[Dale in Thailand]

On my Previa van, the seat covers are very dirty after 27 years of use in Thailand, a very dusty country. I have removed all of the seats, but instead of trying to shampoo them, while they cover the foam rubber, I would like to remove them and have them cleaned. Other than being dirty, they look like new. Have any of you tried removing the cover from the seat? In addition, it appears that the front seat headrests should be removable or possibly adjustable, but I can't find a button or latch to push to release them like the ones on the rear seats. Is there a secret latch somewhere?

 

[apham8]

I just recently replaced my 1992 Previa LE's Front Driver's Side bottom cushion and seat bottom cover with the the seat bottom cushion and cover from a 1992 Previa LE's second row Captain Chair. I was wondering if the seat bottoms were the same between the driver's seat and the second row driver's side captain chair. I can confirm that they are indeed the same. So I essentially got a good condition cushion and seat cover for my Driver's seat! Awesome!

Anyways, to your point, yes you can remove the seat covers. I did so with the seat cover on the one from the junk yard. It was heavily soiled despite being in otherwise good condition. So I washed it and it looks a lot better than before.

What you need is hog rings in order to reinstall the seat covers on the cushion. You can easily YouTube a video on upholstery and see what you'll need. You'll be able to see on the video how the hog rings are installed with the necessary hog pliers. Very easy to do. But this is not my first time doing. I have installed seat covers before, but you can gauge the level of difficulty in the videos on YouTube.

I think it is definitely worth the time and effort to remove the seat covers and give them a good wash. You won't regret it.

 

[apham8]

Oh and as for the headrest here is a video of it being done on a BMW headrest. Similar, but for the Previa there's a bar that Toyota uses to hold the fabric on. BMW's method looks to utilize the frame of the headrest to hold the fabric on.

 

[Peccosan]

On my Previa van, the seat covers are very dirty after 27 years of use in Thailand, a very dusty country. I have removed all of the seats, but instead of trying to shampoo them, while they cover the foam rubber, I would like to remove them and have them cleaned. Other than being dirty, they look like new. Have any of you tried removing the cover from the seat? In addition, it appears that the front seat headrests should be removable or possibly adjustable, but I can't find a button or latch to push to release them like the ones on the rear seats. Is there a secret latch somewhere?

There is a hidden button that you have to push. I cant remember on which side but you will be able to feel for them. I used a key to kinda push it. Basically it is on the same placement as the ones on the rear seats IIRC. I will check on the placement but it gets removed easily. Here is what I have replaced my seat covers with.

 

[apham8]

There is a hidden button that you have to push. I cant remember on which side but you will be able to feel for them. I used a key to kinda push it. Basically it is on the same placement as the ones on the rear seats IIRC. I will check on the placement but it gets removed easily. Here is what I have replaced my seat covers with.

View attachment 297965

Wow, those Clazzio seat covers look amazing! Are they still available? I tried searching on Clazzio's website, Clazzio.com, and did not find any seat covers for the Toyota Previa.

Please provide more information on how you got your's.

 

[Peccosan]

Wow, those Clazzio seat covers look amazing! Are they still available? I tried searching on Clazzio's website, Clazzio.com, and did not find any seat covers for the Toyota Previa.

Please provide more information on how you got your's.

I got it directly from Japan. It was something that I believe is discontinued already but I found my particular one while browsing in Yahoo Japan. Got lucky because it was labeled as "used" but the seat covers were in mint condition and looked like it was just old stock that never sold. I just go online and have Yahoo Japan bookmarked, Look at it when I am not working and just comb through the listings. Hey maybe you can find something now. I have gotten what I needed for my Estima build but I think parts are getting scarcer now. It took me several months to get the parts as well as the vehicle from Japan.

 

[apham8]

That's an awesome build! But to be honest, I do not think I will be investing much more into my Previa. I bought my '92 Previa LE in March of 2019 and have had the hardest time finding parts for it. Even parts from Toyota themselves. Toyota is clearly phasing out part production for the Previa and these seem to be crushed rather quickly at salvage yards. Not many people drive them anymore.

I do plan to keep mine in top shape as I depend on it as my daily driver, but it won't be long before I search for another vehicle. I'd like to go with a Toyota Tacoma or Tundra next. At least I can be sure that parts for those vehicles will be around for many years to come.

 

[Peccosan]

That's an awesome build! But to be honest, I do not think I will be investing much more into my Previa. I bought my '92 Previa LE in March of 2019 and have had the hardest time finding parts for it. Even parts from Toyota themselves. Toyota is clearly phasing out part production for the Previa and these seem to be crushed rather quickly at salvage yards. Not many people drive them anymore.

I do plan to keep mine in top shape as I depend on it as my daily driver, but it won't be long before I search for another vehicle. I'd like to go with a Toyota Tacoma or Tundra next. At least I can be sure that parts for those vehicles will be around for many years to come.

It is at least a quarter century old to be fair with the platform. Parts are definitely harder to come by but I have gotten parts and stuff from junkyards to yahoo Japan.

When I imported the Estima that I have, I did it right when it became legal to import. I rather get a JDM one because they have better examples of them over there. The Estima had 70k and absolutely NO RUST with all the options that I wanted (5spd manual is really hard to find even over there). 1991 Estima stock form in super mint condition and be the first one to legally import it to the US? YES PLEASE! Its is just really hard to get something like that over here in the US and if I am going to build it out I want a very good base as a starting point.

 

[apham8]

It is at least a quarter century old to be fair with the platform. Parts are definitely harder to come by but I have gotten parts and stuff from junkyards to yahoo Japan.

When I imported the Estima that I have, I did it right when it became legal to import. I rather get a JDM one because they have better examples of them over there. The Estima had 70k and absolutely NO RUST with all the options that I wanted (5spd manual is really hard to find even over there). 1991 Estima stock form in super mint condition and be the first one to legally import it to the US? YES PLEASE! Its is just really hard to get something like that over here in the US and if I am going to build it out I want a very good base as a starting point.

No doubt, there's no way to fault Toyota for ceasing the production of parts for a van that never did well in the United States. And on top of all that there are fewer and fewer Previas on the road every year.

Basically, what I'm getting at is that I really appreciate the Previa platform. It is great for my purposes except the fact that I daily it and need a vehicle that can be easily repaired in regards to parts availability. For you there is a clear difference. You're building a project vehicle over a period of time, which is something I do not necessarily have the luxury of. If I cannot get parts for my Previa, I'll be stuck with trying to figure out/arrange transportation until it is up again.

 

[Peccosan]

The Estima IS my daily and the purple Previa is my show car. Funny that I have the one that has harder parts to get as my daily but it has not given me problems yet. crosses fingers

Hopefully the previa lasts just like a toyota truck. With periodical maintenance it usually dont have any issues, but I do get your point. But all the suspension and drivetrain pieces are available aftermarket.

Enginewise you can get a pretty decent low mileage JDM motor for cheap and if rebuilding the current motor is concerned I did mine around 120k or so. This is a good amount of time with a vehicle without too much hassle outside of the regular oil change and tire and brake change.

So still not impossible but a little harder than your mainstream vehicles that are newer. At any case good luck with the van.

 

[Dale in Thailand]

There is a hidden button that you have to push. I cant remember on which side but you will be able to feel for them. I used a key to kinda push it. Basically it is on the same placement as the ones on the rear seats IIRC. I will check on the placement but it gets removed easily. Here is what I have replaced my seat covers with.

Wow, those Clazzio seat covers look amazing! Are they still available? I tried searching on Clazzio's website, Clazzio.com, and did not find any seat covers for the Toyota Previa.

Please provide more information on how you got your's.

I have removed the front seat because I will try switching the front and middle seat covers after they are washed. The middle headrests came out easily once the release is pushed, but my daughter and I have thoroughly examined the front headrests and all around their bases, but we don't find a release button anywhere. The seats look exactly like the ones in the picture you attached. We must be missing something. Is the release on the armrest, (Middle of the van) side, or on the outside? The other problem we are experiencing is that the zippers for the armrest covers are frozen in place. They aren't rusted at all, the zipper itself is nylon, but it won't move in either direction. I tried a little electric parts cleaner, but that didn't help at all. This is a 1992 Previa GL that was imported to Thailand's new, but that is the same as a 1993 in America. It belonged to a Thai who who owned an auto insurance company here, and who took very good care of it. I can tell that it had been rear ended at one time because the rear door and latch are from a newer model, and didn't work properly. When I looked for a replacement latch, nothing I found would match the door, so I had to do a little creative machining and now everything works great.

View attachment 297965

 

[Dale in Thailand]

Dale in Thailand once again. I have all of the seats dissembled now so that I can remove the seat covers to wash them, except for the headrests on the drivers and passengers seats. We are really puzzled by this because they were obviously installed after the seat back cover was installed. A Toyota site in England said that we need to pull up on the headrest while striking it sideways with my hand, but that did nothing also. Does anyone know how to contact Toyota to find out how to remove these? The covers were so dirty, that I had to use a tooth brush with "Vanish" sprayed on them to get the dark gray tar off. Probably tar from a heavy smoker in the past. Just washing them three time helped, but this is the only thing that makes them like new. To release the arm rest zippers, which were all stuck fast, I used Q-Tips soaked in windex. The Q-tips were ugly dark gray after I used them, but the zippers worked like new.

 

[Dale in Thailand]

I have posted 3 pictures of one of my 1992 Previa's seats. You can see how dirty they are, and that there is no button for releasing the headrest. The inside and front and rear are the same, with no hole to insert a pin in and no button to push. Does anyone else have seats like these, or know how to remove the headrests so that I can wash these seat covers? HELP?

 

[Peccosan]

Here is my post on Previa Lovers Unite on FB. It shows you how to remove the headrests. But basically it is pressing on the fabric right under the headrest on each side to make the locking mechanism release the post on the headrest.

Easier to show you how to press the upholstery without the headreast on the seat. After releasing this side of the headrest do the same on the other side.

This is where you want to push. The same area on the other side of the seat as well.

How the headrest comes off. If you look at the right post you can see the notch where the mechanism clicks on to. So you can kinda figure out where to press.

 

[Dale in Thailand]

Here is my post on Previa Lovers Unite on FB. It shows you how to remove the headrests. But basically it is pressing on the fabric right under the headrest on each side to make the locking mechanism release the post on the headrest. View attachment 300405
Easier to show you how to press the upholstery without the headreast on the seat. After releasing this side of the headrest do the same on the other side.

View attachment 300407
This is where you want to push. The same area on the other side of the seat as well.

View attachment 300408
How the headrest comes off. If you look at the right post you can see the notch where the mechanism clicks on to. So you can kinda figure out where to press.

Thank you for your response. It looks like we have the same release mechanisms. Do I need to press inside of the headrest bars, or outside? I don't feel anything on the outside, but there is something lumpy inside of the bars under the fabric. I have pressed on both inside and outside but couldn't get it to release yet. It is possibly corroded since this van sat for several years without use. I just want to be certain that I am pressing in the right spot before I try using som WD 40 or electric contact cleaner to free it up.

 

[Peccosan]

Thank you for your response. It looks like we have the same release mechanisms. Do I need to press inside of the headrest bars, or outside? I don't feel anything on the outside, but there is something lumpy inside of the bars under the fabric. I have pressed on both inside and outside but couldn't get it to release yet. It is possibly corroded since this van sat for several years without use. I just want to be certain that I am pressing in the right spot before I try using som WD 40 or electric contact cleaner to free it up.

Dale, exactly where my finger is on the outside sides of the seat and how I have my hand is how I was able to press it with my thumb. The button is in the upholstery and you just basically push while slightly lifting on the headrest. It is on both sides on the outside for each post.

 

[Dale in Thailand]

Dale, exactly where my finger is on the outside sides of the seat and how I have my hand is how I was able to press it with my thumb. The button is in the upholstery and you just basically push while slightly lifting on the headrest. It is on both sides on the outside for each post.

You gave me the secret solution, thank you. Unfortunately for me, I can only get one side of one seat to release, which puzzles me no end, so I will probably have to resort to some type of lubricant. Thank you for giving me the key. You would think this would be written in a manual!

 

[Peccosan]

You gave me the secret solution, thank you. Unfortunately for me, I can only get one side of one seat to release, which puzzles me no end, so I will probably have to resort to some type of lubricant. Thank you for giving me the key. You would think this would be written in a manual!

No problem, maybe wacking the area would make it release. Its just hooked on to a little notch on the post. If you got a side to work you kinda get the idea and location for all the seats.

 

[Dale in Thailand]

SUCCESS! Peccosan was a big help in this and he has my gratitude. My headrest posts were corroded in place and I couldn't get them to release. I have posted 4 pictures for anyone else struggling with the same problem with the hidden headrest release on some models. I used a small drill and chuck that I had made, to push the hidden release buttons. they were in two differing locations, so I have shown the difference in the pictures that I have attached. one spot was about an inch higher than the other. My thumbs were not strong enough to force it to release, but the drill chuck worked great. you can see the corrosion buildup on the picture of the post. Now to remove the fabric, which looks like it will be a challenge as well, and thoroughly clean them

!

 

[Peccosan]

SUCCESS! Peccosan was a big help in this and he has my gratitude. My headrest posts were corroded in place and I couldn't get them to release. I have posted 4 pictures for anyone else struggling with the same problem with the hidden headrest release on some models. I used a small drill and chuck that I had made, to push the hidden release buttons. they were in two differing locations, so I have shown the difference in the pictures that I have attached. one spot was about an inch higher than the other. My thumbs were not strong enough to force it to release, but the drill chuck worked great. you can see the corrosion buildup on the picture of the post. Now to remove the fabric, which looks like it will be a challenge as well, and thoroughly clean them View attachment 300479 View attachment 300480 View attachment 300481 View attachment 300482 View attachment 300479 View attachment 300480 View attachment 300481 View attachment 300482 !

Nice! I am glad that you were finally able to take them out. Keep us posted on how the cleaning goes.