I've had my new MINI one week and my back is aching and inflamed. My love affair is growing cold fast. I've had to switch cars with my husband. Has anyone else experienced pain from the seats? I have a 07 MINI sports seats in leatherette two toned. The Healthy Back store guy says he sees alot of MINI ownwers. The back support I bought from him made it worse. I sure don't want to go back to driving my mini van that is still in the driveway. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

Try different seat positions until you find one that supports your back the best.

I've been dealing with back pain all my adult life. I don't have any problems with the MINIs' seats if adjusted properly for ME.

Now polishing them and waxing them and constantly QD'ing them, that's another story. :impatient

 

Yes it adjusts many ways I too get pain if not adjusted just right . After taking it in for repairs they screwed my seat up and it took weeks to find my sweet spot again .Jacking it up as high as it goes helps me so my legs are not strait out .Its hard to see around the mirror though .

 

I have to say the seats on my MINI have been extremely comfortable; I also have the lounge leather.
I just got back from a 3 hour trip w/o any problems, so perhaps follow up the advise to play with the seat adjustments.

The other thought is perhaps your tire/wheel set up...what are you running?
I have talked to several people w/ run flats complaining from back pain, but of course it all depnds of how bad the roads maybe in your area.

Hope you find the "sweet spot"..

 

Yep! Play with the seat adjustments.

I wiped out on a jet ski a few years ago at about 60MPH. I skipped across the water on my back about the length of half a football field, so I'm told. My lower back has never been the same.

I've had the Mini about six weeks now. I just finally got the seat so that my back is happy. I only wish I had automatic seat adjust with the memory in the key. I guess we can't have it all.

 

Also, don't forget that the steering wheel adjusts quite a lot. Be sure to play around with that as well as adjusting the seat.

 

I too suffer from back pain, I've got 3 ruptured and another that is bulging....sucks to be me....anyways seat comfort is a major issue for me and I've managed to find the "sweet spot" after a week or two messing with it...I make sure to leave a note in the car during repairs stating the seat is broken and not to even try and move it or pay to have it repaired...soo far no one has touched it Before I got my Mini I was a VW person and I had many issues with their seats, so much so that I spent big money on a set of Recaro A8 seats...they are soo sweet, you don't even have to try and stay in the seat, they just hold you snug...anyways I just need to buy the brackets to install them and possibly as set of Schroth harnesses......Keep playing with your adjustments, I'm sure you can find your "sweet spot".....good luck!!!!

 

My average commute is only 15 minutes, but I have gone as long as 1 hr at a time in the car, and have not noticed any back fatigue or pain

 

For me the key to back comfort is adjustable lumbar support (and I'm assuming the vinyl seats still don't come with that option, forgive me if I'm wrong)- I've also found out the hard way in another car I had to sell due to that :(

Sorry to hear about your discomfort, I'd return to the Healthy Back Store and request a replacement for the item you purchased if it is not helping and ask for more assistance, after all that is supposed to be what they specialize in.

Best of luck, you have my sympathy as I know back pain can ruin the whole thing

 

I've had back problems for years, and also have the leatherette interior. My one regret is that I didn't get the cloth instead of the leatherette -- I think it would have been a more cushioned ride. The leatherette makes for a very firm seat. Add that to a firm ride (especially with the sport suspension), and a few bumps in the road, and there's a significant amount of shock shooting up the ol' spine. While I haven't experienced serious pain, I have noticed some discomfort compared to my previous car, especially over bumps. I'm hoping that the seat will break in after a few thousand miles. I've owned many cars and sometimes (repeat, sometimes) the seats that are least comfortable at the beginning are most comfortable over the long run. Let's hope that's the case with the Mini!

 

Also, if you have heated seats, use them as a heating pad. With the back pain I have, I wish I had the heated seats like those in my wife's Cooper.

Before we bought her Cooper, she always hated the ride of my MCS. So we ordered her Cooper with the regular suspension, 15"wheels, and regular tires. The difference between the ride of our two MINI's is incredible. Mine is so incredibly stiff and her's is quite plush.

 

PS: You might want to look for/keep your eye out for an available leather interior and seats with the adjustable lumbar - sometimes people do sell seats, and I imagine interiors can be had from totalled cars.

 

Your back will adjust to the seats. Like others above have said, play with your seat adjustments, and lumbar adjustment if you can.

I've got a five inch scar on my lower back from surgery many years ago, so I've BTDT. For the first couple weeks, I couldn't get comfy at all. I played with the seat height adjustment, and did the trick. My back got used to the seats, and I can drive all day in them.

Now, if I drive my wife's car for any length of time, my back gets sore, instead!

 

Wish that worked for me, but we had to sell a car whose seat aggravated my back on longer drives no matter what. I'll never buy another car without adustable lumbar again if I can help it.

 

I am a newbie here but from what I was told on the seats - ONLY leather have the lumbar adj????

 

what tire size are you using?.. are they runflats?

 

I just had a lumbar laminectomy in May and I have to say that these seats when adjusted properly have made riding great again. I drove 4 hours each way to the Richmond race with the same seat you have and I didnt have the first bit of back aggravation. The key is to really spend some time figuring it out, not when you are getting ready to go somewhere, but spending some time in the driveway adjusting it in all directions, up, down, forward, back as well as the back angle.

I hope you are able to find the adjustment that is right for you.

 

If both you and your husband are finding the seats uncomfortable it probably is just finding the right adjustments for you and for him. On long trips I adjust the lumbar support occassionaly to change my back posture. The change seems to help me.

I hope you find a comfortable setting - it would be a shame to miss out on the fun of the Mini!

 

Amen to that. Anyone that suffers from muscle spasms will attest that sitting in a cold car with cold seats will tighten those muscles right up. I keep the garage heated to about 50 degrees in the winter and turn on the heated seats as soon as I get in the car. Works wonders for keeping those muscles loose.

 

I hate back pain!!! Had an injury from the gym 5 yrs ago, ans its hurts all the time. And I'm a dancer, or was. Had to sell my last car ....had to just about drive, standing up. I bought my MINI with seats being # 1 priority. They are not perfect, and some days are better than others. For me, I have to adjust the seat bottom up, and I also need to sit up fairly straight.....but the bottom cushion is, unfortunately lower toward the tailbone, and I need it to be lower under my knees, and higher under the tail bone. I use a small wedge, that I cut short to fill in the seat bottom under my tail bone. I adjust the seat back only slightly back. One problem with the back cushion, is that it curls...and the head rest is angled, so my head is pushed forward by the head rest.... In the past, i have turned around the head rests, so they don't push, but the lounge leather head rests are so large, and don't seem to slip off. The lumbar support is great....but then the upper back is forced to curl foward...it sucks. I see most guys put the seat back way back, in a slumped position, and their chins are just about resting on their chests.....this kills me. I need the exact opposite...to protect the curve in my lower back., and have my head straight on my shoulders. The best I can do is angle the seat back just a little, and raise my tail bone up slightly. If I use any more cushions than that I'm no longer in the seat. Some folks are replacing the seats....how you know which ones of those would work for you is a mystery to me. Don't know if this is helpful...but I hope something in it is. Sitting is not my friend!!

 

I'd suggest working with a chiropractor rather than the person from the Healthy Back Store. A chiropractor may be outside of mainstream medicine but at least most of them actually have medical training.

You might also consider a local sports medicine doctor. They may be able to address your pain better than a "regular" doctor.

I wish you were here in So. California so that I could recommend my chiropractor to you (Dr. Brenda Morales). She's been doing some wonderful things for my wife and I.

 

Thanks to all. My husband may not give it back to me after his week of fun! I've gotten a wedge to sit on and a lumbar pad support to try, as well as, keep adjusting the seat and steering position. I am also considering wool seat covers. The tailor made Supervest from Superlamb looks like it would be good for cushioning. I appreciate all the input! Hope to be back Motorin' soon.

 

An auto upholstry place can do wonders with reconfiguring the seats...I considered doing it to my last vehicle and was quotes about $600 for both seats. It included adding lumbar support and raising the back of the bottom cushion...and they would do it according to my personal needs...less expensive than a new car!

 

Have owned a Mini S for one week today. My back is killing me. I have the leatherette seats. Do the lounge leather make a big difference?

 

The leather seats make a difference in that they have adjustable lumbar support. I'm not impressed with support from the standard seats, the sports seats, particularly with lumbar adjustment work great for me. I have lots of back problems, but never have a problem with the MINIs (with adjustable sport seats).