RuSTy Recaro Seat Rail Repair Focus ST Mk2 & Mk2.5 2005-2011

[Lenny]

Hi all,

I'm looking for some advice here on the best way to treat the patina, 

I've just picked up a lovely set of Mk2 Focus ST 225 Recaro Seats, 👍

The material is in excellent condition like they just came out of the factory theres no markings anywhere,

However they have been removed from a 2007 registerd 5 Door focus ST2 225 some considerable time ago; and were sitting on a garage for some time which may have contributed to the rust.

As result I have encountered a slight issue with the seats which I would like to have completely resolved prior to fitting them in to my pride and joy 2010 mk2.5 focus.

Heres some pictures; the rails and particularly the underside mild steel sections of the seats have surface rust which I would like to restore as best possible,

I'm prepared to bring them to a local auto body repair shop if that would be best but I'm also willing to try fixing myself if it's an easy task to perform, 

I suppose ideally take them apart and send the rails for sand blast and powder coat but I'm hesitant to do this because of not knowing the correct torque settings to refit aswell as the air bag sensors; 

Also an unusual case this given the seats were in storage which led to this issue; wouldn't normally have this problem with them if they were in a breakers would have been straight out of a sheltered vehicle interior. 

But given the excellent condition of the material I proceeded with the purchase.

Perhaps if I clean them up a bit then the rust wont be as bad; I'm having difficulty sourcing basic cleaning materials at the moment due to the COVID-19 virus being around and people panicking. 

I appreciate your communication guys thanks in advance.

 

Back seat 

Front seats 

 

 

 

 

[Tizer]

No one thing is better than everything else for rust removal. I have built up a selection of power and hand operated stuff over the years and tend to start with the power stuff first to save time and finish with the hand stuff.

Old fashioned Emery Cloth in different grades takes some beating but it can be hard work if the rust is deep. Steel wool as used by plumbers is good for light rust on difficult shapes and gives a good finish.

The jury is out on chemical removers and convertors. Personally I only use them on large unimportant areas where I can't use anything else.

[Stoney871]

A good stiff wire brush, wire wool to finish the fiddly bits then a spray with primer & colour paint will do the job.

 

[Lenny]

On 3/14/2020 at 3:42 PM, Tizer said:

No one thing is better than everything else for rust removal. I have built up a selection of power and hand operated stuff over the years and tend to start with the power stuff first to save time and finish with the hand stuff.

Old fashioned Emery Cloth in different grades takes some beating but it can be hard work if the rust is deep. Steel wool as used by plumbers is good for light rust on difficult shapes and gives a good finish.

The jury is out on chemical removers and convertors. Personally I only use them on large unimportant areas where I can't use anything else.

 

On 3/14/2020 at 8:36 PM, Stoney871 said:

A good stiff wire brush, wire wool to finish the fiddly bits then a spray with primer & colour paint will do the job.

 

Thanks for responding guys having read your responses there on Friday I was planning to go to Halfords today and purchase some sand paper, and steel wool aswell as a paint on rust inhibitor; using a dremel for the small areas as was suggested by another member of a forum as well.

However; I got home from work yesterday shortly after 3pm and there's not much to do now that everything is practically in lock down due to COVID-19 I instantly got bored when entering the house. 

I then got a bit brave and went out to the focus on the driveway; I unbolt the passenger seat; I put a large plastic sheet on the bed in our room and sat the seat up on the bed next to the replacement ST Recaro seat.

First I noticed the seat belt socket pre-tensioner had been activated on the Recaro seat; meaning it must have been involved in an accident although it's not the end of the world or a big issue as the existing one I have on the original passenger seat will replace it, still interesting to see how it works when deployed.

Lucky I spotted this rather than just plugging in the seat to the car; because this being engaged could have triggered the dashboard airbag which wouldn't be cool atall 😂 I'd be requiring a replacement then and possibly a windscreen. 

Notice in the picture above there; the goose neck is compressed and the head of the wire bungee cord is protruding from the end of the cylinder; it is very much jammed in to that position by design as it has been deployed to tighten the seat belt on the passenger.

Should look like this which is now the one from the original passenger seat 

Moving on from this then; I discovered the sub frame and slider rail on the existing standard seat is identical to the one fitted on the ST Recaro 

I then set the Recaro seat aside for a moment and using a

TX50 Torx bit, 

10mm Socket 

Large flat head screwdriver 

Small needle type screwdriver 🤷‍♂️ not sure there correct name. (Precision)

I began to slowly take apart the original passenger seat with the intention of replacing the rusted parts of the Recaro with the fresh clean parts of the original seat which will save me having to repair the rust atall. 

I set each bolt in a formation that was easy to see where it was to be returned when rebuilding. 

Around two hours later I had the original seat stripped; if I was doing it again now probably do it in 30 minutes but I took my time doing it first as I wasn't fully aware how it was to be done. 

I first took a picture of the loom block configuration there pictured above; before taking each connector block out of its larger connector cage; I wanted to be sure I had a record of where each colour belongs in the block when refitting.

The original rail and sub frame of the existing seat is immaculate; six bolts undone separates the back from the bottom and the bottom from the rail making three separate components, 

I then unclipped the fabric from the metal sub frame: 

Now provided with bot items I require to fully restore the ST Recaro seat I used the scissors there to cut a cable tie from underneath the seat which was securing cables. 

👍 excellent 

Had a coffee to celebrate at this point before returning to take apart the ST Recaro seat and look how nasty the underside is:

Could sell that image to Oxford encyclopedia for an illustration to the definition of Patina.

Recaro sub frame Base removed from the rail in exactly the same way as above seat.

Unclipped the material and pushed out two plastic split pins to separate the seat from the metal sub frame; 

Now fitting to the original sub frame from my focus; notice the additional plastic section on the Recaro cushion which raises the front of the seat more to provide a deeper seat on the rear. 

First routed cable for the seat belt sensor pad through the hole. 

These split pins as I call them are much like reusable rivets,

Small screwdriver pushes them out, then press them back in with your fingers; two used to hold the plastic section of the seat in place 

 

 

 

 

There theh are in ghd centre holding the plastic panel in position, 

I then clipped the fabric on to the replacement sub frame all around.

 

Above you can see the comparison from old to new, I'm delighted this worked out as I'm not convinced I could have restored them very well by treating them in there original position. 

The sub frame clips in to the sliding rail on both sides, 

Then flaps down like a car bonnet to line up with two 10mm threaded bolt holes in a bracket on the sliding rail as saw below: 

Two 10mm bolts secured then that's the bottom of the seat and sliding rail complete, 

I then lined up the bottom with the back 

 

Four bolts to secure; two on either side makes a total of seven bolts including the seat belt tensioner to complete assembly from start to finish. 

I then refitted the plastic panels and rear adjustment wheel to complete the front passenger seat all fully restored, 

Before 

After 

😂 Delighted with this and it took my mind off the whole COVID-19 pandemic for a while and I remained compliant in the house throughout the process lol 

Heres the removed parts aside from the seat belt socket 

On to the drivers seat this evening; and the rail on it is a bit different to the original in my focus because it has an additional gas strut on the front edge of the seat to raise or lower the edge; 

This may bolt off and across to the original rail; alternatively I will have to restore it with sanding & painting however the metal sub frame is fully transferable so it's only the sliding rail which may need attention,

I'm also going to have to treat the metal on the lower back seat section as I cant see how it comes apart easily or atall, 

I'll update with further progress in a new post soon, thanks for reading and the all advice. 

[Lenny]

If responding please Qoute this box instead of the one above to reduce bulk on the screen thanks 👋

[Tizer]

That is a good lesson for anyone who does not have much rust removal experience. Rust eradication jobs usually grow arms and legs which is why I said I use a variety of tools and techniques.

I'm sure the finished job will be worth all the hard work.

[Lenny]

Went to Tesco today and bought a new hoover with the money I had allocated for a professional to sort out the seats,

So I can now clean the car before fitting the passenger seat again lol bit lighter driving around without it.

[Lenny]

Front Passenger seat now fitted;

Didn't get near the driver seat today as the kids wanted me to spend some time with them; every minute that I was installing the passenger seat our son was asking if I was finished yet 😅

I'll get to the drivers seat next Saturday evening; all going well,

There very cosy to sit in, I'll have to be careful not to go to sleep now while driving. 

[Stoney871]

Good effort so far. [emoji106]

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

[Nathan Buffery]

14 hours ago, Lenny said:

then got a bit brave and went out to the focus on the driveway; I unbolt the passenger seat; I put a large plastic sheet on the bed in our room and sat the seat up on the bed next to the replacement ST Recaro seat.

Brave? I'd say suicidal cleaning up a rusty seat on the bed!!! Can't see my wife falling for that!!!

[Lenny]

4 hours ago, Nathan Buffery said:

Brave? I'd say suicidal cleaning up a rusty seat on the bed!!! Can't see my wife falling for that!!!

She didnt know until I had the first seat taken apart,  I needed to work some magic on them and well that's where all the magic happens or I should say happened since were now married 😂

I used a large plastic sheet to cover the area and the floor is laminated, 

We have carpet downstairs and a Bearnese Beagle whom is confined to downstairs and the back garden; didn't want him sniffing the rust or taking tools away for me to chase him 😅 

[Nathan Buffery]

I mean.....I don't mean to be a tell tit or nuffink....but definitely not on the plastic sheets Mrs Lenny!!!!

[Lenny]

10 hours ago, Nathan Buffery said:

I mean.....I don't mean to be a tell tit or nuffink....but definitely not on the plastic sheets Mrs Lenny!!!!

🤫🤫🤫🤫🤫😅

[Lenny]

I got working on the ST Drivers Seat last night, I had initially planned on just removing the seat parts to remove the seat rail for either restoration or replacement.

Week three of COVID-19 allow me to be the first one to go off the rails 😂 well atleast taking the focus ST drivers seat off the rails.

The silver sub frame for the seat cushion is the same as the original which is ideal because I can use the existing one which I have on my existing driver seat, 

However the handle for sliding the seat forward/backwards is different; its slimmer in width and theres an additional Jack to allow raising & lowering of the front edge of the seat to further enhance the depth of the rear. 

I'll edit to include a picture of the standard seat here for comparison when I remove it from the car at the weekend.

"Insert image" 

I began by removing the plastic side panels to reveal the metal frame,

Unclipped the door side panel at the rear of the seat 

Snipped the cable tie retaining the side panel, 

Photographed the loom block configuration before using a small flat screwdriver to take apart the loom plugs, allowing each section to be removed without being conjoined at the block. 

Removed the four T50 Torx bolts to take away the upper section of the seat and Storred it safely away for the moment.

Then flipped the base over to remove the two 10mm bolts allowing the bottom cushion and sub frame to separate from the rail.

I then noticed somthing different; theres no grey plug loom exiting from the base of the drivers seat; perhaps it doesn't have a pressure sensor for the seat belt alarm, 

I'm almost 99% sure the existing driver seat in my focus has a pressure sensor on the drivers seat. 

Anyway;

I stopped at this point and post up a wanted listing for a replacement,

I then began to examine the frame to see how it could be dismantled

I had intended to take it apart to send the affected parts for sand blast and powder coating.

First took off the plastic ends from the seat rails, 

Stored them in a safe place, 

Followed by the plastic surrounds from the locating pins. 

Fairly rusted but stripped ready for sand blasting. 

They look like KP Hoola-Hoops , 

I then removed five TX40 Torx bolts to allow the separation of the seat rail in to two separate halves; 

I then examined the seat rail to discover exactly how it was to be dismantled; theres alot of little parts coming together here mostly little plastic clips surrounding the metal which pop in to the rails on either side, 

I Inserted the long flat head screwdriver and gently prying; separated the handle from the passenger side of the rail. 

One side of the rail separated.

Then removed the silicone ring from the rail 

Popped out the plastic insert clip 

Picture below is a reminder for me; to show where that plastic Insert goes back in 😅

You can see the metal bar in the middle of the hole there; 

That is the part which lifts up/down to allow seat adjustment. 

Ends of the seat rail adjustment bar below: 

Removed the clip for storage: 

Every small part bagged and in storage for reassemblely 

I then repeated the process again on the opposite side of the rail; 

Flat head screwdriver gently prying separating the centre bar from the rail. 

Removed the centre rail 

Popped out the plastic Insert

Stored in safe place for resembling at later date, 

Removed silicone ring also placed in storage for reassembily 

Removed the outter clip 

Stored for reassembly at later date; now left with a bare metal part ready for repainting.

Image below is to remind myself which hole had grease applied; to ensure I grease it again before resembling. 

End result I'm left with two stripped seat rails and a centre bar for restoration. 

I then moved on to the other section of the sub frame to remove the seat adjustment arm which is fairly rusted as saw in images below; two T25 bolts to remove the arm. 

I then used a small flat head screwdriver to allow me; slide the metal arm out from the plastic handle 

Also removed the small clip from the arm which is inside the plastic handle

Put in to storage along side the bolts and other plastic parts.

Then removed the side arm for raising & lowering the seat height: not essential to remove this however I plan to fit the facelift side panels when complete; they are black where these pre-facelift are slightly grey; meaning the existing handle would stand out a bit;

So I'm replacing it with the existing black handled version; straight swap item. 

I then left the upper section as you see it below: 

The centre bar is in need of some repair which I will treat using some wire wool and paint. 

Below are the parts which I plan or had planned to send for sand blasting and powder coating to fully restore prior to reassembly. 

 

Below is the lower seat section which I will transfer on to the existing sub frame from the existing drivers seat; this part is a straight swap the same as saw in the passenger seat in previous posts above. 

I've now got the rail parts underneath the bed and the other two sections in the corner of the bedroom, 

I had planned on sending the parts for powdercoating as said; but everywhere is currently locked down for to COVID-19,

I did try contacting some places via text to inquire whether they were operating behind closed doors; but no success, well I contacted via WhatsApp which they read my message and saw pictures of the parts but no response 😷

Which was now possibly a good thing they didn't respond as Today it then occured to me; to have a look at the existing drivers seat in the focus;

the rails on the existing seat are in excellent condition almost good as new, and if I was to take the time this weekend to strip down the existing drivers seat as much as I already have done with the ST Recaro seat, 

Then I wouldn't need to restore the rails atall as I can use the ones from the car, meaning I have less restoration work to do, 

I'll post again with further progress this weekend 

Thanks for reading. 

[Lenny]

Bit more progress made on the drivers seat today, 

The current rules in Ireland for COVID-19 restrictions are almost everywhere is in lockdown except for essential services and building providers such as B&Q because the two industries currently still in operation are the factory workers and builders probably because they banks want to continue selling house before the market collapses as result of COVID-19 I don't know but anyway back to the point I was making; 

Because the local DIY store was open I was able to purchase some de-greaser spray and a rattle can of Rustolium in gloss black.

I already had some masking tape at home; so thiis evening I masked up the parts on the sub frame section which I'm planning to keep and combine with the sub frame parts already in the focus, 

Gave them a spray with household de-greaser then dried them off with a cloth, no water near them atall, prior to masking relevant areas.

I gently warmed them with a hair dryer prior to spraying them with the gloss black Rustolium paint.

Now there back in the bedroom to dry overnight 

Tomorrow evening; I'll take the standard driver's seat out of the focus and begin dismantling it; particularly the rail and sub frame;

The base of the standard seat will be a straight swap on to the Recaro cushion and a bit of time will be required to gently dismantle the entire seat rail to rebuild the ST version using the parts from my focus seat rail which are identical to the rail from the ST with the advantage of not having any patina on them atall. 

I'll post again tomorrow night with further progress around the same time as tonight; paint fumes are quite strong here now too 😅

[Lenny]

Further progress yesterday evening; I came home from what is now known as "essential work" since most are self isolating 

I removed the existing drivers seat from the focus and brought it upstairs to dismantle in exactly the same way as was done on the ST drivers seat with the new intention of replacing the rust parts on the ST seat with the parts already attached to the original driver seat as there in almost new condition.

Back removed from the drivers seat and placed in storage as most of the work to be done is with the sub frame. 

Separated the seat from the sub frame by removing the two 10mm bolts as shown previously. 

Below is the original driver side sub frame removed from the focus; doesn't have as much controls as the ST variant however the sliding rails are identical. 

Below on the left is the sub frame section from the ST Recaro seat which I plan to transfer across to the original focus rail to create a fully restored ST subframe. 

Had to use a vice grip tool to gently bend down the bracket which holds the seat loom block connector; as there was a T40 Torx bolt behind it which was required to be removed in order to remove the sliding rail. 

Used a large flat head screwdriver to further press down the pins of the rail bar to allow the rail bar to be removed without catching on the surrounding clamp. 

Below is the original focus subframe on the top and the ST subframe on the bottom of the image, 

As saw above there I've one side of the rail successfully transplanted 

Images above show the additional height adjustment bar which has been fully restored on the ST seat; this adjustment raises and lowers the level of your thighs in the seat; 

Image above shows the ST subframe fully rebuilt using parts from the original subframe and the parts on the right are bits removed/replaced from the original subframe and no longer required. 

Above is a closer image of the ST subframe fully restored. 

Standard seat base and ST seat base side by side, 

Separated the fabric from the frame, 

Above is the new subframe at the top of the image aswell as the original ST seat below; ready for transplanting across. 

I first had to remove the plastic Recaro bolster section 

Two plastic T20 Torx screws and two plastic rivets as shown previously on the passenger seat. 

Lifted off the plastic bolster section from the original Frame 

Lined the new metal frame with some of the breathable material. 

Placed the plastic bolster section on to the new frame and secured again, all holes line up perfectly everything is identical. 

Married up the subframe with the fabric section followed by mounting it to the newly built rail bracket. 

Had a coffee at this point and I'm very pleased at how well it has turned out a success with zero rust. 

Fitted the back to the subframe aswell as the side arm which raises and lowers the height of the seat itself. 

Fitted the loom block connector and routed all cables through the clips 

Rear adjustment wheel fitted and a quick wipe down of everything 

Job done, 

Ready for fitting to the focus, 

Both front seats now fitted 

Below is a collection of parts destined for the metal skip in my local recycling centre when it eventually reopens.

I'm working on removing the existing rear seat at the moment,

More progress soon, 

[Lenny]

Some instruction in the video there helps explain removing the rear seat particularly the upper section which isint very clear unless shown.

Upper section of the rear seats removed just happend to catch a picture of the blue tow strap which is fitted inside the boot door, sort of ties in with the blue on the ST interior 

Upper section of the rear seat now fitted 

The upper back section of the ST2 rear seat doesn't appear to be any different to the standard section except for the obvious material colour, I say ST2 because they have the centre headrest fitted; this was an optional extra of the time, normal ST had no centre headrest, ST2 had the centre headrest and ST3 was full leather interior with no middle rear seat atall, no centre headrest or centre seatbelt. 

The lower seat section does recess more compared to the standard seat.

I've not yet fitted the lower section of the rear seat because there is alot of rust creep underneath the paint; you can see it here from an angle with the light shining across 

the fabric on the seat is like brand new from the production line but sadly the underneath requires some attention; and the hinges have gone quite stiff possibly jammed with flakes of paint, that's an easy fix with some WD-40 there doesn't seem to be a way of separating the fabric from the metal sub frame on these parts which would have been ideal because my existing lower section is in excellent condition. 

I've reached a stand still now with this reSToration project as the country is in lockdown; I currently can't purchase any materials required to repair this section & paint it myself,

I also cant bring it to an auto body professional to have it repaired which would probably cost the same as doing it myself but everything is in lockdown.

I can source a replacement on ebayuk however the condition of the material isn't as good and I cant import a replacement from the uk at the moment neither 🤷‍♂️

I will continue to update progress as soon as things begin to return to normality, in order to complete this thread as a reference guide to others as I'm sure it will be of use as time goes on, 

Thanks for reading and more progress soon. 

 

[Lenny]

I've now linked this thread among my list of guides for the mk2 & mk2.5 Focus 

Full list of guides viewable here: Full List of Lennys Guides Click Here  

I'm sure it will help others as time goes on.