Retrofit 7 seat to 6 seat in 2016 X

[MDR SEA]

Can one convert a 7 seat 2016 X to 6 seat?
Thanks
MDR

 

[number12]

Can one convert a 7 seat 2016 X to 6 seat?
Thanks
MDR

Yes but 4 seater is easier. Just take out middle row.

 

[Aljohn]

@MDR SEA Assuming the cost is not an inhibitor, there are a few issues: First, the sixth digit of the VIN is the number of restraints and seat configuration in the X. Your 7-seat has a 6th digit is "A", a 6-seat would have a 6th digit of "B" (VIN Decoder | TeslaTap). Therefore, the VIN would be incorrect if someone converted. Secondly, the 6-seat interior is on Mono-post and do not fold flat. It would appear there are no readily available seats or seat belt configurations to convert if you have the 2nd row fold flat (these were changed from the earlier version). If you have the earlier version of the 7-seat, they too were on mono-post and have cutouts in the floor for the seats to move forward and backward. If that is the case, the floor and its mechanisms would have to be replaced.

Tesla, as the manufacturer, cannot change since the VIN would be violated. All of the seat configs serve differing needs. Tesla changed the 2nd row original 7-seat from Mono-post to fold flat for those who desired more cargo space, and left the 6-seat on the mono-post. That change made way for the 5-seat model as well.

 

[MDR SEA]

Thanks for the replies.
The 7 seats are mono post so does anyone know if I can just remove the middle seat?

 

[Aljohn]

Thanks for the replies.
The 7 seats are mono post so does anyone know if I can just remove the middle seat?

How many floor cut outs are there in your seven seats... I thought three, but not sure. The six seat only has two. Therefore the floor issue may remain, VIN aside.

 

[Yinn]

Yes you can convert it, it's been done before with a thread on the forums. Take off the seat shell and just start unbolting everything. The issue you'll run into is that your computer will register the lack of a seat and you will have a constant error message. Customer wiring/programming will be needed to trick the computer into think the seat is there and latched into place.

 

[Rockwell]

i tried to remove my middle seat but i couldn't get access to the bolts under the seat. Anyone else run into this problem?

 

[MDR SEA]

Yes.
On the 6 and 7 non-folding seats you need to put car in service mode to access all the mounting bolts.

 

[Rockwell]

Thank you tmc for all your help. Finally finished converting my 7 into a 6 seater.

 

[Yinn]

Thank you tmc for all your help. Finally finished converting my 7 into a 6 seater.

Did you rewire/reprogram it?

 

[Rockwell]

Did you rewire/reprogram it?

I didn't do any reprogramming with the car and the car shows no errors. I still have 7 seats displayed on the MCU..but no errors.

 

[Yoitskenn]

Wish they would’ve made a removable 7th seat.

 

[Yinn]

Wish they would’ve made a removable 7th seat.

Based on the thread, they did. They just didn’t make it easy.

 

[shiftelectrics]

Can you post a guide on how you did it? How difficult was the removal? I also have a 2016 7 seater.

 

[invisik]

How hard is it to go from a 2017 6 seater to having the fold down seats in the middle row (for more cargo area room) ?

 

[Yinn]

How hard is it to go from a 2017 6 seater to having the fold down seats in the middle row (for more cargo area room) ?

That is a whole different animal. For starters, your car is the wrong gender. Your 6 seater doesn’t have the right holes, meaning you’d need to cut and drill. How comfortable are you doing that with a lithium pack underneath you?

 

[MDR SEA]

That is a whole different animal. For starters, your car is the wrong gender. Your 6 seater doesn’t have the right holes, meaning you’d need to cut and drill. How comfortable are you doing that with a lithium pack underneath you?

Actually the fold flat 2nd row seats (5 seat version) foot print is identical to the pedestal seats so no new holes are needed. Looks like the 7 seat version has the same foot print as well. It makes sense from a manufacturing point of view.

 

[bluehills]

I'm actually looking into this myself as well, relating to converting a 7 seater Model X 2017 to 2nd row being fold flat. Don't currently own one myself yet to experiment on, was going to see if paying extra for a newer 2017 model with fold flat seats is worth the cost.

 

[eppens]

Thank you tmc for all your help. Finally finished converting my 7 into a 6 seater.

Can you provide some info on what service mode does for removal of the middle seat? More movement?
Any other tips on removal, some tricks to help us that are going to start this transformation?

 

[Bestla]

I didn't do any reprogramming with the car and the car shows no errors. I still have 7 seats displayed on the MCU..but no errors.

How's this possible? In reading the few success cases, everyone else had seat disconnected errors.