Comfort Seats backrest plastic insert
 

Yesterday I spotted the plastic insert in the centre top of the drivers backrest which has been loose for a while has decided to part company from the seat, I am now left with a series of holes in the seat back and plastic part I cannot re-attach because the plastic clips have broken off.

Looking on ETKA I see that this part is available separately for not much money, question is how easy is it to fit the replacement. I Wonder if it just pushes in and clips into position.

Part number in question is 4E0 881 849 EC3

There is a thread about this on another forum and its a nightmare to repair so the fix was to glue it back into place

Thought that would be the case, now to find a Glue that will bond leather to plastic.

Evostik or araldite, depending if it needs to flex or not.

Gorilla Glue should do it.

Or perhaps Gorilla Super Glue Gel.

I knew there would be a thread. This has happened to mine. The backing part is still inside the seat in the correct place, so I put a bit of glue in there to help it stay there. I would like to pop the broken off plastic pins out by pushing them out and then attach the new part with pins intact (you get three parts, the plastic strip, felt pad and backing part. Has anyone bought the part and what was the price? They are £40 on ebay!

May I take the opportunity to say what a bizarre and somewhat unattractive upholstery design compared to other Audi seats and other prestige marques.
The kind off loose baggy look pinned in with a plastic hairpiece is not acceptable for seats that were such an expensive option.
Digressing, look how lovely the virgin matt leather that was hidden is compared to the worn glossy look.

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I now have the part, but not so fast, the clear plastic retaining part must have fallen down inside the backrest - maybe while I was waiting for the replacement part or maybe as soon as the black part fell off.

Taking the backrest cover off looks really hard - removing the whole seat and stripping the backrest off and then taking that apart.

Do you think cutting the leather between two holes and slipping the parts in would be a good idea? Maybe sewing it up or using a patch and glue?

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Thinking about the geometry, I'd be looking for a solution that involved sewing or maybe riveting to a plate slid through a slot in the leather.
You really need to find a solution that can be done without taking the seat cover off.

Obviously whatever goes behind the leather would need to have temporary "lashings" until properly secured!
Then finish it off by gluing the dark plastic cover plate on to hide all the fixings. Depending what is behind and how fixed you might need to cut some/all of the fixing lugs off the back first.

Yes, you are right, the top photo is of the passenger seat and see how the part is squashing the leather and padding. If I just fasten this new part (even with the backing) on my driver's seat, it will not have that compressed padding look - the leather will hang flat with the strip stuck on top. There must be something else in there such as velcro or cords - there is nothing on the web showing the inside.

Next plan is to go in from behind - looks pretty straight forward...
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My guess would be, knowing how seats are often tensioned with stiff wire, something as follows:
1. The dark plastic section pushes lugs through the leather.
2. The clear plastic strip is inside the fabric piece which acts as a sort of sleeve.
3. A metal tensioner strip passes through one row of holes in the fabric (probably the two long, two short).
4. The lugs pass though the 4 smaller holes and through the clear plastic strip, probably secured there by small metal clips (starlock?).
When assembled in the factory the tension is applied as the cover is half-on before rolling it all the way down.

So you may be stuck with a "soggy seat back" for ever! :(

Edit: Ah, if your seat covers have a removeable back piece you may be able to get at it!
The S8 Recaro covers are all in one piece so getting inside them is next to impossible! (As I ideally need to to replace the lumbar pumps!)