How to Remove the 3rd Row Seats in a Volkswagen Routan

In this post I'll explain how to take out all of the back seats in a Routan (both second- and third-row), as well as a few options I considered that involved leaving the third-row seats in.

This video, from a man who calls himself Minivan Mike shows you how: How to Remove Rear Stow and Go Seats From Your Caravan. As we know, the Volkswagen Routan shares features with the Dodge Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country--some features, but not all. 

I used the exact steps Minivan Mike uses in the above video to remove the third-row seats from my 2010 Volkswagen Routan, down to the exact socket sizes (7/16 and 5/8).

My Thought Process

I knew I was going to take out the second-row seats in my Routan, but I waffled on the third-row seats for a few days. 

Option 1: Leave the 3rd Row Seats In

Removing the third row seats would open up the storage well that the seats fold down into, but it would also complicate my bed build. I'm no master carpenter, or even a weekend dabbler in the building arts. In fact, I was considering a "no-build minivan build" as a temporary way to try van camping without much of an investment. (Here's the Bob Wells video on how to do that.) 

I think it would be easier to balance a cot's legs with the third-row seats folded down. However, I decided I would rather look at a plywood bed. 

By the way, the floor in the back of a VW Routan is exceptionally uneven, whether you take the third-row seats out or leave them in.

Option 2: Use One of the 3rd Row Seats

Here's another option I considered: Fold one of the rear seats down and leave the other one up. This would give me a comfortable place to sit back there and give me a little extra storage. 

Bob Wells has a video called How to Build a Bed in a Minivan. I mention it here because the van in question is a 2015 Chrysler Town & Country. While the second-row seats in that van are different from what I have in my VW Routan, the third-row seats are the same. The video shows you what it would be like to camp with one seat down and one seat up.

Option 3: Take Out the 3rd Row Seats

In the end I didn't want to give up the extra storage so I decided to yank out the seats. 

How to Remove the 2nd Row Seats in a Volkswagen Routan

Taking out the second-row captain's chairs was easier--no tools required. 

This is where the Routan's design veers away from the Caravan and Town & Country minivans. Those vans have STOW 'N GO (R) seats; the Routan does not. Routan owners do still get a nifty set of storage wells behind the driver's and passenger's seats, though.

To figure out how to remove the second-row seats in the Routan, I tried to read these instructions, but they didn't click for me.

But once I figured out that there is a lever bar on the under-side of the seats, it was easy. You fold and flip the seats forward as far as they'll go; they'll lean against the back of the front seats. Find the black lever bar underneath each chair and press it. This will release the hooks that hold the seat to the floor. 

From there, you can pick the seat up and do what you want. The second-row chairs have rollers underneath. 

How I Got Rid of My Minivan Seats

I didn't want to store the seats, so I got rid of them. I put them on Craigslist under "Free Stuff" and they were spoken for within minutes. I'm assuming they were taken apart for scrap metal.

I wondered later if I should have tried to sell them, but a family had owned the van before I did and there were soda (or blood?) stains.