Help with A3 Seats

[Morso]

Hi - I'm new to this Audi forum, so please accept my apologies if this isn't the correct place to put this request.

I've got a 2005 3 dr A3 2.0TDI Sport, but have unfortunately suffered a back injury and now require a seat with a lumbar support. The original seat is now unbearable.

I've tried ringing round some dealers, but they can't help at all.

Has anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

 

[SteveTDCi]

go aftermarket, you could get them retrimmed but it will depend on how you value your back. I find recaro great and you can get specific subframes for the A3, try googling capital seating.

 

[Morso]

Hi Steve

Thanks for that - I'll give them a try.

Just had some other thoughts that you may know the answers to:

1. Does an S3 / A3 S-Line seat have a lumbar support and if so will this fit straight in?

2. If it's an electric seat, will the standard wiring loom in my car have the necessary connectors already fitted to enable an electric seat to be fitted?

3. Are the seats from any other Audi likely to fit?

Cheers

 

[SteveTDCi]

The SLine doesn't have the lumbar as standard, i'm not 100% sure but I guess the loom might be there. YOu could try fitting other seats, the A4 Sline has lumbar support and the seats are much comfier, the base is wider so it doesn't cut into your thighs and the back support is a little better, i'm not sure if they are too wide for the car though. I'd still go for the Recaro's they are a much better seat although they don't look oem, saying that the S3 has them as an option. My Recaros in the 1989 XR3 were more comfortable than the A3, I also find leather makes the seats over firm that was part of the reason I got shot of my GOlf.

 

[Staz]

Lumbar support is an optional extra on all A3/S3 seats minus the S3 Recaros.

I doubt you could fit the lumbar parts to an original seat as it involves a lot of parts and I would imagine the seat itself doesn't come with the fittings just to add the lumbar parts.

You would need to find a seat from a breakers with similar trim with the lumbar option and fit it. I don't know the wiring for the seats but I would imagine the lumbar control unit just gets a 12v feed and neg so you'd be able to take a feed from somewhere to get it working. This differs from the seat heating as the power comes from a switch on the dash. I may be wrong though.

I would say the easiest thing would be to get aftermarket seats like the guys have mentioned above. They'd look better too.

 

[NHN]

Hi - I'm new to this Audi forum, so please accept my apologies if this isn't the correct place to put this request.

I've got a 2005 3 dr A3 2.0TDI Sport, but have unfortunately suffered a back injury and now require a seat with a lumbar support. The original seat is now unbearable.

I've tried ringing round some dealers, but they can't help at all.

Has anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

You could replace the seats with the version with electric lumbar, I can wire it in & maybe find the seats which are usually in a set tbh, think they're about 1-1.5k, how much is your back worth? I recently changed mine & wiring my lumbar tomorrow as new ones came with electric lumbar, another option is I'm sure Audi sell that version for your car so maybe order a new seat with lumbar support, if interested in any help please ask.

As for one from breakers, if its straight swap & comes with wiring on seat already then I can wire from the seat to the car, have to be sure of what you get though, could probably swap the trims over aswell so same fabric.

 

[Morso]

NHN

Thanks for that - sounds great! I'll start hunting round some breakers yards.

What part of the country are you in - I'm in Yorkshire.

When I spoke to an Audi dealer, they reckoned that it wouldn't be possible to wire in electric seats as the standard loom doesn't have the connectors unless it was specified from new, but I guess they just can't be bothered with anything remotely out of the normal!

Cheers

 

[Lee_R]

Theres a couple of sets of full leathers on ebay, may be worth asking if they have lumbar support?

 

[Welshman]

I'm new to forum so hope you can help with this....sorry if it's a tad boring!!
I have just purchased 2004 Reg A3 2.0 TDi sport. Just like the original post I hate drivers seat and really find painful after about 20 mins driving....the main problem is width of seat...I find that seat is "biting" into my thighs. I can feel the metal rim of seat. Does anyone know if repadding edges of seats will rectify? Also Steve TDCi do you know if A4 seat you refer to will fit into A3?

cheers lads.

Welshman

 

[SteveTDCi]

i've never looked any further into changing to the A4 seat, I keep an eye on ebay to see if anything cheap comes up but haven't found anything. I find the same problem as you, mine are part leather which makes them a little firmer, cloth ones arn't as bad but the A4 ones are teh best. Try and look at one of the last of the current shape A3's they did change the base on them they look a little wider.

 

[h5djr]

I'm new to forum so hope you can help with this....sorry if it's a tad boring!!
I have just purchased 2004 Reg A3 2.0 TDi sport. Just like the original post I hate drivers seat and really find painful after about 20 mins driving....the main problem is width of seat...I find that seat is "biting" into my thighs. I can feel the metal rim of seat. Does anyone know if repadding edges of seats will rectify? Also Steve TDCi do you know if A4 seat you refer to will fit into A3?

cheers lads.

Welshman

I used to have exactly the same problem with my first 4 A3s but at that time you could only get the 1.8T engine in a Sport version with sports seats as standard. When I bought my first 8P I had the option of an SE model which does not have the sports seats. I personally find them so much more comfortable, especially in a cloth material. I don't like leather seats at the best of times.

Perhaps you could look around for anyone selling standard A3 seats. Perhaps even a breakers yard with a damaged A3 SE. At least you know they will fit into the same runners etc as the sports seats. If they are the wrong finish or colour you could always get them re-trimmed.