Leather seat retro fit

[L12PUG]

Hi all

I'm thinking of retrofitting a set of leather seats into my 1999 D9 GLX.

Would i be able to fit electric ones or would I be able to change electric ones to manual by swapping bits from my current seats?

Cheers

[ally406]

I might also need an answer to this ;)

Can you convert an electric seat to manual by swapping sub frames? I hear getting the electrics working is a pain, and I'm not too fussed as I'm the only one that drives it. If you can't, how do you adjust the seat without electrics?

[L12PUG]

Hi

I am not an experienced person with this - my gut would say that it should be possible to change the frames but I can't say for sure.

Hopefully someone that knows what they are doing may provide some advice.......

I will have a look when I get home and see what may be involved in removing the frame and electrics.

I think i'd have done that if they'd have fit my D9.......electrics worry me.....

[waue1978]

I might also need an answer to this ;)

Can you convert an electric seat to manual by swapping sub frames? I hear getting the electrics working is a pain, and I'm not too fussed as I'm the only one that drives it. If you can't, how do you adjust the seat without electrics?

Nope - don't forget that the backrest is also electrically adjustable. You can swap the leather covers & cushions over onto a manually adjustable seat, but you can't really just swap subframes over. I know this from experience as I have the driver's seat from a left-hand-drive vehicle (cheers Steve Earwig ) which I planned to swap the subframe over on to create a height adjustable passenger seat. I still have the bare frame in my shed in case an SRi estate interior ever turns up again.



As far as fitting electric seats goes, the most simple solution is to source the seat switch & wiring from either a post 2000 GLX or any GTX or SE as these have electric adjustment, but no memory & only require a live feed & an earth. If you're lucky, you may even have the appropriate plugs for this already fitted in your car - look under the seats to see if there are any spare plugs cable-tied to the front corner of the seat - but you may also be unlucky like me & have a car that is prewired for precisely f**k all. Seeing that yours is a D8, you probably have no extra wires in there

[ally406]

Thanks, a most useful post! I don't have the wiring, as I've had the seats out already for cleaning and there was nothing apart from the pretensioner stuff. Bugger.

[L12PUG]

Well......at least we now know

[BEALEY]

you have the same idea as me ive got the same problem all im goin to do is strip the leather off the seats i have bought and fit it onto my seats lol. am goin to have to make holes for the adjuster cos the leathers don have em and as ive learnt french electrics are a pain in the ass lol thats why not bothering with electrics lol

[Dave107]

I am doing similar, but hoping there's enough plugs and sockets to make it work. Leathers from a 1999 mk2, going into my 2002 mk2 saloon.

Rear fitted easily enough, will be trying the passenger seat this weekend.

[waue1978]

You could end up with a potential MOT fail there. The 99 models generally didn't have seat airbags & your 2002 would have them fitted. By fitting seats without the airbags you'll bring up a warning light on the dash which from January next year is supposedly going to be an MOT fail.

It's not just going to be airbags - engine management lights etc could all end up failing MOT tests.

[puggy]

Whilst this subject is on the go , how easy is it to remove front electric
drivers seat from a 2000 glx non memory . After removing seat belt bolt
and the four seat bolts does it just lift out , what about the cables etc .

[Doggy]

Should have a whole bunch of plugs / sockets under the seat, arranged in a row a few inches back from the front edge of the cushion.

[steve_earwig]

The plugs are all different colours so there's not much chance of confusing them. Be careful how you lift it out, the sharp edges on the rails can make a right mess of the sill panels

[puggy]

cheers doggy , think one of the motor cables has pulled out or broke
so need to have a little look see

[puggy]

Thanks for the warning steve , hows the back coming along , any easier ??

[DiscoPol]

Whilst this subject is on the go , how easy is it to remove front electric
drivers seat from a 2000 glx non memory . After removing seat belt bolt
and the four seat bolts does it just lift out , what about the cables etc .

are the stains so bad under there now you have to remove the seat to crack them off the carpet?