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Thread: Rear Headrest Removal 2013 128i Cabriolet

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Santa Monica, CA
    Posts
    7
    My Cars
    128i M Cabriolet

    Rear Headrest Removal 2013 128i Cabriolet

    I found a 2013 128i M-series Cabriolet - with a stick - and just bought that sucker. Love the car but not the rear headrests. Tried pulling on them but they don't seem to want to come all the way out. Read forums @ 2addicts on removal from 235i convertibles - that don't have pop-up rollover rear bars. Those owners just said yank hell outta them 'til they come off. Has anyone with a 128i had success removing rear headrests from a 128i Cab by this method?

    Any method?

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    2012 328i convertible

    Ugly rear cabriolet headrests

    Quote Originally Posted by baaadmoon View Post
    I found a 2013 128i M-series Cabriolet - with a stick - and just bought that sucker. Love the car but not the rear headrests. Tried pulling on them but they don't seem to want to come all the way out. Read forums @ 2addicts on removal from 235i convertibles - that don't have pop-up rollover rear bars. Those owners just said yank hell outta them 'til they come off. Has anyone with a 128i had success removing rear headrests from a 128i Cab by this method?

    Any method?

    Thanks.
    There is a small flat button you have to push REALLY hard on to yank the ugly buggers off. I cut about 4" off the leg which is next to the release button. I then reinstalled the headrests so they are now down tight to the rear seatback. They are not lower than the front headrests and still cover the very ugly pop up roll bars. I can send you a picture if you would like.

    Michael Schroeder
    2013 135 Cab.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Santa Monica, CA
    Posts
    7
    My Cars
    128i M Cabriolet
    Quote Originally Posted by motorradmike View Post
    There is a small flat button you have to push REALLY hard on to yank the ugly buggers off. I cut about 4" off the leg which is next to the release button. I then reinstalled the headrests so they are now down tight to the rear seatback. They are not lower than the front headrests and still cover the very ugly pop up roll bars. I can send you a picture if you would like.

    Michael Schroeder
    2013 135 Cab.
    Thanks Michael. I finally got them off by pushing the release button and giving them a "punch" (actually more like an uppercut) and they popped right out, landing on the back plastic tonneau cover and thankfully not on the trunk lid (I'll put a towel on the deck lid next time I use this method). I also didn't like the look of the exposed roll bars so I cut 6.5mm of the headrest stems so that they'd sit down flush with the top of rear seat back. Wish I'd known that you only had to cut ONE stem, the one at the release button, to make them sit flush with the seat back. How'd you know that?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Santa Monica, CA
    Posts
    7
    My Cars
    128i M Cabriolet
    Quote Originally Posted by motorradmike View Post
    There is a small flat button you have to push REALLY hard on to yank the ugly buggers off. I cut about 4" off the leg which is next to the release button. I then reinstalled the headrests so they are now down tight to the rear seatback. They are not lower than the front headrests and still cover the very ugly pop up roll bars. I can send you a picture if you would like.

    Michael Schroeder
    2013 135 Cab.
    Michael,

    I am so curious. How'd U know that you only had to cut off only ONE leg of the headrest?

    Thanks

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    2012 328i convertible

    Cool Read head restraints

    Quote Originally Posted by baaadmoon View Post
    Michael,

    I am so curious. How'd U know that you only had to cut off only ONE leg of the headrest?

    Thanks
    I surmised that since the latch only locked on one leg, only that leg needed to be cut. I tested the theory by pushing the headrest leg into the hole opposite the latch and, voila, it slipped all the way through.
    Last edited by motorradmike; 11-21-2016 at 09:03 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Santa Monica, CA
    Posts
    7
    My Cars
    128i M Cabriolet
    Quote Originally Posted by motorradmike View Post
    I surmised that since the latch only locked on one leg, only that leg needed to be cut. I tested the theory by pushing the headrest leg into the hole opposite the latch and, voila, it slipped all the way through.
    Smart. I WISH I'd thought like that. I cut off both legs and the headrest is somewhat rickety now when I raise it which, of course, will rarely if ever be done.

    For those of you with an E88 - just cut-off the switch-side leg and you'll be fine.

    My next task is to trade out these stiff, run-flat tires for some normal ones to reduce the cowl-shake and rattles.

    --
    SM
    2013 Carbon M-series 128i stick

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Raleigh, North Carolina
    Posts
    332
    My Cars
    '11 328xiT, '01 525iT
    For you convertible owners, there's a better way to solve this issue. I just went through the same thing. In BMWs wisdom, they only did this to the '12 and '13 'verts where the rear head rests would not sit flush with the top of the rear seat. This absolutely made no sense to me. There's several youtube videos out there on this subject. If anyone actually reads this thread, hit me up with a PM and I can forward the process I went through. Basically, you need to remove the back seat to get to a bump stop for the head rests. Cutting the posts on the head rest isn't the best solution to this problem.
    Rodney
    '12 128 convertible
    '11 328ix touring, wife's ride
    www.thscc.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Raleigh, North Carolina
    Posts
    332
    My Cars
    '11 328xiT, '01 525iT
    I had someone ask about the head rests the other day and this is my reply to them. I hope this helps others that are dealing with this uber stupid design feature from BMW. This was only for the '12 & '13 'verts...

    Look at this thread on the 1Addicts forum, gives a good over view...

    http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=715761

    Also look here, it has some pics for ref...

    http://www.mods4cars.com/sms/db/smar...all_1er/en.php

    Look at picture #3 in the smarttop link above. It shows a small screw driver being inserted down into the tube that holds the head rest. There's actually 2 retaining tabs per tube and these are a bitch. You'll need 2 small screw drivers. Insert as shown in the pic, you'll feel the end of the screw driver hit the edge of the tab. You will have both screw drivers in the tube at one time and initially they will be "crossed". Now straighten up the screw drivers while simultaneously lifting on the head rest bracket. If this is done right, you'll feel the bracket lift. At this point, jamb something under the edge of the bracket to keep it from going back down. Now you need to do the same thing to the other tube. Once those retaining tabs are free, the bracket lifts up. You'll do this a total of 4 times.

    With to 2 nuts undone at the bottom of the seat and the brackets removed, the seat back will lift right up. With the seat out of the way, you'll now see on the right tube of each bracket where BMW blocked it with a little rubber bump stop on a metal plate. Best to use a dremmel here to cut of the blocking plate. Once those are cut off, just reassemble and now the head rest will sit flush with the rear seat top. This really opens up looking out the rear view mirror since those head rests are now lower and it looks so much nicer.

    I hope this helps out. This is a tedious process, but can be done by 1 person. Good luck!!
    Last edited by olds350; 07-20-2017 at 01:55 PM.
    Rodney
    '12 128 convertible
    '11 328ix touring, wife's ride
    www.thscc.com

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