Decided to replace the driver front seat cushion today. Was going along okay until I tried to release the seat electronic control panel to access a bolt. The top attachments are a plastic tab with a metal cover.
Spent a couple hours attempting to push in the metal ears to allow removing the control panel. I see these panels for sale,is there an easy method to releasing the top?
Searched uTube and the service manual. Both say to remove the panel. But hat has been harder done than expected. Any tips?

 

Sorry ...cannot answer your question, but like the idea of swapping seat bottoms as the XJR seats are too firm for long distance drives. Love to find a flatter bottom to swap. Is this what you are doing?

 

I searched on eBay for a bottom that looked like mine and is the same color. Was listed as pulled from a VDP. Looks identical to the XJR seat bottom.
The seat back is different, but the bottoms may be the same for all seats. The backs looks.thinner and have XJR embossed into the leather.
I am built funny and found the XJR seats comfortable. But wear 34 - 36 waist pants. The seat may squeeze larger butts.

 

LOL...yeah, i'm 6-3 and 275lbs....so the seats are tight and short in length. I believe you and I also have an D3 Audi. Boy, those seats are wonderfully big and long to support underneath my legs.

 

Changing his seat bottom has kicker my rear. Finally ripped he seat control panel loose. After 15 years it was stuck.
Got the cushion swapped out and put frame back together. Here is differences in the cushion base and hardware. Some I did not discover until was reassembling and had to back step to swap brackets.
These 12 way seats have a complicated system. No sure what kind of seat the donor XJ had, but the brackets are different.

Replacement on left.

Only see one controller and it is labeled as driver side

The bracket with slot is from XJR seat. Tried for two hours to assemble with one with hole.

 

You never said why you changed the seat bottom? Have you noticed or felt any differences between the two seats?

 

Yeah, that's a good question. Judging by the showed pictures they looks kind of similars about the condition.

But yeah, it's always good trying to find more information before we interchange some parts, because even if they looks like the same, they still have different mechanism, most connectors are the same but some hardware things are slightly different.

 

The leather had a lot of wear when car was purchased in 2015. Tried to keep it good with Leather CPR. But found a much nicer replacement.
The cushion feels softer than the XJR bottom. Think I liked the XJR feel better. The frame looks the same. The foam s a little different between the two bottoms.
The original had cracks and wear. It is good not to see that every time getting in.