I had the same problem using Sportscraft swivel adapters and glued down washers as spacers just like you. Good to know the other bases need the same treatment.
How-to: Swivel seat adapter installation
My swivel bases from Travois arrived Friday (thanks for the quick shipping Travois!). I tackled the installation this afternoon. The overall process is fairly easy and straightforward. The trickiest thing was giving the wiring harness enough slack. Here's an overview of parts, tools and steps I used.
Parts:
CBTO 21 D2 - passenger ($300)
CBTO 21G2 - driver ($300)
Plastic wire sheath (optional)
Zip ties
Tools:
Socket wrench
10mm socket
E-12 (External Torx)
17mm socket
17mm combination wrench
Tiny slotted screwdriver (used to release factory wire harness zip ties and harness socket clips)
10mm allen key
Knife
Steps:
1. Disconnect battery. 10mm socket to remove battery bracket and negative terminal (see your Metris manual for specifics)
2. Disconnect seat wiring harness (Unclip the yellow and white connectors.) Release zip ties securing harness to seat frame.
3. Remove four external Torx E12 seat rail bolts. Remove seat.
4. Extend wiring harness as far as possible. (I removed the wire ties securing the harness to the chassis under the driver's seat)
5. Feed harness through the center hole in the swivel base. (I added plastic coil wire wrap for good measure)
6. Fasten the swivel adapter to the platform with the allen bolts (10mm allen key)
7. Fasten seat to the swivel base with 17mm bolts and locking nuts. (spin top plate ~45º from lower to access holes)
8. Reconnect seat wiring harness (I repositioned the white connectors with zip ties for additional wiring harness slack)
9. Reconnect battery.
Observations
The adapters seem well made. The seats feel stable and secure, especially when locked in the forward position. The additional stack height of the adapters is noticeable but not bad. Be careful with the wiring harness and connectors. There is not enough slack to start with. You need to create additional slack by disconnecting wire ties. Travois shipped quickly. I had them about one week after placing my order. Spinning the seats around to face backward really opens things up in the van. This modification is going to be great for camping!
Parts:
CBTO 21 D2 - passenger ($300)
CBTO 21G2 - driver ($300)
Plastic wire sheath (optional)
Zip ties
Tools:
Socket wrench
10mm socket
E-12 (External Torx)
17mm socket
17mm combination wrench
Tiny slotted screwdriver (used to release factory wire harness zip ties and harness socket clips)
10mm allen key
Knife
Steps:
1. Disconnect battery. 10mm socket to remove battery bracket and negative terminal (see your Metris manual for specifics)
2. Disconnect seat wiring harness (Unclip the yellow and white connectors.) Release zip ties securing harness to seat frame.
3. Remove four external Torx E12 seat rail bolts. Remove seat.
4. Extend wiring harness as far as possible. (I removed the wire ties securing the harness to the chassis under the driver's seat)
5. Feed harness through the center hole in the swivel base. (I added plastic coil wire wrap for good measure)
6. Fasten the swivel adapter to the platform with the allen bolts (10mm allen key)
7. Fasten seat to the swivel base with 17mm bolts and locking nuts. (spin top plate ~45º from lower to access holes)
8. Reconnect seat wiring harness (I repositioned the white connectors with zip ties for additional wiring harness slack)
9. Reconnect battery.
Observations
The adapters seem well made. The seats feel stable and secure, especially when locked in the forward position. The additional stack height of the adapters is noticeable but not bad. Be careful with the wiring harness and connectors. There is not enough slack to start with. You need to create additional slack by disconnecting wire ties. Travois shipped quickly. I had them about one week after placing my order. Spinning the seats around to face backward really opens things up in the van. This modification is going to be great for camping!
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well ZdoubleDubs, I also have swivels from Travois I do not know how other swivels look like but the Travois kind/make, is absolutely perfect I did not read instruction so I had to do it twice
the first time I did not run the wires trough the center if you know what you are doing it should take max 15 minutes maybe 20 for both sides, I keep going every day to my Metris to turn the seats, sit back and enjoy the view Tomorrow we are going to Texas to see lots of Czech friends at a barn fire expecting about 600 from all over the world, now I can invite them to my Metris for coffee two at a time What a joy, Travois is the best, thank you Daniel for the joy.
@ Peter Thomsen, finally have the swivels
did not follow you instruction but because of that I am now expert I did have to do it 2x I did not run the wires trough the center the first time, and had to pay dealer Mercedes Benz in Westminster Colorado $168.00 to reset the computer,(it takes 3 minutes to reset, I did remember to disconnect battery but the seat belt icon came on anyhow than even the icon for the engine came on I have no idea why I would say warranty issue,...This is the passenger base. Just wanted to make sure I install them correctly. Picture look ok? Thanks
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I just got a passenger side swivel from Travois and installed it in a 2018 passenger van. I had the same experience with the "extra bit" which was satisfactorily fixed with washers. In addition, there was a spike in the bottom of each seat rail that apparently allows for easy alignment of the seat rails on the seat base. There is a corresponding alignment hole in the swivels, but the spike is longer than the distance between the two plates of the swivel, so I had to cut off 1/8-1/4" of the spike. Installation is actually pretty easy. If I had known about dealing with these alignment spikes and had enough 3/8 washers on hand when I started, it probably would have taken only an hour or so.
A couple overall comments on installation:
- As noted by others, the Allen key needed for the swivel bolts is 6 mm, not 10 mm.
- Inserting two 3/8 washers between the fore/aft seat rails and the top plate of the swivel at each of the 4 bolts seems to be a perfectly acceptable solution to dealing with the "extra bit"
- I had to cut off about 1/8" of the alignment spike on each seat rail to fit them onto the swivels. I have not seen anyone else mention this issue.
- It is a MUST that when threading the wire harness through the center hole that you pull EVERY tiny bit of extra wire you can out of the battery compartment. Otherwise, the wires might be stretched taut and damaged if the seat is ever shifted all the way forward. I pulled back the adhesive fabric on the top of the battery compartment and unhooked one ziptie hanger in order to get an extra inch.
- The wire that comes out of the battery compartment must go under the bottom plate of the swivel. There is no channel for it, so it's just smashed against the seat base when you bolt the swivel in place. I protected it with some plastic sheathing, and hopefully this is good enough.
- Tightening all the bolts requires awkward swiveling and moving the seat back and forth, but works fine with a 17 mm wrench and 6 mm allen key.
I received OKB swivels from travois a few weeks ago too and had a few issues.
1) The holes didn't line up. When 2 of the screws were installed, the other two were like this:
![18470]()
It wasn't far off, but enough that they couldn't all thread. The fix was easy enough, I drilled out all four holes by an extra MM, and that gave enough clearance for them all to fit. Okay, whatever, someone messed up when running the drill press or something.
2) The same assembly guide post and stiffener bar interference. I resolved this by machining some spacers and boosting the seat by an extra 1/4".
I sent an email to travois, to inform them of those issues, and they immediately came back telling me that the swivel bases were installed backwards. They clearly weren't, and not like that would matter for either issue. I sent them better pictures of the installation, and they never replied.
Issue 3: The things rattle a LOT.
Here's a video driving down a smooth residential road at 20mph. It was dark but just listen. The phone was being held on the driver armrest.
It's the loudest thing in the cabin. It only rattles when locked forward. If I unlock it and turn it a few degrees away, the rattling goes away. It's interference between some of the locking V bearings.
I asked Travois if that is normal, and they came back with two rebuttals "You modified the seat swivel, so who knows what happened." as well as "even stock MB swivels make noise."
Both of which, tbh, are BS. Not only did I not modify the seat base anyway, just added washers - stock MB swivels are NOT this rattley.
Does anyone else's OKB swivels rattle this much?
1) The holes didn't line up. When 2 of the screws were installed, the other two were like this:
It wasn't far off, but enough that they couldn't all thread. The fix was easy enough, I drilled out all four holes by an extra MM, and that gave enough clearance for them all to fit. Okay, whatever, someone messed up when running the drill press or something.
2) The same assembly guide post and stiffener bar interference. I resolved this by machining some spacers and boosting the seat by an extra 1/4".
I sent an email to travois, to inform them of those issues, and they immediately came back telling me that the swivel bases were installed backwards. They clearly weren't, and not like that would matter for either issue. I sent them better pictures of the installation, and they never replied.
Issue 3: The things rattle a LOT.
Here's a video driving down a smooth residential road at 20mph. It was dark but just listen. The phone was being held on the driver armrest.
It's the loudest thing in the cabin. It only rattles when locked forward. If I unlock it and turn it a few degrees away, the rattling goes away. It's interference between some of the locking V bearings.
I asked Travois if that is normal, and they came back with two rebuttals "You modified the seat swivel, so who knows what happened." as well as "even stock MB swivels make noise."
Both of which, tbh, are BS. Not only did I not modify the seat base anyway, just added washers - stock MB swivels are NOT this rattley.
Does anyone else's OKB swivels rattle this much?
I listened to your sound clip. I would find that unacceptable. Hard to know the root cause from your post. I gather that there are friction fit contacts that enguage when the seat is in the forward position. That would be the silver discs. Is the rattling coming from there being play in how the swivel does or does not fully lock tight in forward position?
Curious why they thought you had installed backward. Since they rotate can the base plate be rotated 180 during install and that somehow cause a mis alignment? Not doubting you, just curious since the rotate lock handle location seems to orient the swivel in an obvious way.
Are these swivels the same they have been selling the whole time or did they change manufacturers?
I want swivels in my new van, but have power seats. I have had one or two people tell me its not possible, but my desire for them makes me skeptical I would not install them if they rattle even slightly.
Curious why they thought you had installed backward. Since they rotate can the base plate be rotated 180 during install and that somehow cause a mis alignment? Not doubting you, just curious since the rotate lock handle location seems to orient the swivel in an obvious way.
Are these swivels the same they have been selling the whole time or did they change manufacturers?
I want swivels in my new van, but have power seats. I have had one or two people tell me its not possible, but my desire for them makes me skeptical
I would not install them if they rattle even slightly.
I suspect so, yes - but I haven't really looked into it enough.
In the picture I sent them, the seat was swiveled back, so the handle was on the outside. I thought it was pretty clear that the seat was swiveled, but they thought the handle on the outside meant they were inverted.
I think these new ones are different. Previously travois' site sold Scopema swivels, identifiable by a different handle design. The ones that they just got in were OKB brand.
Yeah i'm a bit miffed about this, although I think there are easy resolutions. One is just replacing them, although travois said it would be months until new ones are in stock. Also, this is on the condition that the new ones won't be just as noisy either.
The second is that the seats don't rattle as much if they're preloaded. When I push on the seat in pretty much any direction, the rattling stops, probably since whatever marginal contact is forced away or together. I could try to jam a magnet or wave washer between the plates, and retain it, such that there's always some preload on the plates.
Third is just making my own. I didn't think it was worth it before, but I have a machine shop and, now, the determination
I didnt recognize the brand. Good luck. Sounds like maybe they are knock offs or better priced ...
Not sure i'd make my own, but if you do please do it with the rest of us in mind
Not sure i'd make my own, but if you do please do it with the rest of us in mind
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