Volkswagenist
My friend has a 2012 T5 and because of his weight finds the front seats uncomfortable on extended trips , has anyone addressed this with their own T5 . Many years back there were some suspension seats fitted to early Pajeros not sure it they would fit . Thanks in advance .
Volkswagen Fan
I've got lambswool cover on front seats which works well for heat / sweat etc.
My issue is the pedal - have started to get "gas pedal knee" - which is irritation of the patella cause my knee is slightly bent & hovering all the time.
Need to experiment with a cushion between door & seat to rest knee on.
(Sorry if I've gone off topic, but relates to comfort I guess)
Volkswagenist
Thanks for the reply as I am a retired motor trimmer I could do some mods but the VW seat cushion is not sprung its a solid steel base with moulded foam . Doesn't give much room for modifying , I thought maybe some others had sourced an alternative seat , if push comes to shove I am going to look into doing some sort of mod myself . Sheep skin does give a degree of extra cushioning but over time flattens out and negates the benefit .
Volkswagen Fan
In 1991 I bought a new T3 syncro, the seats were very average and my wife insisted on something better. We had Stratos 3000 seats fitted and they were excellent and still good when I sold it 3 months ago. Although about 5 years ago the drivers seat had to be repaired.
When I ordered the T5 in 2014 I ordered arm rests and lumber support. We were disappointed with their comfort. So went looking for seats..... Stratos don't make a mount for the Transporter but Recaro do. Even though the Stratos were cheaper I decided not to muck around building or having built a base and then getting it engineer approved so bit the bullet and had the Recaro seats fitted.
Went for about an hours drive after having them fitted and when we got home I said "well that was a waste of 5,000 dollars"!!!!
That is probably a bit harsh but in my opinion the improvement over the original seats is debatable. My wife thinks they are marginally better but I think there is very little difference. Just sitting in them in the shop unfortunately doesn't give any indication of what they are like after 2 hours driving. I think I will swap the original seat back at some stage to try and get a better idea of the differences.
Stratos do have a compact suspension seat. Light Commercial Vehicle Seats
Just my thoughts on the subject.
Bruce CQ
Volkswagenist
Yes I know what you mean the Recaro were the bees knees for a long time , but personally I never found them that good for a road car . Most were designed for performance so they held you in place more than most others . I also fitted and repaired and customised many during my trimming days .
Volkswagen Fan
[QUOTE=Sunny43.5;1224292]Yes I know what you mean the Recaro were the bees knees for a long time , but personally I never found them that good for a road car . Most were designed for performance so they held you in place more than most others .
The ones I have are the Specalist M 403 Forbidden Not so sculptured as those performance ones. Anyway they have a mount with a 3 hole adjustment front and back. They had installed them on the middle hole so I removed the allan key bolts and tilted the the front of the seat down. This allowed me to move the seat back a little and change my driving position which was a lot more comfortable. I drove from Brisbane to home, about 630 km, and arrived in a much better state than the trip down. I think the remaining "problems" are age related and nothing can be done about them.
Bruce CQ
Volkswagen Fan
Re: T5 Diver Seat Killing My Back ( something I wrote in VWT5Forum.co.uk )
VW never could make a decent seat, but this simple mod transforms the T5 seat back:
I have the captains seats with arm rests and lumbar control, and when I first got the van they were killing my back, so I opened the clasp across the bottom of the backrest part, and looking up inside with a torch there was a small rubber buffer block in there about 1cm across. This useless part can be screwed out and removed, making the seats a 100 times more comfortable because the seat will give more and adapt to the curve of your back. Since I removed these blocks from both front seats they have been wonderful.
Volkswagen Fan
All I can say is......OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!Originally Posted by BrianJ
But thanks for the info I will have a look......
Volkswagenist
My friends problem is more related to the cushion [the base ] if it was only the squab [backrest ] that would be easy to fix as I have done this with both of our T5,s already . I fitted a pump up lumbar support device inside each of the backrests , all I did was to unclip the cover where they join under the bottom of the frame . Then you can roll up the cover there are two rubber band tensioners that hold the cover inwards from the sides but they unclip easily . Then you fit the lumbar onto the springs with a couple of cable ties or fit it onto the front of the foam directly behind the cover , this is easier but not as effective . Then once in place feed the tube out and fit the pump bulb beside the drivers seat and reclip the cover and its done . Those supports come in a variety of chambers so you can have a small one or one which gives larger coverage . I find it works real good for me on long trips as I have a back that has from time to time been severely abused from my catamaran racing days . This the same one we have , I got mine from a local Motor Trimmer supplier .Automobile Inflatable Lumbar Support - Mac's Upholstery Seattle
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