First the good news...

Wednesday I went to a Turn one event at CMP in SC. It was GREAT. In solo, we got

8:00-10:00

11:00-12:00

1:00-4:30pm

That's a CRAPLOAD of track time... I love it.

Anyway, after being on the track on and off all day, I didn't melt a valvecover.

The bad news was when I left (93 degrees) my ac line broke and I had to drive it home with no ac. It wouldn't have been bad but since I hadn't been at work all day, I had some important phone calls to make. I spent over 30 minutes driving home with the windows rolled up so I could talk to them. I couldn't pull over because I was following someone else.

Good news, my dealership took me in IMMEDIATELY (Hendrick Mini) One of the girls that works there now is a service advisor (Dana I think) and she does an absolute excellent job of trying to take care of her customers.

The bad news was my windshield broke (AGAIN) It received a stress crack. This is my 4th windshield being replaced under warranty in 2 mini's.

More good news... they're covering everything under warranty. Today they got the ac finished so at least I can drive my own car for the weekend. (they were nice enough to give me a loaner. (ironic part it was IDENTICAL to my '08MCS right down to automatic and color)

Bad news... they didn't have time to replace the windshield. That's okay, they'll do it Monday, I was just happy they squeezed me in to get my ac fixed.

Good news. My JCW Recaro seats and rollbar came in.

Bad news... I didn't have time to install them tonight...

But tomorrow I will.....


I've complained about the service at my dealership and the last few times, they've been super.... even the parts manager took the time to find and overnight the ac line I needed just so I could get my car back for the weekend.

I was so happy, I offered to tint both the parts manager and SA's taillights for them and I gave 20 bucks to the tech for taking care of Oscar.

Just thought I'd give ya my happenings today....





Mark

 

...that be a good day!

 

Lots and Lots of pictures are needed of your seats.

 

Dude we need pix of those seats. Nobody has those Recaros that I know of.

 

+1 for pics of your seats and roll bar

 

I want to see the seats and bar too

 

Glad to see the mini is handling the track without major problems now. Nice to see something good being said of the dealers too.

 

You'll love the seats Mark!

 

Gee Mark, do you think I should give them another chance with "Slick Willie"?

 

never mind... found my answer...

Thought this was going to be an hour's job...lol.

PS. Pics coming... doing the install now.

 

Okay, so here's the pics...

Unpacked the seats.







Bottom side...



The "space" in between the little gray connectro and the black connector is for the seatbelts. The only work you have to do is swap over tracks, brackets and seatbelt buckle.

 

The only issue I had is I have this sensor/switch left over. There is no plug anywhere to swap it over with. It looks like it might be a switch to let the seat not engage the airbags (or something similiar) if the seat is not fully in the upright position.



The first seat took me about an hour, the second took about 30 minutes. At the moment I've still got an SRS light on but I think a reset will take care of that. If not, I'll be chasing down that switch.


Mark

 

So how do they feel? How did the job come out? Are you satisfied? Could you order a set for me and put them in for me if I drive down to you in NC?

Would they even work for me? I am a big guy 6'2" and 300 pounds.

Are they adjustable. Like the original seats? Do they raise and lower. I will assume that there is no recline.

 

I like those seats. How much and do they fit in an mcs 07.

 

Man, I'm sorry, I never gave my impression.

The seats are FANTASTIC!!!!!!

Chad was right, I am so going to love them.

First, they are SUPER comfortable. They make you feel secure. They even smell good....(love the smell of leather)

The seats have 2 holes in the front and two in the rear for height adjustment. The height adjustment is NOT adjustable unless you pull the seats to move the bolts.

The seats recline, have heat and airbags. They tilt forward just like the stock seats to gain entry into the back seat.

Honestly, iwas thinking they would feel more of a clamp ya in kind of feel but I had no idea that they would be so comfortable for longer drives.


I can't wait for a long drive again.


Mark

PS. If you buy a set, I don't mind installing them for you. For those that asked, the seats were 3700 bucks in US funds. WELL WORTH EVERY PENNY

 

Very nice! We are all envious.

Do you mean a leftover part that came with the new seat, or the original seat?

 

There was a switch (pic above... came on the original seat) that was mounted on the right rail on the driver's seat. It ran to a plug that was part of the factory harness connected to the seat. (no way to remove that part, it was part of the seat)

Having said that, the new harness on the JCW seats did not have that same plug.

I'm looking into it now but I'm pretty sure I'm going to find out it's a switch that is a safety thing for US cars that isn't on the Euro seats.

From what I can see and follow wires, it has nothing to do with weight, heat or airbags... I'll find out soon enough.


Mark

 

Glad you like them Mark! Just wait until you hit the track! I've been trying to find a set of OEM Sparco Milano 2 seats front and rear for my R53 in panther black with no luck so far.

 

Oh yeah Chad, you were SO RIGHT!!! I can't wait to hit the track with them.

Chad, did you see the pic of the switch above? Did you remember it when you installed your seats?

Thanks,

Mark

 

Your Mini is an Automatic??

 

Mark my seats were never installed but I just looked at two of my sets of spare seats and both front drivers seats have them attached to the rail just under the airbag cylinder. Looks like a seat position sensor since there's a contact arm coming off the railing that trips the sensor depending on how far the seat is from the steering column. I wouldn't sweat it.

 

For anyone interested in purchasing these they are here and they are not cheap http://www.minigenuineparts.co.uk/
Did you happen to weigh the stockers and the Recaro seats to see what kind of weight loss you might have gotten?

 

Mark

Those look fantastic in your car!

 

The stock front seats are 125lbs combined. Mark can probably look at the shipping label and to check the weight of the Recaros.

 

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. The loaner was identical to my last mini that I traded in for the JCW.



Thanks Chad, that's what I thought.... some sort of sensor/switch to determine seat position (whether forward, back, reclined or something) to let the computer know the seat was engaged "correctly" before allowing the airbag to deploy or whatever...

Point is, I skipped it because I'm pretty sure it wasn't needed in the recaros otherwise the harness would have been the same.


Thanks bud.



No, I didn't weigh them but I can tell you that they've got to be at least 25-30% lighter...

I know that's not very exact but I could tell EASILY when I picked up the stock one and installed the Recaros. I remember thinking to myself that was an added bonus on the track.

You know, actually, the seats are pretty fair in price. Don't get me wrong, almost 4K is a TON of money for seats but in comparison to just buying a set of recaros, you'll spend 1200-1800 bucks per seat depending on the style. For the extra little bit of money, to have the seats "personalized" (I know, it's just a logo but it's still cool), airbagged, heated, reclining and working just like the stock seat... I like that idea.



Thanks Ric... much appreciated. So when you getting some? (nevermind, you're married....)



I'll check the label when I get to work but I'll have to deduct at least 20lbs of packing...lol. The boxes were in boxes in boxes in ......


Mark