Mazda 6 Leather Seats Installation Guide

If you're reading this, it is safe to say that you have chosen to install your own 6 leather interior. Or, perhaps you're curious as to the difficulty level of installing a LeatherSeats.com auto upholstery kit. Either way, this comprehensive guide to 6 leather installation will make your installation as easy as 1-2-3.

First, the tools you will need to install the interior. In addition to standard mechanics tools (wrenches, ratchets, extensions, sockets, screwdrivers, etc.), you will need the following:

The first step to install your new 6 leather interior is to remove your seats from the vehicle.

Removal of Front Seats:

On the Mazda 6, each of the front seats are held in by four (4) bolts. To access the bolts, you will have to pop the plastic covers off of the seat rails. Then, simply remove the bolts, tip the seat backwards, and check for electrical connections. Almost every seat will have some wiring harnesses on the bottom connecting to the floor of the vehicle. Unplug the connectors, and then remove the seat from the vehicle. Make sure that you tilt the front of the driver’s seat all the way up before you unplug the wiring harnesses. Make sure to save all bolts, screws, and other parts for reassembly.

Removal of Back Seats:

The back seat requires that you remove the cushion (bottom section) first. There are two (2) clips that hold the front of the cushion to the floor (See picture #1). Simply move the lever over on the clip, and remove the seat cushion. Once the cushion is removed, the bolts for removing the seat backs are visible. There are eight (8) bolts that hold the bottom of the seat backs to the floor of the vehicle. You will have to flip the seats forward to release the seat and access the back four bolts (See picture #2). The bolsters each have a bolt at the bottom, and a clip on the top. Remove the bolts, and move the levers on the clips to release the bolsters (See picture #3). Make sure to save all bolts, screws, and other parts for reassembly.

Above: Diagram #1. Plastic rear bench cushion release lever.	Above: Diagram #2. Rear bench backrest folded down exposing the 4 bolts you will need to loosen and remove to take out the backrest.	Above: Diagram #3. Rear bench side bolster plastic clip.

Upholstering the Front Seat Cushions:

The first step is to remove the seat cushion from the seat frame. There are four (4) bolts that hold the seat cushion pan to the seat frame (See picture #4). Remove those bolts and remove the seat cushion pan from the seat. There are plastic clips that hold the edge of the factory leather/cloth to the seat cushion pan. Remove these, and fold the factory cloth/leather up towards the center of the seat, revealing the insert seam lines. The inserts use hog-rings to attach the covers to the foam core (See picture #5). Snip them and remove the cover. The installation of the Leatherseats.com covers is the reverse of removal. Start with the cover inside out, and hog-ring the inserts. Roll the cover over the edges, making sure to line-up the seam lines. After you have recovered the foam core and seat pan, set it aside and start on the backrest.

Upholstering the Front Seat Backrests:

First, remove the headrest and set it aside. Then, remove the lumbar knob on the driver’s seat. It is held in by an e-clip. The Mazda 6 has closed-back seats. Unhook the J-clip and the bottom of the cushion (See picture #6). There will be one hog-ring and one plastic J-clip on each side of the seat. Snip these hog-rings and unhook the J-clip, and start rolling the cover up over the seat. As you roll the cover up, you will see hog-rings at each of the seams (See picture #7). Remove the hog-rings as you roll the cover up over the seat.

The installation of the Leatherseats.com covers is the reverse of removal. You may have to transfer the listing wires over to the Leatherseats.com covers. Start with the cover inside out, and align the seams with the edges of the foam (See picture #8). Start to roll the cover down, and attach the hog-rings as you come to them. After you reach the bottom, reattach all of the plastic clips, and hook the J-hooks together. Reinstall the recovered seat cushion and pan assembly (from above). Next, you will need to cut holes for the headrest posts. Feel where the post holes are, and then cut a small “plus” with the razor blade. Make the holes just big enough that you can put one side of the headrest pos through, and then work it over the other side.

Above: Diagram #4. Front bucket tilted backwards to show the 4 bolts that hold the front seat cushion pan in place.	Above: Diagram #5. Cloth folded back to show how the hog-rings hold the factory cloth to the foam.	Above: Diagram #6. Plastic J-Hook on the backrest portion of the front bucket located at the very bottom of the seat where the cushion meets the backrest.

Upholstering the Headrests:

The headrests can be difficult of you do not have a buddy and/or a shop vac. If you have factory cloth, you do not have to remove the cloth covers, as they are glued and sewn on. To install the Leatherseats.com leather, start with it inside out, and line up the seams to the edges of the foam. Then roll the cover down, and hook the J-hooks. Sounds easy, right? If you have difficulty rolling the covers over the foam, you can wrap the foam in a plastic bag, and using a “shop vac” compress the foam to make it easier to cover the headrest. After you have the headrest cover on, just rip the plastic bag off, and hook the J-hooks. Slide the headrest into the re-upholstered seat, and you’re finished with the front seat!

Repeat this process for the other front bucket and you’re finished with the front row!

Above: Diagram #7. Backrest cover rolled up to expose a factory listing wire where you will find 2 or 3 hog-rings.	Above: Diagram #8. LeatherSeats.com cover rolled inside out ready to be rolled down the backrest and attached.	Above: Diagram #9. Plastic trim pieces that cover the factory seatback latches that keep the rear bench seatbacks latched in the upright position.

Upholstering the Backseat Cushion:

Start with the cushion upside down, and work your way around the cushion sniping hog-rings, there are several of them. After you have removed all the attachments around the perimeter of the cushion, fold the cushion up to reveal the inserts. Snip the hog-rings for the inserts, and remove the cover. Be patient, as there is a ridiculous amount of hog-rings in the seat cushion. Installation is the reverse of removal. It is best to start with the Leatherseats.com cover inside-out and hog-ring the inserts first. When you get to the edges, fold the cover over the foam. Then, hog-ring the perimeter of the cushion where the factory attachment points are and you’re finished!

Upholstering the Backseat Backrests:

40% Section: First, unhook the J-clip at the bottom of the carpet. Then, pop the plastic clips that hold the carpeted back to the seat. Remove the plastic trim where the seatbacks latch to the car (See picture #9). Fold the carpet forward, revealing hog-rings around the perimeter of the backside of the seat. Snip the hog-rings and then roll the cover off the foam to reveal the insert hog-rings. Snip these hog-rings and the cover should fall off of the foam. Installation is the reverse of removal. Start with the cover inside-out, and hog-ring the inserts first. Then roll the cover over the corners and hog-ring the perimeter in the factory locations. You will need to make the new holes for the plastic pushpins underneath the carpet. The hole for the latch will need to be cut, as well as the trim piece re-installed. Make sure you cut it no bigger then it has to be.

60% Section: The process is the same as the “40” section, but in addition, you have an armrest. To remove the armrest, there are two plastic pushpins, and two nuts (See picture #10). Remove the nuts and the pushpins, and the armrest will be free. You will have to remove the staples from the hard backing, and reinstall it on the new cover. You will also need to remove the hinge assembly from the armrest. There are two bolts that hold the hinge on. Make sure you pay attention to the order of the bushings, or else the armrest will not fold properly. You will also need to remove the cup holders from the armrest. Pry them up from the front, making sure not to break the clips (See picture #11). The factory cloth/leather is held in by a few hog-rings. Remove these and start to roll the cover off of the armrest. The installation of the Leatherseats.com cover is the reverse of removal. You will need to cut the holes for the cup holder after the cover is installed. Again, make sure that you do not cut the holes too big! You will also have to staple or glue the cover to the hard backing. We used 8mm staples.

Above: Diagram #10. Carpet removed from the 40% portion of the rear bench seatback so the bolts and pins needed to release the armrest are exposed.	Above: Diagram #11. Plastic cupholders removed from the rear armrest to show the two clips in the front.	Above: Diagram #12. Door panel screw located behind the interior door handle. Unscrew this to remove the door panel.

Bolsters: The bolsters are very easy! The covers are held on by staples and a plastic clip. Just remove the staples and unhook the clip, and the cover is off! The installation is the reverse of removal. Put the cover on inside out, roll the edges over making sure the seam lines line up with the foam, and staple the edges of the covers. We used 10mm staples.

The final step is to put everything back into the car. It is generally easier to install the rear seat first. Be careful when installing the front seats that you don’t scrape any plastic or the door panels with the bottom of the seat, as the seat rails are sharp and will damage any plastic or vinyl they come in contact with. After the seats are re-installed, it is a good idea to condition the leather and massage any wrinkles that are in the leather. After sitting in the sun for a few weeks, the leather will begin to shrink and will actually form itself to the foam, creating a wrinkle free install.

Upholstering the Door Panel Inserts:

NOTE: *We highly recommend having a professional upholstery shop install the door inserts. They are pretty deep, and it is hard to tuck the edges without breaking the plastic welds. We remove the insert section, and re-plastic weld it back in after it is recovered. If you want to try them yourself here is how we did them:

Above: Diagram #13. Door panel screw located at the bottom of the door pull. Remove this to remove the door panel.	Above: Diagram #14. Interior mirror trim piece that also needs to be removed for the door panel to come loose.	Above: Diagram #15. Door panel plastic welds that hold the factory door insert in place. Grind or cut these off to release the door panel.

First, you have to remove the door panels from the car. There are two screws that hold the door panel to the car. One is behind the inside door handle, the other is in the door pull pocket (See pictures #12 & #13). After these are removed, you have to sternly grasp the door panel, and pop it loose all around the edges of the door. On the front doors, you have to pop the mirror trim piece loose (See picture #14). After you have the door panel loose, disconnect all of the electrical harnesses from the door panel. After the door panel is free from the car, take it to a table to work on. Put it face down on the table, and remove the window switch trim piece. It is held in by several plastic tabs. Start at the back, and push the tabs in just enough to remove the trim piece. You will also have to remove the foam “block” from the door panel. After everything is removed, either cut or grind the plastic welds off flush (See picture #15). Remove the door insert section. If you have factory leather, you will have to sand the leather and clean it with Prep-sol or a similar prep chemical. Set the door insert section face up, and the new material face down. Spray both pieces with the adhesive. Let them sit for about 5 minutes. The glue should feel tacky, and almost dry to the touch. If it is still wet, continue to wait. Fold the new material so that the first part to touch is in the “valley”. Put the material in the “valley”, and then work it to the edges. Set the insert face down, and spray the back edges of the insert and the material. After it has set, fold the edges over. Next, trim the edges so that all of the holes are visible for the plastic “stumps”. You will also need to trim the material for the window switches. Re-install the door insert into the door panel, and begin to plastic weld in the original locations. You can also use small screws, but be sure not to use screws that are too long or else they will poke out the visible side of the door panel. After all of the plastic welds are in place, reinstall the window switch trim. Reinstall the door panel to the car, making sure to plug in all of the correct wiring harnesses.

Back to the Mazda 6 Leather Interior Page

Customized Factory Interiors © 2005 Oklahoma City, OK 1-866-NEWSEAT