Are the optional " Sport" seats that are available in Europe available to buy anywhere in the USA ?
Will they install into a US version without any complications ?

Thanks !!

 

They are cool seats. But... I am fairly sure they do not have airbags in them. So, your Airbag warning light will always be on, and you'll never pass inspection because of it. Now, if you could find a dealer who would turn off that "feature" you'd be all set, but for liability reasons, I doubt anyone would do that.

Has anyone in the US installed no-airbag seats and managed to get the warming lights reset? I would love the sport seats for my next MINI too!

 

A couple of vendors are http://minigenuineparts.co.uk/ and http://genuineminiparts.co.uk/.

Look here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...cw-recaro.html

 

If you buy the factory JCW Recaro seats from Europe, they do have the side air bags and are a plug and play setup EXCEPT for one small thing, they will not have the pressure mat in the seat for the passenger airbag. Two ways around this 1) get a resistor and install it in the plug so the circut is complete and you won't get a light in dash, or 2) transfer the mat out of your original seat into the seat cushion of the JCW passenger seat, plug it in and away you go. Cost for the JCW Recaro seats are about 3400.00 shipped for the leather and 3650.00 for the alcantra.this price is for the front pair.

 

The resistor trick works for the missing airbag in aftermarket seats, but I haven't seen anybody have success with bypassing the sensor mat, besides actually plugging in a mat.

 

Though I will confirm this tomorrow when I install my seats, I believe that the information about needing the weight sensor is incorrect.

I say that because I checked with Kris (M3This). I was told he had to find a resistor for his seats.

Though that part is true (needing a resistor) the difference was that he bought Recaro seats, not JCW Recaro seats.

Before I ordered mine last week, I checked with the Euro Mini dealer and they told me that it was definitely plug and play.

Tomorrow morning, I'm installing my seats so I'll confirm or deny this.

Mark

 

Mark,

Please take and post lots of pics. And what is the deal with getting the wing from a Challenge car? Is that something we can get some how some way??

 

I've got a few sources that supposedly I'm able to order Challenge parts, I haven't verified anything yet but if it comes to it, I'll check into it.

Mark

 

a european site sells the seats for 2700 usd shipped

 

Care to share WHAT site?

 

http://www.schmiedmann.com/

 

http://minigenuineparts.co.uk/ is where I got mine, glad to see people finally jumping on the boat I've been on

To clarify again, the passenger seat DOES NOT have a weight sensor. Mark, the reason they say they are plug and play is because they are not in the US. MINI has a specific way to over-write the coding within the computer overseas for these seats to not display a passenger weight sensor error that the FSM (or seat install instructions on motoringfile) specifically point out that has to be encoded into the ECU. Thats why Europe can do it fine. US has different restrictions and they will not code our ECUs this way because of legality issues with the weight sensor.

Unless they have changed it, I just got mine in January and they include the side airbag AND seat heating units built into it. The drivers seat (for the US) does not have a weight sensor nor does the passenger seat as they are not a requirement for any country except ours (which is why they are not available here).

The airbag will still plug in fine, those connections as well as the seat belt pre-tensioner are removed from the stock seats and put onto the JCW Recaro when you bolt up the seat railings.

 

Yeah, I found all that out now...lol.

I got mine done and they work perfectly. Here's the link.



Mark

 

Not to put this all over, but if this dudes looking for the driver's seat I have it for sale.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co.../product/12015

 

Are you selling your seat? How come? Just curious...


Mark

 

Yes sir its up for sale here and on M|U!

I just had to afford other things, I am going today to pickup an SW20 93 MR2 turbo with a 20G that blew so I am selling the seat to buy the car. haha

 

I understand... ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Funny how you can buy the entire car for what you're selling the seat for..lol.

Mark