you may be able to move that part from one seat to the other.
then you could work around the airbag issue, the seatbelt issue, etc......
I am going to say this again, some people mess with stuff and some don't. I think the ones that don't should let the ones that do keep messing with stuff, we might come up with something better.
the alternative is keep slamming those that try something new until they stop posting and you never get the good ideas that others discover.
your choice.
David
David,
I like your thinking.
Personally, I wouldn't mess with the seats because of the airbags, weight sensor etc. I've had other narrow cars with the recliners in the middle so I've lived with it. Good for the OP to at least throw the question out there though. Now we've combined our answers have have some valid reasons why it most likely shouldn't be done.
I just hate the crusty old answers that sound like "Why would you think such a thing you idiot!!!" or "You're an idiot for making such a modification". Things like that have made me veer away from here a little more so lately.
It is a conspiricy driven by the service industry. If you don't eat or drink in your car you are forced to stop at resturants on your way and spend more money and leave tips.
Let's hear your conspiricy theory.
the reason is simple, manual gear box, here the automatic ones are rare like the diesel car in the US
The official BMW line in 1995 was that you should be driving full time and not be distracted with eating or drinking. The 1996 thru 2003 5 series don't have a decent factory cup holder. The 04 and on are just so so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by grwhitaker
You are assuming that the engineers placed the seatback lever where they did just to vex you. I reason that it was placed there because it was considered as the most logical place to put it. German engineering is nothing if not overly analytical about the best or most efficient way to do things, regardless of [sometimes] marketing requests. That is why German cars were years behind everyone else on putting cup holders in their interiors.
The only time it seems to make no sense is when you want to fold the pasenger seat flat, and you have to go over to the drivers side to do it without crushing your hand.
So, with the seat releases in the middle, you have to fold down the passenger seat from the driver side. If you move them to the outside, you would only be able to fold down the passenger seat from the passenger side. You can still only do it from one side of the car so you didn't gain anything.
Plus, since you're folding down the passenger seat, you must not be the passenger so, you're going to go over to the driver's side anyway.
So, with the seat releases in the middle, you have to fold down the passenger seat from the driver side. If you move them to the outside, you would only be able to fold down the passenger seat from the passenger side. You can still only do it from one side of the car so you didn't gain anything.
Plus, since you're folding down the passenger seat, you must not be the passenger so, you're going to go over to the driver's side anyway.
I just don't get it.
Smart tech. said it was for safety. So that it couldn't release in side impact.
A+ for ingenuity (no one else has brought this up before.)
D- for even considering it; the cons so far outweigh the pros (if there are any pros) it isn't funny. I guess somebody could figure out a way to put the seats on the roof and extend the steering column so you could drive from up there, but.....why?
Has anyone tried to swap the passenger seat with the driver seat? This would put the recliner lever on the outside (like other cars). It would also make it easier recline the seat to access the rear space when standing outside the car. Any thoughts?
Rather than swapping the seats, wouldn't a simpler solution (if it's even possible) be to somehow switch the recliner levers from one side of a seat to the other, since those levers are the perceived problem? If the levers can be switched, it would avoid having to move the airbags & slots, passenger seat weight sensor, seatbelt guides, etc.
So let's try to simplify the question: Is switching the recliner levers possible (I'm assuming there's physical space for the levers at the sides facing the doors, but I don't know this)?
Last edited by Smart Enuf; 11-25-2008 at 08:12 PM.
Hmm. I don't see an issue with clearance. The levers are about an inch in depth, and there's about 2.75 in. clearance on the driver side just for the round part (there's a bit more clearance for the lever itself). I didn't measure the passenger side, but I assume it's the same. The levers would go where the seat back hinge attaches to the seat; there's already a large bolt where this would go. It's not down where the door sill is at, but rather higher up on the side of the seatback.
Now that I've looked at it, the better solution would be to take the passenger lever and install it on the driver seat on the side facing the driver door. For the passenger seat, the opposite would be the approach. That would maintain the pulling action on the lever, rather than turning it into a pushing action if one were to take the driver lever and put it on the other side of the driver's seat.
Hmm. I don't see an issue with clearance. The levers are about an inch in depth, and there's about 2.75 in. clearance on the driver side just for the round part (there's a bit more clearance for the lever itself). I didn't measure the passenger side, but I assume it's the same. The levers would go where the seat back hinge attaches to the seat; there's already a large bolt where this would go. It's not down where the door sill is at, but rather higher up on the side of the seatback.
Now that I've looked at it, the better solution would be to take the passenger lever and install it on the driver seat on the side facing the driver door. For the passenger seat, the opposite would be the approach. That would maintain the pulling action on the lever, rather than turning it into a pushing action if one were to take the driver lever and put it on the other side of the driver's seat.
You know, it isn't just the visible lever, but the latching mechanism inside the seat that provides the reclining and inclining action. Usually the basic latches consist of a toothed gear and corresponding latch mechanism, much like in a mechanical clock. There may or may not be the ability or room to move the internal mechanism from side to side on the seat. I'm just not curious enough to look...
Also, a legal liability thought...the seatback latch mechanism is an MVSS safety item on all cars. If you modify the latch mechanism yourself and someone is injured in an accident due to a malfunction of the seat back latch, you will no longer have the ability to deep pocket smart USA and/or smart Gmbh for the injuries, since you modified the mechanism yourself. This makes you the liable party, and could give your insurance company a way to opt out of covering the cost of damages or injuries. Just another thing to consider before making modifications to safety equipment on any car.
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