1996 BMW Z3 Seat Rail Bushing Repair

The seat rail bushings on BMW Z3 models wear out over time creating a rocking movement in the seat when driving. The seat will move fore and aft when accelerating or braking. Seat fore and aft movement is done by a threaded rod via an electric motor. The nut the rod threads into has a rubber insulator designed to remove the shock when the seat is at full extension. This rubber bushing wears out over time and causes the movement issue discussed earlier. When replacing you have two choices. There are factory rubber bushing available or plastic aftermarket bushing spacers. In this tech article I will go over how to install the aftermarket plastic bushing. The aftermarket kit includes enough spacers to repair both seats. I suggest do them all at the same time.

Start by removing the seat you are replacing the bushings on. Before removing the seat, be sure it is in the farthest back position. This will make removing the seat rail easier. See our tech article on seat removing. Place the seat on a blanket or a large fender cover.