Did you guys see this?

http://motoringfile.com/2007/01/12/o...-retrofit-pdf/

I would love to be able to deactivate my airbag. (Darn dog keeps making it go on and off.) But this seems like a lot of effort.

 

IF you deactivate any airbags....

and IF you have an accident....

your WILL see your insurance premiums go through the roof if not cancelled for disabling a safety device their records show come with the car.

 

I'd be surprised if MINIUSA sold this kit. You should be able to get it through an overseas vendor. mikeythemini (newministuff.com) in the UK has helped me to special order several MINI OEM items not available in the US.

 

I made an appt for several other items for my MINI to be done on Monday, I went ahead and requested this to be done for my MINI. I have a 9 year old that wants to sit in the front, although I push the seat all the way back I still don't feel good about the airbag. Also when she has friends in the car we're limited to only two friends.

 

My dealership couldn't get the parts. the kit wasn't in their parts system.

 

 

I called ASK MINI today (1-866-ASK-MINI) to get the whole scoop on this modification.

According to US MINI this kit is not offered by MINI.

I took my 2006 MCSC to the dealership to have this installed on Monday and they were clueless about the kit, and apparently rightfully so.

Too bad, I see the Pros and Cons for this feature. For me, I have a child with more than 1 friend. Therefore the need to have three children in my car is an ongoing issue, I would like to be able to turn the air bag off when needed.

 

It is available, just not in the USA (same situation with numerous other parts and retrofit kits). In the UK I believe the deactivation is even standard equipment.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...=61&fg=95&hl=7

If you want it badly enough, you should be able to obtain the kit from overseas. Of course there will be liability and insurance issues.

 

If the airbag is key activated the same as trucks then I don't see why there would be concern with insurance coverage. Is it key activated?

 

It appears to be key activated/de-activated, as the instructions say to buy the lock tumbler based on VIN.

....Les

 

It makes a difference with AAA. One of the questions they asked us for our quote at the time, was does it come equipped with air bags. If you answer yes, they have the right to believe the air bags are working all the time.

 

And they are going to ask if there was deployment at the time of the accident not whether they were actually working.

I thought part of the reason we had the annoying US Spec seats was for the weight sensor which not only turned the airbag off if there wasn't enough weight on the seat but also tuned the airbag deployment speed based on weight making it safer to lighter weight people. Am I wrong?

 

I saw the DIY kit on Motoringfile.com, it appeared from that reading that it was a US deal, and the white paper mentioned that if you weren't comfortable you should seek a professional installer. something like that.

I agree with the comment about the trucks having the key switch to turn of the bag, i don't see any difference. I cannot always be prepared to be in the right car to carry more than 2 children. I have my 528i which I can carry 3, and I purposely ordered the car without the rear seat airbags because of the children factor. should be some kind of key switch that deactivates all passenger bags in all BMW cars if you have a child in any of the seats that could cause harm or the bags themselves should be smart enough not to deploy if the weight and seatbelt match certian points.

 

On realoem.com, the kit is listed only for Europe, not USA. The MotoringFile article now has the following comment that I think has been added (I don't remember seeing it earlier): "From our understanding, this option is actually standard in parts of the world but not available typically in the US."