Craigslist Lie #1 For Selling Volvo Without 3rd Row Seating

So just a small tip when you are looking to buy a Volvo Wagon.  If anyone mentions that they are selling to upgrade to one with 3rd row seats this is most probably a lie.  Why?  Because it would be a lot cheaper just to install them yourself.  Very easy to do and only costs about $5-600 bucks.  So next time when you are on craigslist, like I always am, and come across this great excuse,  think twice.  Go ahead and call about the car and ask the owner why they don’t just install them and if they sound truly surprised that they can, then maybe they are just not informed and you may find a good deal.

Now that you now, don’t ever pass on a Volvo that doesn’t have 3rd row seating.  And you can always use this to get the price down by telling the seller you are not interested because you really wanted one with 3rd row seating.  Most people do not know you can install them yourself and most dealers don’t want you to know this and they will say it is a safety thing and you can’t, but of course this is not true.

Check out how to below:

Installing 3rd Row Seats on 1999 Volvo v70

Tags: 1, 3rd, craigslist, lie, row, seating

Installing 3rd Row Seats on a 1999 Volvo V70

First of all, special thanks to DanDan the VolvoMan who we were able to find 3rd row V70 seats through his eBay store. Via his website http://www.resultsautoparts.com,  Dan is running a family business which started back in 1972. If you need a Volvo part (or any other car) DanDantheVolvoMan is your man for the job.

Now, there is a YouTube 10-part video series done by a great Polish mechanic, but is quite hard to follow it while installing the seats. You can watch the videos for a reference if you’d like, but this work sheet may be much easier to follow while working.

A. First off, start with the back area:
(1) Remove the spare tire cover. You may later need to remove the spare tire and its plastic nest, so do it now while you are at it.
(2) Remove the two side covers by popping them off with the help of a big screw driver.
(3) Unscrew the two brackets (two screws each) supporting the rear hard cover.
(4) Slide out toward you the rear hard cover. Don’t try to lift it or pop it up. It is fixed by 2-3 brackets and easily slides out.

B. Now move to the rear seat area:
(1) Remove the rear seat arm rest covers. They easily pop out as you pull them out.
(2) Remove the two vents. They pop and slide out. The are not broken but factory precut so you can put the seat belt in them. Be careful that if you pry on them when cold they could break.
(3) Remove part of the door seal gasket to uncover the plastic side cover where the door closes.
(4) Then remove the plastic rectangle on the top where your seat belt will be attached and then the ceiling side plastic cover.

C. You are ready to install the seat belts:
(1) Start by unfolding some of the seat belt giving it enough slack so you can install it. If it is locked, you have to hold it straight and gently pull. It may take several pulls till you get hang of it.
(2) Fit the belt mechanism correctly on the frame and fix the bolt.
(3) Extend the belt to the ceiling and do the same with the belt hanger.
(4) You can now safely put back in place all plastic covers, the door seals and the rear seat arm rests.

D. Seat belt floor locks
(1) Fit the large T-shape metal frame in the provided hole to your left which is fixed with two bolts to the frame (one on your right side and on the bottom of the mechanism).
(2) You will need to mount the two brackets, which you removed in the beginning, to the back side of the backrest with the provided 3 small screws for each of them.
(3) You are now ready to slide the backrest piece into place.
(4) Once it is in position, raise it and mount the two lower brackets to the car frame. They may need to be pressed firmly and bent a little to fit just right over the two holes.

E. Last but not least:
(1) The small plastic lock may take most of your time, but it is important to tweak it just right so your 3rd row Volvo seat may securely lock when raised.
(2) You will need to cut just right through the vinyl seat cover after finding the small opening on your back right side of the seat just bellow the head rests.
(3) You will need two small ears on the bottom of your cut for the piece to fit just right.
(4) Once finished with the cutting, install the plastic piece starting by pressing first on the top and then on the bottom until it fits just right. Once in, slide it upward to snug and lock. If it does not lock your 3rd row seat will not be secure.
(5) Try if it works by raising your 3rd row seat. If installed properly, the lock sticks should lock securely and then easily release when the latch is pressed. If you run into the problem where the latch will not release properly you may need to cut a bigger hole.

F. You may also want to change the seat carpet covers if they are worn out.
(1) The one with the seat is attached with metal brackets to the hard cover and easily pops out when pulled firmly and then you have but a few screws to deal with while transferring the seats.
(2) The back rest, however, will need some modifications as the two head rests have to be attached to it, but only after you have cut through the wood in order to install the locking mechanism. Without it, your 3rd row seat will have nowhere to lock in order to stay in the sitting position.

Tags: 1999, 3rd, installing, row, seats, v70, Volvo