I recently saw a article on a JCW with Specarc seats. It said they were going to be offered by MINI dealers. Has anyone got these and how are they... They're suppose to have the side airbags and be a easy replacement, and what was the cost..

 

Where did you see the article?
As far as I know, all the JCW seats are offered w/o airbags and hence, will not be available in the US due to legal issues.

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The article was in Sept 2003 Sports Car International. Titled "Super Dooper Cooper", it states "The other bits that John Cooper Works sells through BMW are new Sparco-made sport seats....They are equipped with side airbags like the stock seats so you just plug in as a direct replacement." I stopped at the NC MINI dealer today and asked about them and they say they havn't heard anything. This article shows a Brit MINI but it's written for the States.

 

How come a seat without airbags wont be allowed in the States? Theres plenty of cars without side airbags, what makes the Mini different?

 

>>How come a seat without airbags wont be allowed in the States? Theres plenty of cars without side airbags, what makes the Mini different?

We live in a sue-happy nation!

While there are many cars w/o side airbags, MINIS are originally equipped with side airbags from the factory. By switching to a seat w/o airbags, the original spec of the car is altered and could entail possible legal issue in the event of accident. This is what I foresee as an issue.


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With regaard to the airbag issue, my Dealer just told me MINIUSA is waiting for DOT approval for the seats and they will be available. When he was not sure.

I wish MINIUSA would chime in on this issue to clarify things.