UPDATED June, 2017: The hinge kit is still a great fix, but apparently, it doesn't hold up as well as the original from the seat. I bought this for two seats back in 2014. It has been installed less than 3 years, and one has failed. The seat usage has not changed, and the original lasted at least 5 years. The second replaced one, very lightly used, is still OK. The third seat in the house - ironically the heaviest used, by kids and young adults, yet - is still fine on the original hinge. I suppose it is luck of the draw. I'm ordering yet another replacement, but frankly hoped for better wear. Ideally they would sell just the damper parts. The hinges themselves tend to be fine, so paying $19-20 to get two little plastic pieces is absurd. _________________________________________________________________________________ ORIGINAL REVIEW July, 2014: This hinge kit is perfect if you have a Kohler Elongated, Quiet Close, Quick Release toilet seat, such as a Cachet, and it is no longer closing slowly. It is the 1150464. It comes in several colors, identified by a dash and two position number as a suffix. Example: 1150464-96 for Biscuit. Here is a link to the Kohler webpage for a basic diagram on what the parts look like, and for color choices: http://www.us.kohler.com/us/EB-HINGE-KIT/productDetail/Service-Parts/622252.htm As others have mentioned, the problem is not with the hinge itself, but the dampers that control the closure. Kohler does advertise the dampers on their website, but the price was about the same as the whole hinge kit on Amazon. Plus, this is a toilet, so as long as you are replacing the dampers, replacing the hinge assembly will help you clean up all the gunk that gets lodged under it. My seats are the Kohler color “biscuit.” The hinge kit matches perfectly, and replacing the old dampers immediately fixes the seat closure issue. Like others, my instructions were not accurate. The paperwork that came with each of my three hinge kits was for damper replacement, as if hinge assembly wasn’t even in the kit. You can pretty much figure out how to install these, but just so you don’t need to….see below. I have added an asterisk (*) on the steps that the kit paperwork leaves out. This centers around the dampers. Kohler’s paperwork tells you to look for an L and R stamped on them, as they are not interchangeable. Forget it, there is no such stamp. I cover this below. You will need a flathead screwdriver and needle-nose pliers. 1. Open the plastic covers on the seat bolts. 2. Pull the entire seat forward; if it is a Quick-Release seat it should unclip from the hinge mounts and come off in one piece. 3. Turn over the seat, and use a flathead screwdriver to pry off the white (sometimes gray) damper cover. 4. Using needle-nose pliers. Pull each damper inward toward the center of the assembly. This will release the hinge from the seat. 5. When you are ready to install the new dampers, line up the hinge assembly with the seat. You will be sliding the dampers in from the inside toward the outside of the hinge. 6. * Insert the left damper (has a black end) in the side of the hinge marked L. 7. * Insert the right damper (all one color; off-white) in the side of the hinge marked R. 8. * In some sets, both dampers appear white, but if you look closely you will see the left one has a bluish tint to it (as it had a black end covered in a white plastic). 9. * Once both dampers have fit into their slots, they will “lock” into the hinge. You do not need to force them. If at first they do not go in, just keep sliding them in and out and they will eventually seat themselves. 10. Reinstall the white or gray cover which just snaps onto the hinge kit. 11. * If you prefer to use all fresh parts, before putting the seat back on, first change the black hinge mounts that connect to the toilet seat bolts. Two are included in the hinge kit. This is the black piece on the bolt onto which the hinge latches. If you replace these two parts, you will need to remove the seat bolts first from the toilet as the hinge mounts slide onto the bolts. 12. Push the seat back into place, and the hinges will grab the black hinge mounts on the bolt. Close the plastic covers onto the hinge and you are done. The dampers work great. I think they are quite overpriced and that for a $60-$80 seat they probably should last longer. Two of my three failed, and that was after about 4 years. That is more commentary on the seat quality though. The instructions do not match the product, which is not typical of Kohler. As far as a replacement part, these work fine. I can’t give them a perfect 5, due to the failure of the original part (which is the same damper product), and I suppose you could rate them a 4, but the instructions are so awful, I rated it 3.
