Under seat tool kit access

Just taken delivery of a 2016 Symbol. The front seats have hinged plastic grilles for access to the tools under the passenger seat and the empty tray under the driver's. I can't work out how to open these, they are hinged at the bottom but there doesn't appear to be a catch at the top. The only way in seems to be brute force (and ignorance?), getting my fingers into the slots and pulling the whole lot out. Help!

I have a Nuevo with the same arrangement. On the driver's side I can get my fingers to the top catch, carefully, and release it enough to drop the hatch. 

It was similar on the passenger side but for some reason the catch was harder to get to. I have since loosened the screws and now the hatch keeps dropping down. One for my to do list. Now that the flap is down I still need to remove the carpet to get the very heavy tool kit out.

Hi and welcome to the forum from Brora.
Boaby

Your van would seem to be an X290 version and possibly the design has changed from the X250?

On my X250, the covers drop down quite easily using the inbuilt finger catch at the top of the panel, just pull the catch and the panel swings down on the lower hinge posts to reveal the tools (passenger side), or the habitation battery (driver's side). There is no force involved at all.

Spospe wrote:Your van would seem to be an X290 version and possibly the design has changed from the X250?

On my X250, the covers drop down quite easily using the inbuilt finger catch at the top of the panel, just pull the catch and the panel swings down on the lower hinge posts to reveal the tools (passenger side), or the habitation battery (driver's side). There is no force involved at all.

I think the robots building them may have changed.

My passenger flap was very difficult to drop and when I looked closer the screws holding the hinge didn't look right. Once i has straightened the screws the flap wont stay up. Hopefully i can get somewhere between the two extremes on the next adjustment.

I haven't touched the driver's side yet but that is on my list. No leisure battery, just an documents tray and a flap that could do with some adjustment.

Many thanks. If l push the seats right back l can get to the catches (just) and open them. Problem solved. Glad l joined this forum:hugegrins:

Missed this before
On mine I found (by luck) where the raised bit at the front is to pull the flap forward if you just push down (I use the palm) vertically both flats open easily no fingers get trapped and the seat can be in any position,
let me know how you get on
David

Thanks Heanorboy. Spent a long time this morning bashing my palms on the top of the grilles with no result. I think l'll have to stick to sliding the seats back, it's much better than pulling the whole thing off. Thanks for your suggestions, l'll keep trying when the swellings on my hands have gone down!

Until I read this thread, I always cursed those hinged covers under front of the the seat bases of my 2015 Nuevo.

Prompted by some comments, I slid back the passenger seat, and looked at the "catch" on the cover. It isn't a catch as such, but merely a piece of plastic which has tapered lugs which ride over the metal of the seat mounting. So I gently bent the plastic catch, upwards, to see if that made it easier to tug out the cover. It did. A bit more trial and error, and the covers now release with out much effort when I pull the "handle" of the catch. Did the same for driver's side.

It's a poor system, but at least the plastic is pilable enough to withstand some bending.

Cymro

I think the main issue is the flap isn't designed to work with the swivel base installed.

I could be wrong (often am) but it looks like they would normally clip easily under the seat base, but the swivel base means they end up just being forced over the top a bit crudely.  Works but not as nice as it should be.

Nice space under the drivers seat for EHU cable etc though.

Yes! It all makes sense now. Looking at the underseat l can see how it would work as intended without the swivel seat. Thanks for pointing that out Greyhound. I had intended keeping spare bulbs, warning triangle, breathalysers and hi-viz jackets under my seat but l think the javkets will jeed to go somewhere nearer to hand. Don't fancy having to struggle with those catches in an emergency. Problem solved, now - the reversing camers awaits....