Hi Folks,

Here's a different spin on the airbag light/aftermarket seat issue...
I don't know if this has been addressed yet. I did a search, but didn't find the answer that I was looking for.

I recently installed a set of '04 sport seats into my '05 MC after I found that the stock seats offer zero support during any sort of driving - spirited or not.

Now here's my problem. The '05 Mini's have a sensor in the front passenger seat to disable/enable the pasenger airbag. Since the '04 seat (or any aftermarke seat for that matter) doesn't have this sensor, I don't have anything to connect to this plug. So the airbag warning light is on, and the passenger airbag is disabled.

The 3ohm resistor trick only works on the '02-'04 Mini's since they only have one connector for each seat that you have to "trick."
The '05's have two connectors for the pasenger seat - one for the airbag, the other for the seat sensor.
So are there any cheap and dirt tricks to defeat the passenger seat pressure sensor for the airbag?


Here's what I see as my options. (In order of preference):

1. Resistor fix? I took an ohmmeter to the contacts of the passenger seat sensor, and couldn't see any difference in resistance with weight on and off the seat.

2. take the '05 seat apart to get the pressure sensor, then install that into the '04 sport seats after taking them apart. Reassemble everything.
(I've already tried this, but the latch/clips that BMW uses to hold the plastic trim pieces to the seats are a pain to undo) (Are there instructions on how to take the front seats apart?)

3. Live with the airbag light and disabled passenger airbag.

4. Cough up the money for '05 sport seats

Thanks!
Felix

 

I posted the same question above you and did not realize you had this up. I see that know one knows the answer to this question. I may make a few phone calls to a few of the performance shops that sell racing seats for the minis. Does anyone have racing seats in their 05 Mini's?

Garrett

 

Good question....Im doing my seats this weekend and wasnt aware there was an issue other than the airbag wire with the resistor trick. So you tried putting a resistor also in the sensor pad wiring as well?


I have 05' sport seats for sale.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=56760

 

looking for an update to this thread!

 

I have Sparco Evo2s in my 05 R53. I believe I was the first to achieve any solution to the passenger weight sensor problem (everyone else just suffered the idiot warning light) but my solution is not the one you seek: I installed the weight sensor in my race seat! It works perfectly of course, but I know of no resistor, or electronic circuit that has been made that replicates or dummies for the weight sensor circuit.
Sorry.

 

I was afraid of that, may just try my idea and see what happens.