AND you got an aerobic work out at the same time. What... 300 calories? We should sell old seats on late night infomercials as the latest cool work out thing.

 

Thank god for this site as it has answered a ton of questions and helped put our minds at ease about these cars.

We owned our MCS for one week before the passenger seat got stuck with a 2k roadtrip a few days away. The BMW synchronization method did not work so i body slammed it into an upright position. It won't adjust, but at least it is tolerable. Probably going to buy the seatframe assembly when we get a chance.

M

 

This thread helped me too! My 05 MCS driver seat would not adjust anymore when using the inboard lever, in fact the lever didn't move either. The outboar lever still worked so I tried the BMW solution but the seat would not recline fully. So I decided on the more violent solution of pulling the inboard lever while slamming the seat and it eventually worked. You really have to smash it beyond the normal comfort level for dealing with plastic pieces so don't be afraid to smash it well!

The car was suddenly like this when I got it back from the detailer, and I was pretty stressed about having to go back and ask him wth happened to my seat! Thanks to NAM I avoided an uncomfortable situation lol.

Ciao!
Mike

 

Slammers may not be right for you as a treatment for FRS (Full Recline Syndrome).. Please check with your doctor. Serious side effects may occur... Including; high blood preasure, speaking Klingon, smelling lemons, growing blue hair, thoughts of pushing a shopping cart the rest of your life, playing for the New York Rangers (SUCK!) and other retarded things may occur.

 

Finally got around to permanently addressing the seat recline issue. We were this>< close to buying an OEM seatframe when I found an exact matching seat on the local classifieds! $80.00 later and i was on my way home with a seat in much better cosmetic condition than mine.

After a little TLC it was ready to install (so i thought)
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I bolted it in and then realized one of the connectors were different, so i pulled it back out. The plug was actually for the seatbelt pre-tensioner and was easy to swap out. Yeah!
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Cleaned, swapped out and all done. best part, no malfunction lights
004-17.jpg?t=1282534370

still love this car

 

I transported a couple statues with the front seat fully reclined. After that, the seat back didn't catch in any upright position....just flopped full forward or fell backwards. I read all the above tips and we tried them all. What worked for us was to remove the back seat cushions (just pull up on the front and then forward and up to get the back part off.) so we could have the space for the seat to recline a little further down. Then we pumped up (raised) the seat bottom up as high as it would go. With the back in the fully and more reclining position, laying on it, we pulled up on the center reclining lever and POP 'it' went into position and everything worked. Of course, we tried all the body slamming described above first. The key for our problem was to get the seat to recline down so far.

 

Stellar research! Worked like a charm and my wife not thinks I'm "great" and no longer the "jerk who broke her passenger seat"! thank you!

 

I had the problem on a 2004 Cooper. No amount of slamming or brute force worked. Eventually bought a frame from a scrapyard and while 'recovering' it my son found the solution. Remove the plastic side covers and unbolt the backrest. Put the backrest on a level surface and you will notice the 2 mounting plates are at different angles on the ground. Stand on the one that is not level. This pushes it back parallel with the other side and the problem is solved. This is in essence what you are doing when slamming it in the car, but far more elegant.

 

Hi Everyone,
i'm very curious about the end result of these "brute force" recommendations. about a year ago, my passenger seat was stuck in the reclined position after I had driven w/ my snowboard in it. I used the "brute method" to get it back to a sitting position. I heard the "crack" - and it went up - but it has never been adjustable since then, and there is a "rock" in it when it is upright. I had a minor accident recently - (rear-ended a truck) and the passenger seat flew forward in the collision (no one in it).

Yesterday, I reclined my drivers seat to pull my board out of the back (will i learn!?!?) and my drivers seat stuck in the reclined position. Being as I had 400 miles to drive, I did the "brute force" again, and CRACK - my seat went upright. this seat now has that same "play" in it, and will not adjust to other positions.


I am not sure if you all have truly "fixed" your seats, or just adjusted the broken frames to a more comfortable position. I too have been quoted approx $500 to replace the frame - and now appear to have doubled the cost. :( :( Has MINI had any answer for this? Seat frames should NOT break so easily ... and if this "brute force" is only adjusting to a comfortable position - it seems to be a safety hazard should a collision occur!

Any insight into good places to buy used seats? I'm thinking I may as well get a new pair at this point!

 

I was having the same problem and was two seconds away from buying a new seat. Thanks for the tips works fine now.

 

my son put the seat in the recline position on the way home from the dealership(4 hour drive) in the 2003 cooper I just bought. It stayed there the rest of the way home. My husband and I spent a couple of hours trying to figure it out yesterday, even trying to take the seat apart without any damage. I woke up this morning thinking I should look it up on the internet, lo and behold I found this forum, thank God!!! Went out put the seat forward then reclined held the lever and bounced a couple of times and presto! The seat works great!!! I didn't hear any popping and I only weigh 120, but it still worked like a charm, THANK YOU!!!

 

My 06 MCS came down with a case of FRS over the weekend. Fortunately, the remedy prescribed here worked perfectly. She's as good as new!

 

I followed the BMW instructions and this worked the first time.

 

I listened to all the posts: I pulled the outside lever up & slid the seat forward, then I slid the seat back. I then held the inside lever up while, pushing the backrest fully reclined. I then sat my rump about mid back rest lifted up, gave a good bump, and I heard that god awful popping sound everyone speaks of.....it REALLY DOES sound like you've broken your seat (and the look on my husband's face was priceles )...but fear not, MINI owner, for you have just saved yourself a trip to the dealership & a crap-ton of money!

 

[QUOTE=thatguy;2101080]try putting your weight on the backrest and bouncing one or two good hard times while operating the lever(raise/ lower seat) with each bounce.
it will pop as if it is breaking(one loud click) and the spring mechanism should be reset.

THANK YOU!
I've been trying to figure this out for a few weeks now, and once I read your advice, it worked on the first try. Lifesaver

 

I made an account just so I could say thank you!! My passenger seat had been sliding back and forth whiledriving and the back rest had been stuck in the full forward position for weeks. I didn't have to hit it with my shoulder to lock though, I just put it in the full recline position, lifted the horizontal lever up as much as possible and it clicked! Then I was able to adjust it to an upright position. Thank you so,so much for your help!

 

My 97 tahoe driver will not lock in the upright position. Can anyone help with this? I've tried all the suggestions here.....No Luck

 

hello. Were you able to find a solution to your car seat problem? my bmw e36 drivee seat is also stuck in full recline position. What did you end up doing to fix the issue?

 

[QUOTE=Eric_Rowland;2101011]Does it not recline or not lock?
I just purchased an 08 mini s convertible for my daughter and the next day, while cleaning it, I used the top latch to move the seat forward, to clean the back. Everything was fine until I tried putting it back into position. The top of the seat will only go back a bit and will not go into a reclined position. To drive the car we have to slide in and remain close to the steering wheel. Any suggestions?

 

Push down or pull up on the lever on the inside of the seat.