My dad has a 1997 Dodge Neon and the driver seat is becoming worn out, how difficult is it to remove it and replace it with a better one perchased from a local salvage yard?
Usually just four bolts on the floor and maybe an electrical plug.
You can do it.
I took out the seats in my 06 Escape to make installing the seat covers a snap. It was the easier choice to do that after all.
If the passenger seat isn’t used much…you might be able to replace the seat pan. I did that on my 98
Pathfinder after it had 270k miles.
Both could use being replaced, but we can’t afford two seats…
Removal and replacement is easy. Just unplug the occupant sensor plug under the seat, remove the four rail bolts, and reverse the process.
However, if it’s the material getting worn out it might be less expensive to put on a seat cover. Stop by any parts store…or WalMart…and peruse their seat cover offerings.
On some cars, the bolts holding the seat-tracks go in from under the car…
The seats is just worn down and breaking down just due to age and usage. I have to go try and find one at a local salvage yard first, just wasn’t sure how tough it would be.
Salvage is the best bet. Cheaper too. Just it an miss if you can find one in decent shape.
Every seat I’ve pulled is very easy to do. Just 4 bolts and it comes right out.
Does anyone know on average what kind of price would be a fair price for a used front seat via a salvage yard?
Call ahead first for a price. This lets the salvage yard know that you are calling around and you may get a better price. Years ago, I decided to replace the bench seat in my 1965 Rambler with individual seats. I visited one salvage yard and the price was $50. I had the service station where I traded call ahead to another salvage yard and I got the seats for $25. The manager of the service station had me put on a jacket with that their employees used and I drove out in the service vehicle (I did pick up some other parts the station needed). I really felt great pretending I had a real job as opposed to the hobby I had as a teacher (if you saw my paycheck, you would understand that teaching is not a job, but a hobby).
I’m sure that prices are higher today, but do call ahead for a firm price.
One seat cover is $20 at Walmart
Since it is one-size-fits-all, make sure it really does fit your seat before you buy it, especially if you have to order it.
Used seats at the salvage yards here vary a bit but generally they’re around 35-50 each. They can be had at the pull your own parts yard here for 15 each but I don’t know if you have an operation like that in your area or not.
One other thought–you might want to check with an automotive upholstery and trim shop. Often they can rebuild a seat for less than the cost of a used seat from a salvage yard and you get matching upholstery. I had a spring come through the seat on my 1978 Oldsmobile 4-4-2. I knew that a replacement seat would be difficult to find, so I used an uphostery shop. The cost was quite reasonable.
One way to locate a good trim shop is to ask the used car manager at a dealership. The manager often needs to use these shops to get a car ready for resale. I have found these managers quite friendly and know which trim shops do good work at a reasonable cost.
Sometimes you can score nicely on craigslist. Look for ‘parting out’ posts for your year and years you suspect that may be similar.
I’ve picked up several nice full interiors for under $100 when some of our cars were in need of a new seat.
I didn’t need the upholstered portion but I got the power seat frame for my Riv for about $20 at a U Pull parts place and just discarded the seat. You can go to car-parts.com and do a search by locale to get a pretty good idea of the going rates. Amazing though how the prices can vary widely. A U Pull is the cheapest though.
Depending on how important the “OEM” look is to you it is possible to consider an aftermarket seat as well. The side benefit is that the old Neon will look very sporty!!!
Dad is 95…sporty isn’t that important to him…
“Dad is 95…sporty isn’t that important to him…”
Oh, yeah, but what do the girls say?
Perhaps at 95 the best seat would be one inside his house. And when he needs to get around those nifty passenger seats are pretty handy. Most people at 95 have neither the vision, hearing or reflexes to drive safely. My grandmother is 96 and she took herself off of the road almost 20 years ago when she felt her vision wasn’t sufficient for safe driving.