Body/Trim: 70: Seat-Integrated Dog Guard - Installation/Removal Instruction

[leerowden]

Rear Seat-Integrated Dog Guard/Load Cover - Installation/Removal Instructions

I have recently purchased a pair of 2nd hand dog-guards/rear load covers from eBay. The type that fit into the fold-down flaps of the rear seats and pull-out/retract, made from half cargo mesh and half nylon. They can be used as a dog guard/load guard (to protect against heavy breaking with a boot-load of gear) if pulled out and attached to the roof-mounting points behind the rear head rests on the roof. Or they can be fully extended and used as a rear load cover if attached to the mounting points on the tail arch trim.

I impulse-bought them as I saw them on eBay and couldn't turn down the price, this was before I'd even checked in my V70 to see how they were installed. After searching on this forum and others on the web, I found no conclusive way of putting them into the back seats. Some people were saying they'd broken them when attempting, others were saying that they has no clue how to put them in after removing all their rear seat trim. I knew I'd have to remove some trim but figured that It wouldn't be too hard of a job! So for anyone out there baffled about how to install or remove these type of dog-guards, heres a step-by-step guide of how to complete this very easy to do job, all you need is a screwdriver with one type of torx head or a drill with a replacement plastic rivet (depending if someones been there before you or not).

1. [IMG_2379] Get yourself a pair of Dog Guard/Load Covers. They come in two parts for the two different seat sections. The longer of which has a telescopic pole which pulls out and allows the other to clip over the top of the pole. I found mine on eBay but they also pop up on here or on various V70s/V70XCs/850s that are being broken for parts. Most people don't even realise that they're hidden in the compartments in the back of the seats!

2. [IMG_2383/IMG_2385] Fold down the smaller section (the part without the middle child seat/arm rest integration) of your rear seat and you will notice at the end of the plastic trim there are two Torx screws. Well, mine had two torx screws at least, but I'm certain these weren't factory fitted, more likely they just used plastic rivets like the rest of the interior trim. But maybe someone had been here before me as it looks like a thread had been drilled to allow the screws to be installed. Who knows for certain? Either way, remove these by unscrewing the screws or drilling out the plastic rivets with a fine drill head (sounds drastic, but its not too bad - you could always try and prise the rivets out but this might crack the plastic surround).

3. [IMG_2389] Remove the end cap and you'll see where the cargo/nylon dog reel slides perfectly in. First though, I got a duster on a stick and ran that through the tube a few times to get out all of the dust and crud that had worked its way in there over the years.

4. [IMG_2391] Slide the unit into the back of the seats with the tab used for pulling the dog guard/load cover out facing towards the opening hinge (this stays outside of the hinge). Notice there is a slightly moulded metal plate facing towards the picture at the bottom, this should fit snugly around the circular interior and hold in place to enable the spring-mechanism to retract the cover back into the seats. So to enable this to work effectively, before slotting this into position rotate the wheel between 2-4 times depending on the age/usage of your dog guard/load cover. You might not feel much tension but this is important, if you wind it until its really tight, you risk the cover not being able to fully reel out and/or snapping the mechanism inside. If its too slack the cover will not have enough tension to retract back into the seats. Its trial and error so give it a few shots. My net was brand new and had never been used to I only rotated it twice, this seemed to be the right amount of tension for it to retract easily into the back of the seats again.

5. Reattach the end cap trim.

6. [IMG_2395] Now for the larger section of the rear seats (the part with the middle child seat/arm rest integration). This is the same as before, but I didn't remove my middle headrest out of simplicity. The end cap here is attached to the headrest holder, so I just left it hanging - Don't try and do this without extending the headrest or taking it off completely as you might try yanking off the end cap and snapping the trim.

7. [IMG_2396/IMG_2399] Same procedure as before - Give it a dust/slide it into the compartments/adjust tension/replace end cap trim.

8. Now you will need the roof-mounting points to attach the dog guard to. These are incredibly hard to find but you will find them on V70XCs and 850s. I got mine from a V70XC that was being broken and they're actually the mounting points for the Metal Hydraulic Dog Guard that folds away up to the roof, but they work in exactly the same way. These attach in the recesses in the roof located behind the rear headrests. I do know of some models that had the same mounting points behind driver and passenger headrests for use when the seats are all folded down. But mine doesn't have these, or at least the threads to attach them are hidden behind the interior roof trim. Just attach the mounting points with a bolt and its all done.

9. Job Done.


I realise this is an incredibly easy installation, I was just starting to wonder by all of the horror stories I read online about failed installations as to wether this was worth it. But it totally is, only taking around 10 minutes.

I hope I have helped a few people out who are attempting this.

[brickman]

Useful guide! But not sure they are a rare part? Every mk1 V70 I've seen has them. My older dog squeezes through the middle of them and flops down into the backseat, so had to get a metal fold down from the roof (load guard).

[SteveSarre]

Hi Lee

Thanks for this.

I had just been puzzling this morning over some rear seats that I had saved from a V70 classic, and when I opened the flaps, there were no cargo nets inside! But everything else is present, so now I know how I could switch the nets over to these seats if I wanted.

Steve

[byootox]

Originally Posted by brickman

Useful guide! But not sure they are a rare part? Every mk1 V70 I've seen has them. My older dog squeezes through the middle of them and flops down into the backseat, so had to get a metal fold down from the roof (load guard).

You must have seen the luxury models lol, everyone I've seen doesn't have them :-D

[SARACEN83]

Thanks for the help

I was wondering for a while how to swap over a good set for a bad set from my donor car

[Zombie Hunter]

Guess I was luckier. Bought the two cargo nets already in the casings. Honestly thought that's how they came. Installation was simply drop the back seats to give you the room to slide the casings onto the four mounting points on the back of the seats, then lift seats back up. Hooking nets up was same method though. Fit larger one in, extending bar to fit in both roof mounts, then hook smaller net on.

Now just to figure out how to get the stupid metal guard in, as that is defying logic, even though came from same car as mine lol