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Piece of cake! I just removed the second row seats (annual trip to Ikea tomorrow)... and I must admit it's not a big challenge.

First, you need to removed the plastic covers that hide the bolts (snap-ons)... and also remove the plastic door sills (two push-pins to remove then you simply unsnap them). Be careful when removing the covers as not to break the small plastic pins underneath.


Plastic door sill removed (the plug hidden underneath must be for the remote folding of the seats)

Once that's done, you begin by removing the 14mm bolts on the front of the seats, then fold the seats and remove the 14mm bolts on the back of the hinges (in that order)... and that's it, they're out of the way and you've got a nice, (almost) flat surface... not unlike our friend zontarh's ride.

WARNING: Hinges may have sharp edges, be careful.



Remove bolts at the front...


...then back of the hinges

Note: on European and Asian models, there may be connectors that have to be unplugged (remote folding system)... I'm not sure how this works as it's not present on mine.


The larger seat (the one with the armrest) weighs a ton... but other than that, it was not a very complicated procedure at all. Now I've got tons of space for that once a year pilgrimage to the mecca of Swedish home styling... so my g/f can go crazy once again.


One very roomy Outlander.


Of course, I wouldn't go through the trouble of taking those off more than once or twice a year... but at least it's good to know that when you really need it, the extra space is there. :+)

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I added some pics in case someone wanted to do this.



And here's what an Outlander full of Ikea furniture looks like...




...and how it looks when you go from Montreal to Sherbrooke with 7 1/2' long boxes coming out the back. :+P




BTW: The folding gate's latch hooks provide very handy attachment points when you leave it open... best place to tie down your load IMO.


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Nice! I had not thought of using the tailgate like that!

How did you secure the liftgate?

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That's the tricky part actually. I finally decided to tie-in to the wiper shaft... but honestly, I cannot recommend it. The shaft is not meant to take much lateral force. That being said, I didn't break anything either... and the roads are not that smooth in Quebec.

But I would have liked that there was a latch hook or something of the sort... but I guess they didn't want us to drive with the gate down because it's quite flat over there.

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When travelling with the gate down you stay aware of carbon monoxide entering the car as you drive. On some vehicles there is a vacuum created at the rear as you move along. My Jeep does it.

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Yes, of course... I should have mentioned that! Sorry... :+/ I would not think this can be a issue when driving on the highway... but in the city you would be well advised to have a window open.


Personally, I always have some ventilation on, even if it's at the lowest setting. And with the gate down, I bump it up to the middle of the dial just to be sure.

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