Lumbar Support & Seat Comfort

[monomatica]

Hello!

I just brought home my 2012 MINI Cooper S hardtop yesterday. It's got the Sports Package & Technology Package. I love it, but am having problems getting my seat comfortable. I had some back pain yesterday driving it around.

I have the Leatherette Sport Seats. Do these come with the Adjustable Lumbar Support? I can't find it and also can't seem to get the height and seat back to feel right.

I did read older Lumbar threads and saw that people are installing additional seat covers. Is there any way to adjust it without the added expense?

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks!

[Angib]

The test of whether you have adjustable lumbar support is whether there is a handwheel on the inside face of the backrest, halfway up. With non-leather seats, it is unlikely you have the adjuster.

As far as I can tell, on the plain sports seats Mini left out not only the lumbar support adjustment but also any lumbar support - it looks like they just left a gaping hole where the lumbar support is fitted in leather seats.

You can try adding extra lumbar support to the front of the backrest, although I couldn't see any easy way to do that (and I have cloth seats which are easier to adapt). The long-term solution is to add the lumbar support adjuster that Mini left off. This sounds difficult but it isn't. It's an easy do-it-yourself job, taking maybe one hour per seat, if you are used to doing things like this and have at least a modest tool kit. If not, a couple of people in the US have taken my instructions and got their dealer to fit the adjuster, for a fairly modest cost.

The instructions are attached in two parts, as the whole thing is too big as one attachment.

The one revision since these were written is that you probably have a leatherette rear panel to the backrest and not the plastic panel shown in the instructions - as far as I can see, this makes it easier for you.

What is harder for you is the ongoing guilt about all those cuddly little leatherettes that were slaughtered to make your seat covers... I'm glad my conscience is clear, as we get cloth seats woven from the fleeces of polyester sheep.

Some US discussion of this modification is at http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...orts-seat.html

[monomatica]

Ha ha, you're funny. I have the Leatherette Sports Seats and there's a hole where the Lumbar knob should be. I have a call into the dealer to see if I paid for Lumbar support, but it was somehow left out.

In the meantime, I'll read your PDFs and see what can be done. It's too bad because it's such a great, fun, zippy car. But my back is not happy!

Thank you!

[Angib]

Quote: Originally Posted by monomatica (original)

and there's a hole where the Lumbar knob should be.

That is very odd. A hole suggests that there was a lumbar adjuster there once, but as I understand it, Merkan leatherette seats (like Yurpeen cloth-only seats) never have an adjuster.

It is possible that if the adjuster knob was pulled off, the adjuster mechanism could be pushed inside the backrest, but on a new car that seems very unlikely.

But, hey, at least there's a hole there, waiting to get the adjuster put in it.

[Pops Racer]

I am waiting for my third coop. A cab S Pepper White with a black cockpit and a redwood steering wheel and gear sleeve. Sorry I have to mention her, they say she's at South Hampton, waiting to board. I am just in love with this combo, no more black!
So I'll bet BMW in their infinite cheapness, did not put anything in that hole! I would not be surprised if they put holes in every seat they make just in case. They also suggest that we change our oil at 32,000 now no? Oh it's more like 12k? (I do mine at 5k) But I digress, this is about the lumbar. At least they gave us foot room and an openairometer??
I am an upholsterer, and also have the leatherette seats, If my back "acts up", I'll attach a bib like holder that hooks onto my headrest, and contains a pocket at the lumbar, to hold a squishy that I can buy from tardget, or another mega chain. Also available from some sports supply houses, like Sports Basement, wonder if they're on line? I like the seat repair, and the attached files for fixing the built in lumbar. But I've never been that mechanical, I might end up with exxtra pieces, like the seat! i think it's a great way to fix those things, wish I had the wheel to adjust my lumbar, but we only spent soo much. My car is due?? Maybe I can make 2?? drive it while it runs!

[cfondse]

I have a 2011 Countryman which I LOVE. It is great fun and fits my hobby of Mountain Biking very well .

I have owned the Mini for 7 months and put nearly 16,000 miles. I have had to replace the lumbar support 2 times and now it is broken again. They will have an engineer look into it in two weeks, when he is here in town.

The support is adjustable and works very well when it works. the internal mechanism is made of plastic and breaks at two points in the middle. It appears to me that it is a design/manufacturing flaw. I am told I am the only one who has experienced this. I think that others do not know it is broken when it is. I drove the first time for weeks, wondering why my back was hurting. I then noticed the wheel that tightens it had no tension to it.

When it broke the second time, i pulled the back of the seat off so I could see it. This third break is in the same spot as the second break.

Conclusion: they work well when they work, but are totally unreliable. Mini needs to address this. I hope they will but am not holding my breath.