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vampire seat rails

3K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  jzchen 
#1 ·
Has anyone else encountered this problem?

In my 451 I have both seats fully slid back as far as possible... long legs. :D

This exposes the seat rails for the driver's seat, but not for the passenger seat. Twice now, the exposed seat rail has inflicted injury... the first time was when a friend entered my smart with flip-flops and badly cut her foot on the rail... and most recently when I was exiting the car without fully opening the door (tight quarters) I cut my right leg on it.

Looking for a solution other than duct taping a big hideous block of foam to the rails, or taking the grinder to it! :hackitup:

~toaster
 
#9 ·
I think that may be the only solution. Any sort of covering will be knocked/scraped off when the seat is slid forward... often when I get my vehicle back after it has undergone a state inspection & emissions check I find the seat moved forward. Short mechanics... why do they need lifts? :wink:

~toaster
 
#3 · (Edited)
Yes I have.
On my first 08 smart I used several coats of black Plasti Dip to take the edge off the rails.
Another option is small black rubber tubing. Slice it longwise and slide it over the rail

Unless you never ever plan on selling the car, I would not grind down the rails. A potential buyer may need to slide the seat up. You really don't want to reduce your potential buyers pool, (an already small pool of buyers) if you decide or have to sell.

Just some ideas.
Good luck

JL
 
#17 ·
Here too. Never knew it was an issue. My car just had its 9th birthday Wednesday ... from delivery date 7/12/2008. From the thread, it sounds like it's only a problem for folks with bare legs. If so, that explains why it hasn't been a problem for me. And I always have my seat all the way back.

My mother has cut her finger several times when opening the passenger side door. I think she pinches her finger somehow. I've never done that to myself either. I'm not fond of pain and bleeding.
 
#21 ·
Try to lay down in the floor of the car to check a fuse or work on wiring under the dash. You put the seat back and the rails cut your side and the door threshold lip is hard on an old mans back. You take the seat out temporarily to get it out of the way and there goes the air bag light. I think it's a Smart boobie trap. How could a large German engineer ever designed it like that? I guess it's compromise, and compromise usually means cheaper and less "thought out". DCO
 
#22 ·
HTML:
The car is constantly verifying it's safety systems.

Pull the negative battery cable next time before disconnecting anything with an airbag.

Is there such a thing as a remote battery disconnect? (That would make it easier.)

Same thing happens in BMW or Mercedes vehicles, if you don't disconnect the battery first. It's not about cheap...

I've had that door threshold/corner of rail eat into my back. Got a blanket, folded it several times, and lay it over those before laying down. (I forget how long it took me to think of that, while it was digging into my back. I'm guessing pretty quick from the extreme pain!) Of course there's the issue of getting yourself up, and finding a blanket to use, one which nobody would get mad at you for using for that purpose...
 
#24 ·
I guess everything car related is expensive in Europe because their public transportation system is so extensive, there is much less need for personal/private ownership. Those who would like/need their own means of transportation, of which are probably the very rich, provide the demand, which drives the cost sky HIGH.
 
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