My Rear Seat Delete

[StealthGTI]

Hello,

I can't believe there hasn't been more discussion about rear seat deletes, love them or hate them. There's a business dedicated to rear seat deletes, so *someone* must be buying them.

The first question you'll ask is "WHY?????" I've seen Euro Kreations' (EK) products and had asked the same question. It seemed wasteful and impractical to me. But now my daughter is grown and driving on her own. I really don't need the rear seat these days. Plus, I want to carry more cargo and have storage cubbies for certain items. So I set off to achieve a goal...

Again, I had seen EK's work. It's certainly good looking, but I was after something more practical with doors, something I knew would support a lot of weight, if required. Someone shared his rear seat delete project in FB and it gave me an idea for the frame. Here is my frame, made from ½-inch plywood and a 2x2...

My construction method is a little crude, but I knew I'd be covering it with carpet. It hooks into the seat hinge, is wedged into place by a 2x2 that spans the width of the interior, and should never break free in an accident or during aggressive cornering...

Here is how I crafted and oriented the doors, made from ½-inch MDF...

Since my project has doors that would expose the underside of the new floor, I decided to finish the area with carpet...

The carpet and extra padding also protects my wiring and eliminates the possibility of any of my cargo rattling. Two-door owners get to avoid finishing the sides, but this area is exposed on 4-door cars. I made a simple trim panel to cover the edges of the seat tub.

I'm sure EK has a more elegant solution, but this works for me. Here are a few more photos of the nearly finished project...

I still need to add a few fasteners, but will do that after I've found some I like. I'm also going to top this with a Denier canvas similar to Canvasback's cargo liner. That will resolve the color difference between the two carpeted panels.

See more on my website in this entry. I'll create a video that details installation and removal soon. The rear seat can be restored in about 15 minutes, which is why the seat belts and LATCH hardware is still present.

Thoughts?

Scott

 

[George Ab]

Looks good well done and elegant to my eye, nice carpentry skills. I looked at the Euro Kreations you referenced https://www.eurokreations.com/ and yours looks as good. Their is also plywood frame so likely no weight advantage compared to yours and considering yours was a sheet of plywood, glue and felt likely significantly under the $470 the EK costs.

I assume it is louder?

Not sure how the stock rear seat delete used in the GTI Club sport compares, likely difficult sourcing OEM parts as there are so few of them.

 

[Gr33nBunny]

This is amazing, and I had been contemplating something like this for a while but my carpentry skills are not the greatest. I think Im going to attempt this before the end of summer though.

 

[StealthGTI]

Thanks!

Looks good well done and elegant to my eye, nice carpentry skills. I looked at the Euro Kreations you referenced https://www.eurokreations.com/ and yours looks as good. Their is also plywood frame so likely no weight advantage compared to yours and considering yours was a sheet of plywood, glue and felt likely significantly under the $470 the EK costs. I assume it is louder?

I'm no carpenter, just a "Joe" with a jig saw. The carpet does a great job of concealing my flaws, as does painting my staples black. I like EK's thinner carpet pile better than mine. Their wood is 1/4-inch, half as thick as mine. Is it strong enough to hold weight? Only cosmetic? Or is mine completely overkill? Not passing judgement... I really don't know... 'cuz I'm also not an engineer.

I'm not sure if I've spent over $150 on this. Still, it was much less than any commercial vendor with overhead costs can charge. As for the extra noise, yes, it was a surprise to see how much sound the seat and even the parcel shelf holds back. I'll add soundproofing to the hatch and fender wells to reduce the extra noise.

Thanks for your comments!

Scott

 

[StealthGTI]

Change of plans: I'm removing it. HAHA!

It looks good and the storage areas are functional. It's also great for hauling large cargo items. BUT, the 39x58-inch floor is a huge area for small bags or other items slide all over it. Small items loaded in the trunk frequently find their way to behind the front seats. I recall shopping for a MINI Cooper JCW years ago; my thoughts on the small trunk was "If I put something *here*, it'll still be here after a spirited drive."

I've decided I like the "partition" that's created by the upright seat back. On top of that, the slight bolstering of the back seats tends to keep bags in place, especially if I opt to use the seat belt.

I'll keep the rear seat delete kit, store it, and reinstall it for specific outings when I know I want the additional capacity. The swap takes about 20-30 minutes. So, the journey hasn't been a total waste. I will shoot the video I mentioned above to show how easily the kit is removed. OH - It'll be interesting to hear the difference in road noise since I've become accustomed to the new noise floor without the rear seat.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

I have no interest in removing them. I just think it's funny, and priceless, the look I get from people that I beat once they see the car seat in the back.

 

[StealthGTI]

HAHA! No one can see into my back windows, but I think I may get similar looks if the trailer hitch is mounted. I know one guy who took a poke at me in his Honduh Fit, gunning to sprint from a red light, then cut me off to enter I-64, got laughed at by his passenger when I gave him a dusting while pulling a trailer of junk. HAHA! Story here.

 

[EpicTech]

Looks good well done and elegant to my eye, nice carpentry skills. I looked at the Euro Kreations you referenced https://www.eurokreations.com/ and yours looks as good. Their is also plywood frame so likely no weight advantage compared to yours and considering yours was a sheet of plywood, glue and felt likely significantly under the $470 the EK costs.

I assume it is louder?

Not sure how the stock rear seat delete used in the GTI Club sport compares, likely difficult sourcing OEM parts as there are so few of them.

Is that Alcantara/Suede inserts on the door cards?

 

[StealthGTI]

The new noise floor is lower now that I've removed the delete. Here's a video that shows how my delete is removed: https://youtu.be/fc-ZTblpfl8

 

[Moff2]

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but on the topic of rear seat deletes, some may find this company interesting.

https://sternperformance.de/en/