[TastsLikeChicken]

Because the cabrio has the seat mounted side impact air bags, can you still put on seat covers? Also, can anyone recommend some good seat covers?

I'm looking at the Wet Okole seat covers which are pretty cool: http://wetokole.net/page/WOH/PROD/MINIC/minispecf

Thanks,

Tim

[cafejane]

Quote: Originally Posted by TastsLikeChicken

Because the cabrio has the seat mounted side impact air bags, can you still put on seat covers? Also, can anyone recommend some good seat covers?

I'm looking at the Wet Okole seat covers which are pretty cool: http://wetokole.net/page/WOH/PROD/MINIC/minispecf

Thanks,

Tim

The problem is not the side impact air bags. All MINIs have them and the factory covers are made to accommodate them. The problem is the new weight sensor in the passenger seat. BMW will not sell a cover for this seat because they are worried it may somehow affect the sensor. Probably more of a legal issue than anything else.

Wet Okole does make covers for the cabrio's seats and some nice pics can be seen here: http://www.matarella.com/mark/

I am considering ordering these myself.

[rkw]

I am looking into seat covers for my cabrio (which is on order), at minimum for the back because we have a small child, but we might also want matching covers in front. One benefit is that they would be great for resale when they are taken off and the seats underneath look new.

MINI has a new seat airbag as of January (Click Here), and shortly afterwards MiniUSA issued a bulletin on seat covers (Click Here). It was a blanket statement that recommended against using any cover (including aftermarket) on a front seat for cars built starting in January. I suspect that the bulletin was largely a legal disclaimer because MINI cannot assure that an arbitrary seat cover will not interfere with the weight sensor.

I don't know the current state of affairs, but I know that Wet Okole claims full compatibility with airbags. Also I have a 2005 MINI accessories catalog from the dealer last week, and it lists seat covers available for front seats including the cabrio. One thing to note about MINI accessory seat covers is that the rear is available for the hardtop but not for the cabrio (must be a different fit).

I am leaning towards getting Wet Okole for the rear but I'm not sure about the front because I ordered heated front seats (which many people recommend for convertibles). Wet Okole covers are made of neoprene, which is a very effective heat insulator and may negate the benefit of heated seats. I just sent them an e-mail about it and I will post their reply here.

[rkw]

I've been reading postings on Usenet for Wet Okole (click here), and I have decided against it. Users report that Wet Okoles look great when new but fade and deteriorate quickly from UV even in hardtops (not to mention convertibles), and not durable compared to other materials. It seems that neoprene is not a great material for seat covers.

If anyone knows about other aftermarket seat covers for Mini, I'd like to hear about them.