I needed the SRS seat sensor mat in the passenger replaced. My mat went bad (false alarm chime, airbag off light, etc.), but apparently the sensor mat doesn't just get replaced, but the whole seat bottom, cushion, upholstery, and all!

Went to pick up the car last week (warranty), and the leather seat cover (Punch) looked all lumpy. I could feel and see what felt like folded padding under the vinyl (I presumed) front bolster.


THE FIRST REPLACEMENT (wadded material circled)


FIRST REPLACEMENT

MINI dealer ordered a new seat bottom (came in two days as opposed to four weeks for the first one). To them, it looked bad, too, so they ordered a third one. It too is a bit ill-fitted (not taut), and you can STILL feel something under the cover (wires?) where my my wife's leg rest.



Picked it up today to see if it's acceptable and/or "smooths out" (quoting the SA), while the dealer continues discussions with MINI.

Anyone seen anything like that?

For comparison's sake, here's the saggy-baggy seat in a new Coupe on the dealer floor (below). It just looks like they've changed the construction method, I suppose. I guess that's the way they are now, and so I'll quit obssessing (maybe).



By the way: I really don't care for the new "white dot" Punch leather in the Coupe at all.

 

Looks to me like poor QC or like you said a different method/manner of construction of the seat.

At least your dealer did something about this issue. I was told to just keep items other than passengers out of the seat...

 

The dealer mentioned that ("Don't put anything in the seat"), but the tech had the chime go off when he test drove it... with NOTHING in the seat. Case closed.

 

That's EXACTLY what mine was doing and I kept getting farted off. I just said forget it. Just one more reason I don't have the Mini anymore.

 

It wasn't triggering a fault code, even though the "air bag off" light qualifies as a safety defect in my book... which I told them. I bet yours wasn't generating a fault code, either. Without a code, they HAD to experience the fault. Mine was very intermittent, and I think they ran errands in it one day (with my permission). Bingo!

The SA called me excitedly (as he had been arguing for me, and the tech/SM was saying it was just me loading my briefcase in the seat) to let me know they had "seen the light!"

Having owned Golfs and Jettas, I figured I knew what I was getting into buying a MINI. I was right. ;-)

 

My completely stock (same punch leather) original passenger seat looks just like your first picture! It's always bugged me, and a few times I have had issues with the occupancy mat not properly detecting a small adult.

 

Oh I understand the whole fault code issue but they didnt even want to entertain there was an issue. Just really frustrating thing to deal with. Hated asking the passenger to get out and back, sometimes over and over, to get it to recognize there was a passenger.