Maybe I'm dumb, but there are airbag tags on my front seats. I'm thinking how the heck can an airbag some out of a leather seat? Wouldn't that rip the seat apart and require a new one? Somebody clue me in here!

 

And what happens if you've got a seat cover?

 

There are side impact airbags in the seats (The outer edges of both driver and passenger seats. They are designed to deploy on a side impact of sufficient force. Custom seat covers usually accommodate the airbag by allowing a seam in the area for bag deployment. Some you get at pep boys may not. Check with your seat cover manufacturer as to whether or not they support side impact airbags. And to answer the question, the outer side would split open but they are designed to do this. You would have to have the seat repaired. Some seats have modules which detach. More than likely the seat would have to be reupholstered.

 

That's what I kink of thought, that you'd have to get the seat(s) reupholstered in addition to having the airbags replaced. So in my case, with Tuscan Beige leather seats, the seat work would have to be done by the dealer, whereas the airbag work could be done elsewhere. That seems pretty expensive to me. I'd guess they would just replace the entire seatback unit, leather and airbag all made at the factory.

 

lets not forget... if the airbags were to deploy, especially the side airbags, you would have a lot more to fix than just the seats.

Typically if the airbag deploys, the car has sustained a lot of damage and is often times totaled.

 

Not trying to push Wet Okole products, but many NAM members have gotten their seat covers from them because, not only are they stylish, but they also have an openning on the side of their covers to allow for side air bag deployment. Check 'em out....

http://www.wetokole.com/minif.html

 

They even have a clip of how their covers react to airbag deployment:

http://www.wetokole.com/seatcover/safety.html

 

For all the times I have been on their site I never boticed those clips. Thanks for sharing...kinda looks like the famous "Aliens" scene!

 

I would MUCH rather have my seats replaced than suffer broken bones etc in a side-impact collision. And what about your passenger front airbag? That will tear up the dash too...

 

That's pretty cool they tested their covers. However I wonder how large our bags are. I hope they aren't as small as the one in airbag 2 video.

 

I'm not volunteering to find out.

 

There is not a lot of space between me and the door. I hope that the bag is not very big!!!

 

That brings a question to mind, where can you get some nice seat covers especially made for these R56's and yes after a side collision it is very expensive to replace the seats. I also heard this is the reason we don't have the awesome JCW Recaro seat option.

 

Sithor, check out the Wet Okole products as french_toaster suggested. They fit well, and will talk to you about colors, etc. before they send the covers out. I have a pair on my R56 and they fit very well except a little extra on the front outside corners. Have had them on for about 6-7 months and there haven't been any problems.

 

It is not a matter of reupolstering the seats at some specialty shop, most manufactures provide replacement seat covering for just such an occurrence, just remove seat un-hogg ring and reinstall. For your air bags deploy the accident has to be pretty bad and side air bags only go off in side impact or rollovers.
Just my 2 cents from 20 years in service depts.

 

do you have any pictures? Im wondering how they pattern the colors in the r56 covers (if yours are colored at least).

 

i think part of the reason we dont get the recaros is because of the airbag sensor that is embedded in the seat not being compatible... but im not for sure.

After a collision it will be much much much more expensive to fix the body work/engine than replace the seat covers.

 

If you can find it, the '07 catalog shows some nice graphics on the layout of all the airbags when deployed. IF you really really really need to see it, I can scan and post it later this weekend.

 

That's what I've been told as well. Also the reason why the bottom portion of the front seats are different between lounge leather in the US and elsewhere. Other countries don't require the airbag weight sensor.

Manufacturers design airbags to rip through whatever they're behind. Just look how cleanly the driver's airbag breaks through the steering wheel cover: