Fixed my uncomfortable seats - maybe

[GDeschodt]

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this thread, but I just wanted to share my experiments. I hate the stock seats, the lumbar padding is way too big and killing me. The whole Replacement seats thing is tempting but my dealer won't help w/ the airbag lights and I cannot get a straight answer on resistor values or if that will disable the other airbags, invalidate the warranty etc... So.... Since I was gonna trash the seats anyway I decided to perform surgery. It's pretty easy - you keep your airbags - and it just might work out for you...

Now I don't recommend anybody try this or in any way risk their warranty or anything, just reporting what I did... The rear of the seat pops out like a tray table on an airplane, easy to pull out from the top. It pivots nicely like a tray table, really, once detached. The seat is pretty crummy looking inside :

http://members.rennlist.com/greg/Mini_before.jpg

You disconnect the upholstery clip from the cross bar, and then I simply took a knife to the raised areas (square nipples) and the band of foam in between. The knife is just to start the cut, I used my hands to rip foam out to make sure not to damage the upholstery. I took some out, sat in it, took out even more after trying the seat... I think it might be possible to take pretty much the bottom 1/2 out but then you'd have to replace it with a thin pad of foam or something so you don't feel the wire armature or so that the cloth does not look like saggy skin after a tummy tuck ;-) . The seats look just like stock once closed up, you can feel the gap with your hand (no more lumbar support) but your back cannot feel it, in fact it might just do the trick for me..

http://members.rennlist.com/greg/Mini_after.jpg

Your mileage may vary.... I still may put in Sparcos, but in the meantime I might have made the car less painful to drive 100 miles a day...

I am pretty ****ed off at my dealer, Firman of Tampa bay, for refusing to do the release/code/disconect of the seat airbags (if anything ANY manufacturer should give you that option, say for baby seats or something,) even with release - pretty funny considering other dealers do, and the John cooper works seats (sparco milanos reclothed) will require some sort of factory seat airbag disconnect as well !

[NEMINI]

kinda funny reading this, goes to show what a wide range of people own MINI's because while you are wishing for less lunbar support many others are clamboring for more.

[GDeschodt]

Can't imagine that ! ;-) Or maybe what they call lumbar is higher up and what I trimmed is the lower butt cushion that prevents my shoulders from touching the seat without making me arch my back....

anyway... I tested the "mod" today and it's so-so. Better, but not there yet. I'm going to unclip some of the seat support wires right where I want more "give" and see what happens. This is slowly but surely heading towards aftermarket !

[punkeyfunky]

Quote: Originally Posted by GDeschodt

[snip]
This is slowly but surely heading towards aftermarket !

Go on... you know you want to...

[GDeschodt]

Oh I do ! especially after seing your pictures ! Problem is my dealer flat out refuses to help with the airbag light - regardless of what MinuUsa says or does, nice eh? Since they'r ethe only one around, if I goof they won't help me and it'd suck driving 4h on a week day to get a light reset ! I cannot get any sort of confirmation on the resistor value - supposedly 3.9 ohms, unknown wattage, but I've seen different numbers from people who say they did it recently. I can't take the chance until I know for sure. $#%#$ local dealer ! I even emailed the guy who posted the DIY but no response. Of all the people who did this to their cars, what are the odds nobody will reply ! ;-(

[scooterboy]

Interesting - thanks for the pics and info. I'd actually like some lumbar support in my leatherette sport seats. Perhaps it will be a winter project...

[andyupnorth]

I hear what your saying about the dealers but they just won't disconnect airbags for fear of legal comeback. Even if they got you to sign a release and there was an accident you could still come back and make a case for legal action - that's what they are afraid of. Especially in the US where a good lawyer could easily make a case for their negligence.

[punkeyfunky]

Quote: Originally Posted by GDeschodt

Oh I do ! especially after seing your pictures ! Problem is my dealer flat out refuses to help with the airbag light - regardless of what MinuUsa says or does, nice eh? Since they'r ethe only one around, if I goof they won't help me and it'd suck driving 4h on a week day to get a light reset ! I cannot get any sort of confirmation on the resistor value - supposedly 3.9 ohms, unknown wattage, but I've seen different numbers from people who say they did it recently. I can't take the chance until I know for sure. $#%#$ local dealer ! I even emailed the guy who posted the DIY but no response. Of all the people who did this to their cars, what are the odds nobody will reply ! ;-(

I got the same attitude from my dealer to start with. I went back to BMW UK, and rocked the boat with their customer services. I made a point that I certainly wouldn't consider upgrading to a BMW 3 or 5 series if they couldn't help me out...
I got my own way - it took me a long time and cost me for the work, but the side airbags are disabled. My airbag light is still on (since March when I tried the resistor thing, and it failed), but that should be sorted out tomorow on the cars 8th dealer visit.... (I get a loaner from them this time, a BMW something)

Good luck.

Lee

[GBMINI]

According to "MINI Complete" the side airbag module has a two pin connector ... you can see the wire going to it in your before and after pics.
So it seems to me that with the car turned off, you should be able to disconnect and measure the resistance of the airbag, then match it.
BUT: to take the measurement, great skill and knowledge of electronics might be needed - you DO NOT want to just connect a voltmeter to the airbag, in case the battery in the meter triggers it