Driver's seat height not working right... help!
 

Hello! I just bought a 2003 Mini Cooper, and as the title says, I'm having issues adjusting the height of the driver's seat. I can get it to go up and down but it seems limited. It definitely doesn't go as low as the passenger seat. I'm tall in the torso, so the seat needs to be low so that I can see traffic lights and such.

It feels like the adjustment lever is a bit loose or worn, and when the seat does decide to let me move it, it's really stiff. Again, it is much stiffer than the passenger seat.

Has anyone had a similar issue and have any ideas on how to fix it? I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

~Jeff

Any ideas? Anyone? I don't have my Bentley Manual yet, so I don't even know how to take out the driver's seat. Perhaps if someone could enlighten me with that, I'd be able to figure something out. Thanks!

Dunno. I've got an '03 also, and I asked about the height adjustment a while back - mine felt like it was jumping teeth sometimes if I tried raising the seat. I haven't had any issues with the amount of travel or how stiff it feels, though. You might check with the dealer? If the miles are low enough, your car could still be under warranty. Even if you ended up paying for the repair, it sounds like it would be worthwhile to you to get it fixed if something's not working right.

I hate to be a "me too" but I'm having the same trouble with the seat height adjustment on my '03 (regular, non-sport seat). It will go up just fine, but absolutely will not go down. I wish I had a solution besides replacement of the whole bottom seat frame but I don't.

The bentley manual only gives you intstructions on taking the whole seat out. Just as well as there really isn't much that can be done with the seat itself from what I can tell. I took it apart to try to diagnose/fix, but didn't have any luck.:o

There is a diagram showing the seat parts at www.realoem.com or http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...56&hg=52&fg=10

The part with the adjuster is the whole bottom seat frame. The ratcheting part that actuates the seat height is riveted to the frame. What I saw was that the lever works a ratcheting mechanism, which drives a rather cheesy gear (~6 tooth pinion and stamped gear) which moves the bars raising and lowering the seat. There is a gas filled shock (like the shocks on the bootlid) that helps the seat when adjusting it up. I disconnected that but it didn't help. Also, trying to force it down got me nowhere.

Looks like I'll be calling a dealer to see what a new seat frame costs or try to find another seat used.

-end of useful post, beginning of rant-

It seems like everytime I get in this car I'm finding something just poorly designed or executed. The seat adjuster should not be breaking at 26,000 miles. :no: The airbox cover should not be held on one side by two screws and on the other side with two dinky little plastic clips with no strength whatsoever. --same goes for the battery box cover. It's like they gave this car to the new guy. I keep thinking "what were they thinking?". :roll: I understand that the Mini is all about form over function, but it sure would be nice if they had put some more time and money into developing the "nuts and bolts" underneath the ultra-cool styling.

Did you all ever come up with a solution for your seat height adjustment problems? Between my daily driver use and my wife's frequent use, our constant driver side height adjustments (she's about a foot shorter than me) finally "stuck" the seat in the down position on our '03 MCS about 6-8 months ago. Asked my MINI Service Tech to check it out. I figured that it would only be a matter of resetting it somehow, similar to the common "fix" for when the seat back recline adjustment gets stuck.

Not so lucky, was told that it was broken - I was a year past warranty and the entire seat base unit had to be replaced because there are not any replaceable parts available! :confused: Quoted $750 for the job ($550 parts and $250 labor). Fortunately, the seat stuck in the lowered position, since I drive it mostly.

Bided my time patiently waiting for a compatible seat at the right price to pop up on eBay or elsewhere. Found seats are commonly available from wrecked cars, and as take-offs from folks upgrading or installing racing seats. Finally bought a pair of used seats this past week for less than $200 with local pick up. I will be installing in the next few weeks.

hey i read something on the forums about putting washers under the front seat track, in the front, around the bolt that fastens the seat to the floor pan.... this gives the seat a more reclined fit so you don't slip forward as much. i used a nut, so i raised my seat in the front close to a centimeter, but not quite. it made a huge diferrence in comfort. i can't seem to find the origingal thread. if anyone locates it post link.

ps, using a nut versus washers is totally dodgy. (as if washers weren't dodgy enough). if you do it right it can be safe and comfy.

My driver side seat frame got a bit loose and sloppy in regards to the
height adjustment function. It would rock about half an inch when I
hit the brakes or gas, especially on hills. Fortunately, it got replaced
under warranty just before the warranty ran out, and the replacement
has held up ok since then. It looks like the price of the part has gone
way up since I last looked it up a couple years ago.

another 03 with seat that wont go down.No solution ??? took my seat out lubed it up still doesnt work right .Seems to bind and freeze up after two or three strokes . Looks to complicated to drill out the rivits and let the springs fly.Doubtful if i could ever get it back together.no cheap solution????

sucsess
 

took the seat out again sprayed the disk that the seat adjuster handle mounts to with wd40 and then forced the handle up and down sprayed some more and finaliy it has loosened up.I thought I was going to break it but now it is working just fine.Sooo on o3 Mini's take a second to spray the white plastic disk under where the handle mounts with WD40 before it bindes and you wont be stuck with your head against the head liner.:thumbsup:

WD 40 works!
 

Thanks for the tip; it saved a lot of frustration.:thumbsup:

Doing a remove/repair of this part today with a text only how to I found on MINI 2. I'll post it up (with pictures) if it works.

Apparently the problem part is a plastic toothed piece inside the racheting mechanism that can break leaving a piece in there jamming it from racheting down. (up only seems to be a common complaint).

This thread may help:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-gen...-adjustor.html

That thread has some errors in it. Plus it has 0 pictures.

For one the "rivets" they describe as needing to be drilled out are in some cases not rivets. The only rivets on the mechanism are the ones holding it to the seat base. The easy way to "fix" the problem is to drill out the 4 rivets holding the entire mechanism to both drivers and passenger seats and swap them. Keep in mind which direction the mechanism does work in when putting the broken one in the passenger seat. ie. if it goes up only, put the seat on the floor before reinstalling or vice versa.

Find my writeup here (with plenty of pics)

Sorry to ressurect, but wanted to thank you for the photo DIY fix. Will be a great help to me very soon! :thumbsup:

No problem I just updated that the quickest way is to swap both adjusters.