Has anyone had a similar experience?

I swapped my 2009 Elegance 170 TDI for a new 2012 Elegance 2.0 TSI in March. I have the ventilated seats in the new car. In my first car I was able to get the seat adjusted comfortably and never had any problems with backache on 400 mile plus journeys. Unfortunately on my new car, despite 3 months of trying to adjust the seat I am unable to get a comfortable driving position. I know there is a lengthy thread about adjusting the seats and I have followed the advice there but it has not made much difference. Other people who have driven the car have also found it impossible to get comfortable.

The problem seems to be that the back rest is very firm and the only point of contact is around the middle of the back. This has the effect of making the lower back move backwards and the shoulders come forward. The lumber support does not come up high enough to support the lower back properly, the passenger seat is similarly uncomfortable. (For reference I am 5’ 10” average build and 30” leg). This is getting to be a serious problem as my back is hurting after my 6 mile (10 mins) drive to work. I will be spending 5 weeks driving round Europe over the summer and need to get something sorted out.

I will be going to see the dealer about this as I think it is a fault with the car but I can imagine them saying it is my problem and I just need to adjust the seat properly. Does anyone know if the seats are different between the petrol and diesel models, have they changed in any way on more recent cars or if the ventilated seats are significantly different in their shape and upholstering compared to the non-ventilated seats. Has anyone any experience of a car seat being badly upholstered? I am at a loss to explain why my first Superb was one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven yet the new on is the most uncomfortable vehicle I have ever driven.

Any help appreciated

Thanks

John

Hi John,

Not sure I can give you any advice, but I am about 5' 9 with 29" leg, I have not had any of the problems you described, in fact I was surprised that the ventilated seats were more comfortable than the non vented ones I drove on the test drive, although I had noticed when I got the car that if the lumbar support is to far out it will hurt.

Regards

David

hi john sorry to hear about you problems with the seats i am sure it will work out.

what i would like to know is what kind of work you are in to get 5 weeks holiday and are there any vacancies where you work.

bill

Hi John,

Not sure I can give you any advice, but I am about 5' 9 with 29" leg, I have not had any of the problems you described, in fact I was surprised that the ventilated seats were more comfortable than the non vented ones I drove on the test drive, although I had noticed when I got the car that if the lumbar support is to far out it will hurt.

Regards

David

I am very much with you as I drive to Scotland and have found my L&K to be one of the most comfortable cars that I have owned and that includes the 407 for seat comfort.

6'3" with 36" leg and no problem with vent.seats. Comfortable enough even for straight 500+/round 1500+ mile travels.

However didn't like the alcantara upholstery so that's one of the reasons why opted for perfo. seats.

I'm with JAB on this one. I'm 6'4", 33" inside leg. I've covered 14,000 miles in 13 months. I've found as comfortable position as I can, but my lower back starts to hurt after 45 minutes driving, also my right thigh. It's not always practical to stop after 45 minutes for a walk and stretch. Matters came to a head in April, when I had to drive 2.5 hours non-stop. Next thing I knew, I was diagnosed with a slipped disc, and was in absolute agony for 5 days. My Chiropractor has dealt with this.

He recommended a 4x4, but I couldn't find that fitted me. The only two cars that worked for my particular body shape were a Mercedes S Class, and a Volvo S80. Finances don't stretch to an S Class, so I've ordered a Volvo - the one with massaging front seats, which helped when I took it out for a 1 day test drive whilst still partially suffering with the slipped disc. I covered 145 miles in the Volvo without any problem. And, there's even more leg room with the drivers seat pushed right back, than in the Skoda. Driving afterwards in the Skoda, I could feel my back aching again during a 15 mile drive. A terrible shame, as in every other way (bar paint quality and susceptibilty to chip easliy) I've been very pleased with the Superb. For me, the Volvo seats provide much more comfort and support for my body shape. Farewell soon, dear friend.

Could there be a problem with the lumbar support mechanism within your ventilated seat? This is the only aspect I can see causing the problem you describe.

I suffer from lower back issues and my superb elegance seats do not cause me any issues. My previous car, mercedes c class was very uncomfortable. I also have a Mitsubishi shogun and this causes me no issues.

The Human back is very complicated and each one is different. However I would have assumed all superb seats were the same, thus making me think there might be a technical problem??

Edited 8 June, 201214 yr by gianthotdog

Thanks for all the replies so far. I am hoping that as many of you have found the ventilated seats comfortable there may be a problem with my seats, although I suspect it will be hard to convince the dealer that there is.

Has anyone had experience with both the ventilated and non-ventilated seats and if so have they noticed a difference. As I said before I find it strange that I had no problems in the previous car yet such an uncomfortable experience in the new one.

It is easy to find out if your lumber adjustmentis at least working.

While sat in the seat simply press he adjuster and you should feel the pressure plate big "inflated" towards your back. This should happen on two of the adjustment points, the other two are for reducing the adjustment support.

Had the same problem with mine. Went to a dealer who had the car for a test drive, then stripped the drivers seat down and had to replace both the seat base and seat back and lumbar motor as appeared to be a manufacturing fault with my seat all sorted under warranty.