Under Seat Storage Tray DIY - Lot's of Pics

[TurtleJames]

Very nice write up. I hope to do this one day. You also have the euro cup holder that I want, but I'm not brave enough to tackle that one.

Thanks. The euro cup holder was difficult because I had to figure out how to remove all the paneling. This GUIDE is pretty similar to our cars. If you remove the passenger seat as per the instructions of the seat drawers, you can lift up the cup holder panel and get it out from the side instead of getting the entire thing off the parking brake.

 

[Medussa]

What can you possible store here condoms??

 

[Gt-me]

Hi guys,
Sorry to ask such a newbie question but will this work on all Mk6 golfs?
Just picked up my 2009 Gt-tdi and was looking at doing this over the weekend.

 

[grifgolf1]

i don't think im going to get these anymore, because they just don't look worth it.

They're small but surprisingly useful -- as others have commented there's not a lot of storage space otherwise. I keep my GPS unit, a Swiss Army knife, and a notebook for MPG calculations under the driver's seat, and maps and heavy-duty napkins under the passenger seat. Before getting the drawers I stored everything in the door cubbies...which took away from the sleek look of the interior.

The only downside is my heel bumps against them occasionally -- the drawers sit further forward than I expected, even when closed -- but I've learned not to fold my legs back that far and it doesn't bother me anymore.

Nice writeup BTW. My dealer installed mine for me for free(!) when I brought the car in for unrelated service.

 

[TurtleJames]

Hi guys,
Sorry to ask such a newbie question but will this work on all Mk6 golfs?
Just picked up my 2009 Gt-tdi and was looking at doing this over the weekend.

Hi. As far as I know it should work on all NA 2010+ MK6 seats. Being as we did not get the MK6 for 2009, I do not know if any changes were made to the seats from Europe. I imagine since it is a European piece, it should be the same and work for you. Just to be sure why don't you call your dealer with the part numbers for the storage drawers and see if they apply to your model? Good luck.

 

[jbcritch]

My dealer installed mine for me for free(!) when I brought the car in for unrelated service.

dang! That's a good dealership! :w00t:

 

[Along The Razor's Edge]

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd add some learnings from my experience doing this install today.

If you do this install, I recommend taking a few extra precautionary steps and putting a rag around the rear ends of each seat rail after you take all of the floor bolts out (before you tilt it back). If the seat shifts while are working, the sharp edges can scratch/gouge the plastic interior. As an alternate, you could jam a piece of cardboard into that area.

I learned the hard way on this one. Hopefully this will save someone else some frustration.

Thanks again TurtleJames for putting this together, it was really helpful. I really like the drawers and don't regret doing it. It is a pretty straight forward install, you just have to be careful. At least the scratches are in an area most people won't see (but I know they are there, ughhhh).

 

[TurtleJames]

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd add some learnings from my experience doing this install today.

If you do this install, I recommend taking a few extra precautionary steps and putting a rag around the rear ends of each seat rail after you take all of the floor bolts out (before you tilt it back). If the seat shifts while are working, the sharp edges can scratch/gouge the plastic interior. As an alternate, you could jam a piece of cardboard into that area.

I learned the hard way on this one. Hopefully this will save someone else some frustration.

Thanks again TurtleJames for putting this together, it was really helpful. I really like the drawers and don't regret doing it. It is a pretty straight forward install, you just have to be careful. At least the scratches are in an area most people won't see (but I know they are there, ughhhh).

Good to know. I've never had an issue with the seats slipping, but it's always better to be safe and cover any parts that can be damaged. I did strip one of my seat bolts and that was a major pain to remove. It's 2 and change for each bolt at the dealership. But its a lot more convenient to make sure the bit is secured in the bolt and you don't over torque.

 

[1analguy]

I went this route instead of the dash cubby because I didn't want to remove any of the rattle-preventing crash bracing. With two trays, it will considerably lighten the load on my glove box and still keep everything out of sight...

I did the install on the passenger side of my '11 Golf TDI 2dr yesterday. I'll be doing the driver's side after the dealer replaces my fraying driver's seat cover next week. I originally bought both trays from ECS quite a while ago and had been putting off the installation as I need to obtain a "triple square" bit set and am having trouble locating my lost-in-the-move pop rivet tool. Well, I re-read this thread and noticed that it was mentioned that a T50 Torx bit might work in place of a 10mm triple square bit. I do have a T50, and though I'm a "use-the-correct-tool" kind of guy, I figured if it didn't fit too loosely (it didn't) and the seat bolts weren't too tight (they weren't) that I could at least check out something that I noticed in the install video that is now on ECS's website. The guy in the video was doing the install on a GTI and didn't use the pop-riveted bracket at all. Instead, he used the fourth machine screw to fasten the outer "ear" on the tray mounting bracket (the one with the spring clip nut) to a tab under the front edge of the outer side cover on the seat. When I got the seat loose, I tilted it back and held the tray mount up under the seat to see if the ear on the mount lined up with the tab on the seat side cover (it does, on my car, anyway). So, I decided to go ahead with the installation. If/when I eventually locate my pop riveter, I'll pull the seat again and add the metal bracket anyway for a fifth fastening point...though it feels plenty sturdy already with the four screws that are holding it now. Also, I did smear a light film of silicone grease on the runners on the drawer bottom before popping the drawer into the mount. I don't know if it'll do any good, but it's plastic on plastic, so what's to lose...

One thing about the ECS installation video that is misleading: the video shows the guy using the same small machine screw on the fourth, out-board location (spring-clip-nut/tray mount ear/seat-side-cover-tab) as on the other three under-seat locations. This is simply not possible. The spring clip nut on the tray mount ear is designed to work with a typical VW interior trim screw (sheet metal type thread), which is quite a bit longer than the 8mm long, 4mm diameter machine screws provided for the installation. The plastic tab on the outer seat side cover is a good 3mm thick all by itself, so the screw has to pass through that and then protrude enough to then engage the back side of the spring clip nut. In terms of length, it's just several millimeters too short. In terms of diameter, it's also too small (and the thread is too fine) to engage the spring clip nut without slipping. I don't have the part number for the correct trim screw, but if you remove one of the screws holding the kick panels or console side trim in your foot wells, you'll have the correct screw to show your parts guy. Fortunately, I just happened to have a few of these screws laying around because I've found them laying on the carpets/under seats/etc. in various new VWs over the years.

 

[crashdb]

I didn't use the bracket either. The drawers have held up fine without it. I wish I had found this beforehand and I would've used it, but the ECS video didn't show it, so I didn't use it. Oh well.

 

[maxtdi]

Perfect place for my .45 magnum.

 

[TurtleJames]

I went this route instead of the dash cubby because I didn't want to remove any of the rattle-preventing crash bracing. With two trays, it will considerably lighten the load on my glove box and still keep everything out of sight...

I did the install on the passenger side of my '11 Golf TDI 2dr yesterday. I'll be doing the driver's side after the dealer replaces my fraying driver's seat cover next week. I originally bought both trays from ECS quite a while ago and had been putting off the installation as I need to obtain a "triple square" bit set and am having trouble locating my lost-in-the-move pop rivet tool. Well, I re-read this thread and noticed that it was mentioned that a T50 Torx bit might work in place of a 10mm triple square bit. I do have a T50, and though I'm a "use the correct tool" kind of guy, I figured if it didn't fit too loosely (it didn't) and the seat bolts weren't too tight (they weren't) that I could at least check out something that I noticed in the install video that is now on ECS's website. The guy in the video was doing the install on a GTI and didn't use the pop-riveted bracket at all. Instead, he used the fourth machine screw to fasten the outer "ear" on the tray mounting bracket (the one with the spring clip nut) to a tab under the front edge of the outer side cover on the seat. When I got the seat loose, I tilted it back and held the tray mount up under the seat to see if the ear on the mount lined up with the tab on the seat side cover (it does, on my car, anyway). So, I decided to go ahead with the installation. If/when I eventually locate my pop riveter, I'll pull the seat again and add the metal bracket anyway for a fifth fastening point...though it feels plenty sturdy already with the four screws that are holding it now. Also, I did smear a light film of silicone grease on the runners on the drawer bottom before popping the drawer into the mount. I don't know if it'll do any good, but it's plastic on plastic, so what's to lose...

One thing about the ECS installation video that is misleading: the video shows the guy using the same small machine screw on the fourth, out-board location (spring-clip-nut/tray mount ear/seat-side-cover-tab) as on the other three under-seat locations. This is simply not possible. The spring clip nut on the tray mount ear is designed to work with a typical VW interior trim screw (sheet metal type thread), which is quite a bit longer than the 8mm long, 4mm diameter machine screws provided for the installation. The plastic tab on the outer seat side cover is a good 3mm thick all by itself, so the screw has to pass through that and then protrude enough to then engage the back side of the spring clip nut. In terms of length, it's just several millimeters too short. In terms of diameter, it's also too small (and the thread is too fine) to engage the spring clip nut without slipping. I don't have the part number for the correct trim screw, but if you remove one of the screws holding the kick panels or console side trim in your foot wells, you'll have the correct screw to show your parts guy. Fortunately, I just happened to have a few of these screws laying around because I've found them laying on the carpets/under seats/etc. in various new VWs over the years.

Cool. Thanks for the warning about the ECS vid. It's always a good idea to have some extra trim screws around. I'm probably going to have to pick up a few next time I'm at the dealers. Just be really careful using the T-50 for the seat rail bolts. Those things are such a pain to get out if you strip them. And make sure you re-torque them after a while, as they do sometimes get loose and make your seat rattle.

As for the dash cubby, I was afraid it might cause rattles, but surprisingly it doesn't. Even items (ez-pass, garage opener, etc) placed in the bare plastic drawer don't rattle. As an added bonus the drawer can be removed as needed for easy access behind the fusebox or CECM area.

 

[1analguy]

Perfect place for my .45 magnum.

The load/weight rating on each of these drawers is 1.5kg.

Cool...Just be really careful using the T-50 for the seat rail bolts. Those things are such a pain to get out if you strip them. And make sure you re-torque them after a while, as they do sometimes get loose and make your seat rattle...

The seat bolts originally loosened up very easily using my T50 Torx bit. The bit fit in the bolts was a little loose, but the bolts just weren't tight enough for that to be an issue. There is carpet/padding under the seat runners and I think that after they torque the bolts at the factory, the carpet/padding probably relaxes a bit over time, lessening the torque on the bolts to a loose-fitting-T50-Torx-bit-managable loosening value. However, the tightening torque spec on the seat bolts is 40Nm or 29.5ft/lb. When I had finished the drawer installation, I then foolishly tried to re-torque the first two bolts using my loose-fitting T50 Torx bit...and they did slip/strip. Now I have ordered an actual Triple Square bit set and will replace the two bolts that I was foolish enough to booger up. After screwing up my bolts I noticed a similar thread on another forum where someone suggested, as an alternate to the correct 10mm triple square bit, a 5/16 Allen (hex) bit. My bolts were stripped badly enough that my new triple square bit wouldn't even start to fit into the patterns in the heads of them. So, I tried that 5/16 Allen bit. It did drop into the bolt head pattern slightly, so I gently tapped it the rest of the way in with a hammer. It was then tight enough to allow me to remove the stripped bolts. Whew! I am now a re-confirmed "use-the-correct-tool" kind of guy.

And speaking of the right tool, I finally found my pop rivet gun, so I went back and installed the pop-riveted brackets as well. I now have five fastening points on each drawer frame instead of three or four. It hasn't made any noticeable difference so far, but who knows; maybe over the long haul...

...As for the dash cubby, I was afraid it might cause rattles, but surprisingly it doesn't. Even items (ez-pass, garage opener, etc) placed in the bare plastic drawer don't rattle. As an added bonus the drawer can be removed as needed for easy access behind the fusebox or CECM area.

I did seriously look at the dash cubby, and thanks for allaying my concerns about rattles. My only other objection was that, at least on early installations, the lower edge of the new cubby's dash trim piece didn't match the rest of the dash...it hung down another inch or so farther than the rest of the dash, which I didn't care for cosmetically. I can't remember if there was an updated part number for the kit that now matches the S.R.S.-free U.S. dash or not...

Update:

I went to my dealer (Boucher in Racine) and, after admitting to (the service manager and the parts manager) my foolish error in trying to torque two now-ruined seat rail bolts with the wrong tool, ordered two new bolts. When the bolts came in, I went to pick them up...and the parts manager gave the bolts to me. He wouldn't take any money, even after I'd told him it was my fault! I have to admit, after all these years...I'm finally impressed by a car dealer.

 

[Gti-mrk6]

Can these hold an ipad? It looks pretty tight, but can't really tell from the "size reference" picture...

 

[mkcsg]

Am i the only one who cant stand junk in their car. I just can bring myself to store napkins,papers ect. Even though this is very useful stuff and sometimes i wish i had.I even feel bad leaving a jacket in the trunk or back seat with no intentions of it being used that day. I think i just have OCD...:laugh:

Looks great though.