Broken Sport Seat. Only Reclines.

[Tadao]

Hi. My '84 325e sport seat is broken. Reclines but i can't get it to lock in upright position. When I bought it, the guy had built a wooden brace to keep it upright (brace is on the floor against back seat). Looked at wreckers thinking i could get a replacement but the 3 seats i can find are trashed, and wrong model. Anyone repaired a seat before, or know how i could repair it. It would be great if i could replace a part or 2 rather than getting new ones!

New factory seats are expensive i guess. Know of any cheaper aftermarket seats? Thanks.

Mark

[MrM3]

you could probably reupholster them for around $800. or try calling bavarian auto recycling, theyre probably in the yellow pages

[KenCopperwheat]

You'd be better of buying a 'new' set of used ones than reupholstering them. Check eBay or some other forums such as:
www.r3vlimited.com
www.bimmerforums.com
www.unofficialbmw.com
www.dtmpower.net

There are plenty of seat sets for sale on those forums. Or they can probably hook you up with the parts you need if you know what you want.

[detour54]

I would definitely not reupholster them for around $800, unless you have money to burn. You're much better off doing what KenCopperwheat said and try to find some on those forums listed, ebay, and maybe you'll be lucky enough to find someone locally.

On second thought, you may be able to fix the problem yourself. Post on other E30 related forums and see what others have to say.

Also, check out what other aftermarket seats poeple have been installing in their cars. Most are worth installing.

Good Luck with that.

BTW, out of curiousity, what color are your seats?

[Tadao]

Hey, thanks for the advice guys. I ripped out the seat, and the metal frame is cracked on both sides in the seat area (2 pieces run parallel to legs). Could take off upholstery (blue cloth) and cushions to see if it could be welded but that would be a pain in the ass, and i'd still be left with some bad upholstery (hole in the middle of the seat). Does anyone know what seats are compatible with a 2 door '84 325e? It looks like I may have to replace that seat with anything that fits for now. Are all e30 seats interchangeable? Thanks again for all the help!

Mark

[detour54]

Originally posted by Tadao@Jan 8 2004, 01:40 AM
Are all e30 seats interchangeable?
Mark

Yup.

[babzenuda]

Since we're on the topic of seats, does anyone know what seats are compatible with E21s? I wouldn't mind upgrading the old seats in my 320i. All the padding is disintegrated and there are a few rips on the vinyl. Some modern thrones would be nice... I wonder if there are any tan leather sport seats out there that could be adapted for E21...

Not Holding My Breath,
Robert.

[Tadao]

Are seats from other chassis (E21 etc.) also interchangeable?