This installation guide is designed to help you fit an Optimise Automotive rear seat cover kit.

Installing seat covers is very different to installing “nut & bolt” items. There is movement in the materials and as a result, seat covers need to be manipulated, pulled and installed through the fitter's touch & feel.

Take your time, do not rush the process and double check alignment before cutting or gluing anything.

If you have any questions during installation or need any assistance, please get in touch and I'll be happy to help.

Your Kit - What’s Included:

• 1x replacement seat cushion cover

• 1x replacement seat squab cover

Tools Needed (Recommended):

• Slot screwdriver

• Pin hammer

• Contact spray adhesive (high temperature resistant)

• Hog ring pliers (SPi & MPi rear seats)

• Staple gun and 6mm staples

• Staple remover

Preparation & Pre-Installation:

The rear seat cover kit fits just like the original covers (near enough), so when you remove the original covers from your seat, take a good look at how they are installed.

Remember to keep your original trim-clips, as you will be using them to install your new covers.

Later rear seat squab covers (later SPi interiors and a majority of MPi interiors) are attached to the seat frames using plastic J section strips. If your original covers are installed using this method, you will need to purchase the additional trim-clip pack to install your new seat cover.

Removal:

Start by removing the squab cover. Before you remove the cover, pay particular attention to how the cover fits around the fixing plate on the lower edge, so you can copy it when installing your new cover.

The squab cover is held in place using metal trim-clips, located all around the frame, on all four sides. Turn the seat around so you can access the back of the frame and remove the trim-clips using a small slot-headed screwdriver.

Alternatively, if you have an MPi Mini, your squab cover will be held in place using J section plastic strips/fixings. To remove them, prise the strips off the frame using a slot-headed screwdriver.

The next step is to remove the squab cover face from the foam. The likelihood is that it will not be glued to the foam, as a majority of original squab covers were not glued. In this instance, simply remove the cover from the frame/foam.

Alternatively, if you have an older seat, the face of the cover could be glued to the foam. If your cover is glued to the foam, take care whilst peeling the cover away not to damage the foam.

You can now remove the cushion cover. It is held in place underneath the seat using either staples or glue, depending on the age of your seat.

To remove the cover, turn the seat upside-down so you can access the back of the foam and, using a staple remover, remove the staples from the hardboard strips around all four edges.

Alternatively, if you have an older seat, the border of the cover will be glued to the foam. If your cover is glued to the foam, take care whilst peeling the borders away not to damage the foam.

The next step is to remove the cushion cover face from the foam. The likelihood is that it will not be glued to the foam, as a majority of original cushion covers were not glued. In this instance, simply remove the cover from the frame/foam.

If applicable, feed the plastic piece through the slot in the foam from underneath and remove the cover.

Alternatively, if you have an older seat, the face of the cover will be glued to the foam. If your cover is glued to the foam, take care whilst peeling the face away not to damage the foam.

At this stage, if you have a steamer, you may want to steam your foams. This will puff the foam back up to its original state, creating a better base for your new covers.

Installation:

With the old covers removed, you can install your new seat cover kit and essentially reverse the process used to remove the old covers.

Start with the cushion cover. With the border inside-out, the first step is to attach the face of the cover to the foam. The cover aligns around the edge, with the piping lining up around the edge of the foam.

If you have the style of foam with the pull-through, and you also ordered that style of seat cover design, feed the black plastic piece (the fixing attached to the face of the cover) through the slot in the foam and hook it underneath.

Alternatively, spray both the face of the foam and the backside of the seat cover. Allow the adhesive to become touch dry before fitting the cover.

It is important that the adhesive is allowed to become touch dry before fitting the covers. If the adhesive is still wet, the covers may not bond correctly.

With the face installed, turn the border of the cover down so it sits around the foam and turn the seat upside-down so you can access underneath the foam.

Depending on the age of your seat, you will need to either staple or glue the border to the foam.

If you have a later seat with the hardboard strips running around the edge of the seat underneath, pull the border around and staple the cover to the hardboard strips.

Alternatively, if you have an older seat, glue the border directly to the foam, just as it was originally.

Spray both the underneath of the foam and the backside of the seat cover. Allow the adhesive to become touch dry before fitting the cover.

It is important that the adhesive is allowed to become touch dry before fitting the covers. If the adhesive is still wet, the covers may not bond correctly.

You can now start to install the squab cover. Place the seat cover face down on a desk and place the seat frame/foam on top, aligning the frame/foam with the cover.

Starting along the sides, pull the borders tight and, using your original trim-clips, push and/or hammer the clips on using a pin hammer to attach the cover to the seat frame.

Start in the middle of each side, on the elbow, and work outwards.

With the sides secured, repeat the process along the lower edge, cutting and feeding the cover around the frame in the same way as the original cover, including around the fixing plates.

Alternatively, if you have a later-style rear seat squab cover (later SPi interiors and a majority of MPi interiors) and have purchased the additional trim-clip pack, starting along the sides, pull the borders tight and use the hog rings supplied with a set of hog ring pliers to attach the cover to the seat frame.

Start in the middle of each side, on the elbow, and work outwards. With the sides secured, repeat the process along the lower edge, cutting and feeding the cover around the frame as originally fitted, including around the fixing plates.

All that is left to do is attach the top of the cover to the frame under the metal lip. Pull the cover tight over the top of the frame and, using your original trim-clips, push and/or hammer the clips on using a pin hammer to attach the cover to the metal lip, just like the original.

Alternatively, if you have a later-style rear seat squab cover (later SPi interiors and a majority of MPi interiors) and have purchased the additional trim-clip pack, pull the cover tight over the top of the frame and use the trim-clips provided to attach the cover to the metal lip, just like the original.

With your new seat covers installed, if you have a steamer, you may want to steam your covers as this will smooth out any imperfections.

Post-Installation:

With your new rear seat cover kit now installed, you can reinstall your rear seat to your Mini.

Finished:

I hope you love your new Optimise Automotive interior and enjoy seeing it transform your Mini.

When your installation is complete, please send me some photos of the finished result. I'd love to see your Mini with its new interior fitted, and customer builds are always fantastic to see and help inspire future Classic Mini owners too.