactly, but now that I know how they come off it is a lot easier to re-do. I think the side clips might come off easier if someone is sitting in the seat. The longer pair of clips come off easier if somebody is pushing on the back bottom material to provide some slack.

Please see the image showing the material that I inserted. This is very high density foam, I believe it is 35lb in weight, about 1/2 inch thick. In comparison, it is very similar to the purple foam, also in the image, which is a knee-pad used for gardening.

The seat bottom is much more comfortable now. I do not have to use a bottom pad anymore. Perhaps others may require more padding, but this is all I needed to resolve the issue. My next step will be to learn how to get into the seat back without damaging anything. GM could have spared us all of this nonsense by simply adding five bucks worth of foam to each seat from the factory. I am sure they have already started making adjustments.

View attachment 20170514_161340bb.jpg

 

[user 1034]

Oh thanks for the idea, flamaest. A yoga mat! I think I'll try that.

I haven't been able to locate a foam provider in the very little I've been looking. I can buy one and try it out before disassembling my seat.

 

[boltage]

Oh thanks for the idea, flamaest. A yoga mat! I think I'll try that.

I haven't been able to locate a foam provider in the very little I've been looking. I can buy one and try it out before disassembling my seat.

If you web search "closed cell foam", you should get several web/mail order foam vendors in your search results.

 

[user 1034]

If you web search "closed cell foam", you should get several web/mail order foam vendors in your search results.

I usually do but this is one of those times I didn't want to do a site-unseen purchase. This way I can go look at a few retailers and get an actual feel for what I am aiming at. Yay.

 

[flamaest]

The irony to all this 'foam searching' is that I have seen dozens of new yoga mats at a goodwill next to a pizza place in town for 5 bucks. For the one's I saw, it's the same freaking foam, even the same fire retardant rating, as the super expensive stuff I bought and installed.

If anyone get's their seats fixed professionally, could they PLEASE be sure to ask how they open the seat backs? I see two screws on the bottom back corners of the front seats, so perhaps this is the starting point to which the seat back comes apart.

 

[user 1034]

The irony to all this 'foam searching' is that I have seen dozens of new yoga mats at a goodwill next to a pizza place in town for 5 bucks. For the one's I saw, it's the same freaking foam, even the same fire retardant rating, as the super expensive stuff I bought and installed.

OK now that's another location I will have to search

 

[Anonymous]

Worked for me! I used 2 layers 12x14 of heavy duty carpet padding with additional layer in the back half.

Don't know why someone charged 800 to fix them as noted in other topic. Only took 15 minutes.

Thanks a lot!

 

[flamaest]

Here is a super easy way to remove the large clips from under the front seats to get into the foam layers.

See image where I got some tough wire and made it into a triangle.

All you need to do is loop the wire into the clip and PULL towards the front. This will force the clip to unseat itself. I unclipped my passenger seat in less than a minute using this technique.


View attachment 20170630_185706.jpg


Cheers!

 

[globecanvas]

Hello everybody,

I was able to install some high density foam in the form of two different sheets, side by side, using the video provided by the user who started this thread.

I picked up two of what appears to be the same gardening knee pad that you show in your photo for comparison purposes, at the local Rite Aid, for $2 each. The brand is Bloom and the size is about 7-1/4" by 14". They are exactly the right size to slip under the seat cushion, one on either side of the seat heating wire, with no cutting required.

I did this modification today. It cost $4, took about 10 minutes, required no tools, and is completely reversible, It completely fixes the uncomfortable seat problem.