One for those contemplating retro S4 B7 Recaro seat fitting.

[Charlie Farley]

Just a quick one really for anyone wishing to retro fit S4 B7 recaro's (not B6 ones) into any other A4 B7 variant.
I've seen a lot of articles on various sites etc regarding the retro fitting full electric S4 B7 recaro's in the other B7 variants.

A lot seem to suggest they wont work as the looms are wrong or missing the wiring to run full electric seats, this is not correct.
If you purchase B7 recaro's with full electric everything or not they will be plug and play into A4 B7 variants.
If you pull the cover off the sockets under either front seat you will see all 4 sockets are present for :

The black socket is the pressure control module connection.
The green socket is for heated seats
The red socket is for powering the seat (reclining, lumbar, etc)
The yellow socket is for the seat’s airbag.

The car is wired for all functions , it is the seat that will be wired differently for spec variation.
If you have electric lumber then the red plug on the seat will only be wired for that function, whereas if you have a full electric seat then all the function will be present in the seat plug.
Also the electric circuits that cover seat movement etc on the B7 platform use trip switches in case of overload and they will automatically reset after a couple of seconds in case of overload etc.

So it is just plug & play with B7 spec recaro's, specific setting relating to seat functions can be modified via VCDS aswell.

Hope that helps on the B7 fitting front, I expect its old news but thought i'd just refresh the subject.

rob

 

[norad97]

Good information Rob, and good news for those who want to do the same.

 

[Baka]

Nice! I always wondered if all the wiring was there, or if they just wired in what was fitted to that particular car.

 

[Nollywood]

Very useful info, Rob. Thanks!

 

[AvantAlexB7]

Are yours memory versions too Rob? I wonder how much harder it would be to fit the rest?

 

[Charlie Farley]

I'm looking into that at this very moment Alex, you'd need a few more bits though which i'm researching now.

 

[Charlie Farley]

A bit more info for those of you looking to do this retro fit.
I had a bit of a moment Monday when the guy I use saw the damaged bolster on my recently acquired B7 recaro's , initially he said it would be repairable working on digital pics but in reality it was not a viable repair as the foam has gone completely , well not for a decent long lasting fix that is.

The leather is not an issue but audi recaro's use a two piece foam seat pad, the main section is a one piece with the extension forming the second part.
He really knows his stuff so I trust him, it seems to be a common problem with the bolsters and they just crumple after time, all those bums on seats really..lol
Anyway , faced with a minor dilemma on what to do I decided to try audi for a spare pad, I wasn't holding up to much confidence due to old parts now but the foam parts inc base are still available, not cheap for a bit of foam but it will workout cheaper overall as the labour time is reduced a lot , so all evens out in the end.

So in conclusion , if you are looking to get some , make sure the leather is in as best condition as possible , and if the foam underneath is less than ideal don't be put off by a saggy seat pad etc as they are available and it's mainly the drivers side seat pad and bolsters that fail.
I paid £425 for my set of recaro's which are in very good condition , just that bolster failure , by the time I get the new part fitted that will bring my total cost to £600 and i'll have a first rate complete set.
well worth the cost and getting the new foam pad.

rob

 

[Charlie Farley]

Are yours memory versions too Rob? I wonder how much harder it would be to fit the rest?

had a look at ekta and it appears you need a controller module for each seat, the switch for the door , a different seat loom for each seat and some other bits.

 

[AvantAlexB7]

A bit more info for those of you looking to do this retro fit.
I had a bit of a moment Monday when the guy I use saw the damaged bolster on my recently acquired B7 recaro's , initially he said it would be repairable working on digital pics but in reality it was not a viable repair as the foam has gone completely , well not for a decent long lasting fix that is.

The leather is not an issue but audi recaro's use a two piece foam seat pad, the main section is a one piece with the extension forming the second part.
He really knows his stuff so I trust him, it seems to be a common problem with the bolsters and they just crumple after time, all those bums on seats really..lol
Anyway , faced with a minor dilemma on what to do I decided to try audi for a spare pad, I wasn't holding up to much confidence due to old parts now but the foam parts inc base are still available, not cheap for a bit of foam but it will workout cheaper overall as the labour time is reduced a lot , so all evens out in the end.

So in conclusion , if you are looking to get some , make sure the leather is in as best condition as possible , and if the foam underneath is less than ideal don't be put off by a saggy seat pad etc as they are available and it's mainly the drivers side seat pad and bolsters that fail.
I paid £425 for my set of recaro's which are in very good condition , just that bolster failure , by the time I get the new part fitted that will bring my total cost to £600 and i'll have a first rate complete set.
well worth the cost and getting the new foam pad.

rob

When looking to recommission my heated seats, i popped into tps to get some prices for the heated elements. Around £200 per seat for the parts required so decided id go for a nice set of recaros or rs4 comfort seats instead if a set pop up.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Well being a hands on type of person i made an executive descision to do all the work , well accept the leather work, not my dept so best left to pro's.
Spent the morning stripping the seat down only to uncover more nastiness and problems.

So l'd best do a project write up on the pro's and cons of this type of retro fit, but hey it's a tuff job but it has to be done.

Rob

 

[Charlie Farley]

When looking to recommission my heated seats, i popped into tps to get some prices for the heated elements. Around £200 per seat for the parts required so decided id go for a nice set of recaros or rs4 comfort seats instead if a set pop up.

The heating elements for the s4 recaro's are £126.00 per seat base let alone the back one.

 

[Charlie Farley]

How's this for a failed bolster, and bolster frame has taken a real hammering and is cracked on the rear weld point but totally sheared away from the front just amazed the leather has stood up to all that abuse.
But i'll sort it out and it will be better than new.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Heating element is glued to the foam base, manged to get it off without damage to the element or breaking the extended pad either, will have to use contact glue to re-fix it to the new foam base.

 

[Charlie Farley]

A bit bare now.

 

[AvantAlexB7]

Looks like a porker owned those seats Rob! I believe tps said the backrest heated elements were a similar price to the base ones.

Good effort young man

 

[Charlie Farley]

Either that or they used the side of the seat as a step ladder, still what else to do on a wet and windy day, saved myself a few hundred quids aswell.

 

[Charlie Farley]

So then a bit further on with my seat project today.
The replacement seat foam pad arrived today so a big thumbs upto crewe audi on their great service.
The foam failure level on the old seat pad can be seen against the new pad , its really shot..
I've finished the seat frame weld repairs to the bolster support arm and re-fitted most of the seat base assembly now so looks more like a seat again.
Just need to iron the bolster section leather crease out a bit more tomorrow and it will be fine, then refit the cover to sponge and fit that all back to seat base.
Oh yes, then fit all the seats to the old bus.

rob

 

[AvantAlexB7]

So then a bit further on with my seat project today.
The replacement seat foam pad arrived today so a big thumbs upto crewe audi on their great service.
The foam failure level on the old seat pad can be seen against the new pad , its really shot..
I've finished the seat frame weld repairs to the bolster support arm and re-fitted most of the seat base assembly now so looks more like a seat again.
Just need to iron the bolster section leather crease out a bit more tomorrow and it will be fine, then refit the cover to sponge and fit that all back to seat base.
Oh yes, then fit all the seats to the old bus.

robView attachment 178383 View attachment 178384 View attachment 178385 View attachment 178386

Good work! Did you buy a standard seat pad or the heated version? The heated elements only stick on don't i believe

 

[Charlie Farley]

The seat pads come just as a pre-formed pad sections ,heating elements are encased in a material layer that the sticks to the foam, they are a separate parts both back rest and seat pad.
They are not designed to be removed once affixed to the foam, I managed to very, very carefull remove mine from the old foam and clean of all residual bits and pieces and its undamaged.
Will use some contact adhesive designed for the job to refix the old element to the new foam pad.
One need to be very carefull as the heating element also extends into the cushion extenstion section, so very easy to damage the cable if not super carefull.
old pad with element still affixed below.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Just a quick one for you, if you're going to do this repair a very important thing to be aware of it the seat cover retaining method.
The Outer edges of teh cover are secured by pulling under the frame and then clipping onto the frame under side, that's not a issue, bit of a pain to get off without damaging the cover retaining fixing, but doable with care, easy to refit.
The centre section of the cover is held in place by plastic clips that do not just ping open so do not just try and yank it out as you will damage the cover big time and the foam pad if it's being re-used.
you need to carefully pull the cover back at the rear to expose the 3 rear clips ( red) and gently pry them open one at a time, once the cover is free you can then slide if forwards and out of the side clips, trust me this is the best method to avoid making a right hash of he job, refitting is easy again as the cover just pushes into the clips.
pic of the offending clips below.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Ok , mission completed.
Finally got the seat all back together , a few irritating bits like plastic covers took forever to refit , one must fit the seat cover to the foam pad and then refit to the base frame otherwise it is a real pain to get back on properly .
Anyway very pleased with the outcome only a very small line left in the leather bolster section compared to the enormous mess before I started, in time it will probably disappear a almost completely.
Ready to fit the whole lot tomorrow.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Ok , all in and done now and very pleased with things, had to change the 10 amp fuse under the dash , but that was expected.
One strange thing that I've come across is the seat occupancy setup.
On the drivers side there are 4 plugs and 4 matching socket as already mentioned , passenger side seat has 4 plugs but only 3 sockets in the floor ( airbags/heating /and electric seat movement etc) no socket for seat occupancy.
I was under the impression the passenger side was connected , it would seem not, and the drivers side does'nt have the occupancy in it.
Anyway , all powered up nicely , air bags did their diagnostic and all passed , no errors at all.

i'll look into this more as it seems a bit oddreally.

rob

 

[Charlie Farley]

Well all in very pleased with them, and very comfy.
One down side , well not really a problem as such is this.
As they are full electric the seat movements are very sensitive at the switch's , slightest knock and the seat moves in whichever way the button has been moved, that's good as it make the controls very good for fine tuning , but when one has spent ages getting all the positions just right , you catch one and things have moved.
So to enhance these great seats I am going to fit the auto memory seat function, at least I can then store the positions.
So that's the next project.

 

[AvantAlexB7]

Well all in very pleased with them, and very comfy.
One down side , well not really a problem as such is this.
As they are full electric the seat movements are very sensitive at the switch's , slightest knock and the seat moves in whichever way the button has been moved, that's good as it make the controls very good for fine tuning , but when one has spent ages getting all the positions just right , you catch one and things have moved.
So to enhance these great seats I am going to fit the auto memory seat function, at least I can then store the positions.
So that's the next project.

Now im really interested.... lol!

 

[Charlie Farley]

You need to get some alex, they are sooooo much better than the s-line ones.

 

[AvantAlexB7]

Im tempted...hmmmm. lol

 

[Charlie Farley]

there is a nice rs4 b7 set on ebay alex , ends tomorrow, worth a look chap....only downside is the rs4 logo on all the seats whereas just plain recaro is better sometimes, all down to choice.

 

[Charlie Farley]

So having checked I need 5 parts and depending on if the loom to the seat connection is fully populated that may become 4.
For starters the memory module for the seat is needed (one per seat), door loom is different as is the seat loom aswell.
they are the main ones to get holds of, i'm only doing the drivers side so that will keep cost down abit.

 

[Charlie Farley]

At the moment I am trying to workout what the difference is between modules,
8e0-959-760 and 760A , if I can use 760A they are a lot cheaper but they maybe too different to use.

 

[Blurtar]

Thanks for the info Rob on this thread. I’m contemplating buying some late B6 s line heated memory leathers for my b7 cab which are the same seat except full electric

The seat module is with them as per your part number above. Am I right in thinking these will be plug and play except for memory?

They also have the rear footwell lights too which is a bonus. I have the Kufatec harness for the heating side.

I realise it’s an old thread! Just wanted to be clear before buying.
Thanks

 

[Charlie Farley]

For the memory function to work the car will need to be fully wired accordingly , so if it wasn't factory fit then you'll need everything inc the loom or a suitable loom to get it all interfaced properly.
From a general connection point, check what plugs you have in the floor pan allready.
B7 seats would be a better option , but B6 will work, a lot depends on what wiring is fitted at present and that will dictate how much more you need to do really.

 

[Charlie Farley]

The cab seats are different as well.

 

[Charlie Farley]

This on cabs, not on saloon/avants , so you'll need like for like.

 

[Charlie Farley]

The basic seat format is the same across cab, saloon or Avant , the cabs have a different backrest that incorporates a tilt forward catch on the top corner, which saloon /avants won't.
Wiring in the seats will be like for like if your changing like for like seats, that said , if you don't have the green wiring loom and plug on the seats then they won't be heated and if you do, you need to ensure you have all sockets occupied in the floor to allow for the seat option to work, plus the heated seat/climate control unit.

 

[Blurtar]

For the memory function to work the car will need to be fully wired accordingly , so if it wasn't factory fit then you'll need everything inc the loom or a suitable loom to get it all interfaced properly.
From a general connection point, check what plugs you have in the floor pan allready.
B7 seats would be a better option , but B6 will work, a lot depends on what wiring is fitted at present and that will dictate how much more you need to do really.

Yeah I did think I needed to lift the seats and have a look at what’s there. I was originally only going to get heated seats so wasn’t bothered for looking as I knew what was needed. I’m currently on with the head gasket and timing belt so will have to wait for now.
I might still buy the ones I’ve seen as they’re a good price just a bit of travel involved.

 

[Charlie Farley]

You can get to see the plugs without removing the seats, just put them up to highest setting and either allway forwards or backwards, just slide the connection cover off and see what is there.
Is your cab already fitted with heated seats?

 

[Blurtar]

You can get to see the plugs without removing the seats, just put them up to highest setting and either allway forwards or backwards, just slide the connection cover off and see what is there.
Is your cab already fitted with heated seats?

No it’s standard s line leather manual adjust with thigh extensions. I’ve got the climate panel with switches and harness for heated seats.

 

[Blurtar]

This on cabs, not on saloon/avants , so you'll need like for like.

View attachment 247926

Yeah I’m conscious of the latch in my searches.