How to remove a soft close lid and seat where no visible button or bolt?

[Burnsie]

That is a weld line so no it won’t slide apart.
Quite simply two and only two possibilities:
1) grub screws at the back of the hinges
2) it just pulls off vertically

Nothing else.

Note the pulling off type can require extreme force after a few years, eat a can of spinach and get on with it.

These are the fittings - one attached, one off - what do I need on the back of the detached one to re-attach? Thanks again for your help!

 

[Aire]

You'll have to take the toilet out to get the fixing that fell in Or order a new fixing kit
Is it a villeroy and boch toilet?

 

[Aire]

You actually had no need to remove the toilet seat as you could have tightened it up in place.
If it's not soft closing though you may need a new seat all together.

 

[Ben-gee]

I thought you had a new seat and were trying to remove the old one.
Get a new seat and it’ll come with all fixings required.

 

[Burnsie]

You actually had no need to remove the toilet seat as you could have tightened it up in place.
If it's not soft closing though you may need a new seat all together.

Hi - it’s loose and not soft closing. There was nothing to tighten up without removing the seat - no nuts or Allen key holes. It needs a new fixing or well nut and that should sort the looseness. I can live without the soft close for now, but thanks for your reply.

 

[Burnsie]

I thought you had a new seat and were trying to remove the old one.
Get a new seat and it’ll come with all fixings required.

Just looking to tighten existing seat - thanks for your reply.

 

[Aire]

Hi - it’s loose and not soft closing. There was nothing to tighten up without removing the seat - no nuts or Allen key holes. It needs a new fixing or well nut and that should sort the looseness. I can live without the soft close for now, but thanks for your reply.

Half way down the fixing bolt is a little square slot. Your seat would have been supplied with a small thin spanner to slot into this. All that you needed to was tighten it up from there.

 

[Aire]

If You do need new fixings, then you either need these
Villeroy & Boch Zip Toggles for Joyce toilet 9224.04.00
Or these?
www.bathroomspareparts.co.uk/villeroy--boch-omnia-architectura-replacement-hinge-set-for-soft-close-seat-92241761-34707-p.asp

I am assuming it's a v and b seat. It look very similar if it isn't.

 

[rpm]

Take a hacksaw to it and start again.

 

[AgroKK]

I registered an account just to pass on my thanks for the information found in this thread, and to add some information I found with my own toilet seat.
Mine was a Laufen Pro fitted in (circa) 2007. The seat was listed as "soft close" which, at the time, was somewhat new to toilet seats. I didn't give much regard to how it fitted and let my professional plumber do it. I remember reading the instructions at the time (before they were thrown out) and they said the seat needed to be in a particular angle before it could be lowered into place. This would be the same in reverse were it to be taken off. The angle I discovered later is "flat" as in it is how the seat would be were it in the closed position. This is really obvious when you buy a new one but completely obscured the moment you move the seat.

Like @Ben-gee said, giving it a bit of extra force is the only way to really get it out after a few years. In my case it had been 15 years, but yes, a strong tug was enough to free one side. The other side wasn't budging so easily but one ear-piercingly loud CRACK later and I had the seat in a few more easily managed sections!

TLDR Advice to the next person who finds this thread; use brute force and have a replacement loo seat (and fitting) to hand.

(quick edit) for me at least the fitting pegs were unwound with an 11mm straight edged spanner on the top and, even though they are square nuts underneath, a 12mm circular spanner was perfect to capture the nut.