Hi guys ,

Have got a small / large problem reference the drivers seat in my recently purchased (1 week) 2010 vrs Octavia.

Basically having owned the car just over a week and covered 600 miles I am finding the driving seat extremely uncomfortable to the point where it has really agrevated my next which had a disc replacement some 5 years ago ! It's really not good and now taking pain killers at a rate of knots

Test drove the car for a good half hour before purchase but like a lot of problems , things did not come to light until after the first week of ownership

Now the car it's self is great but just cannot get comfy in these seats , the main problem being that the squab , seat cushion has no angle adjustment . No doubt the vast majority of owners are more than happy but this is causing me real grief.

As I see it , I have two options, go back to the dealer and throw myself at his mercy £££££££ or replace the front seats / seat with something tthat has more adjustment from within the vw/ Skoda stable

The car is fine but would really welcome suggestions before really hitting the panic button big time

Any ideas people

Dinger

The Octaiva shares it's chassis/platform with the VW Golf, Seat Leon and Audi A3.

There have been other threads about swapping seats between cars, maybe try a search.

I have a vRS and a Scout and I find the vRS seats more uncomfortable over longer distances, but then I very much like the additional support you get through the larger bolsters.

Either way there isn't an easy, quick or cost effective solution to your problem.

If its getting to the point that is affecting your health then perhaps a compromise would be something with seats more geared towards cruising comfort rather than sporty support.

I've read that the seats on the Skoda Superb are as good as they get. The Superb is also available with the CR170 engine too, although they are a bigger car and therefore more expensive than the Octavia.

The Superb seats are indeed superb IMO, but to get full adjustment you need to get the full electric ones fitted to the Elegance.

Alternatively maybe the seats from a high end Golf would fit your car (again only look for electric ones)

Welcome BTW.

As I say the Vrs ticks all the boxes , but the seat I just cannot get comfortable ! I will do a search regarding changing seats and see what that throws up.

If its the lumbar support then it always breaks and the cable for adjustment comes off inside

.... warranty fix for free!

If you have no luck with Golf etc seats then you can always fit a Recaro ... I did just that in my MKI Superb, it's not a cheap option and you will have an odd seat BUT they are probably the best seats for comfort.

My mate's '58 golf seats are AMAZINGLY comfy! I have a sciatic problem over long distances in any car but his!

I like sitting close to the floor and found it not quite as comfortable as previous cars to do this. Have you tried raising the seat slightly (you'd then have to recline slightly)?

Your back ends up pretty much where it was but it seems to help the back overall.....

Dinger - going for a replacement from another VAG car is an option - just make sure the airbags in the seat will work on your car and not trigger an eroor in the cars computer.

However you could consider taking this to an upholstery shop, perhaps they can sort you out. That, of course, only applies if you have a "fixed" angle you need on the seat. We have done this kind of fixes in Finland and Sweden, for customres with disabilities and/or special needs, so it is possible.

This topic has come up before with regards to the seats being uncomfortable for the same bit of seat might find a solution on here but I am in the same boat do 900 mile drives in a oner and last time I was uncomfortable all the way no matter what way I adjusted seating position it dug into leg then leg was in agony for a week after. Conclusion seems to be the pedals are offset to the seat being designed to be LHD. Best I can do it myself sit slightly offset when its bugging me so that my hips are square on to the pedals.

Strangely enough, I found one solution, although it's not particularly neat: When I took out the interior after a wet carpet, I was driving around with no carpets or centre console under/around the climatronic, just the bare metal. I found that without that plasticy foot rest to the left of the clutch, I was able to stretch my leg out and it was MUCH more confortable as my body could stretch about more. Just looked a bit ugly when I put the carpets back in. Surprising how much of a difference it made to driver comfort.

I would suggest going to a few garages and try seats from other VAG cars, then when you find what works, get on ebay or a breakers

Do you use a cushion or wedge that is designed for people that suffer from Sciatica.?

I usually have some kicking about incase of having to drive cars with seats that bother me.

I just turn then around untill they give the position i need along with the seat tipped forward or whatever.

george

What about a 3rd party seat you can take with you when you change cars?

http://www.recaro-seats.co.uk/ergonomics/index.php

That's exactly what I did on my MKI Superb, but as I said earlier it is not a cheap option (expect £1,000 for a decent electrically adjustable seat) the Recaro seats do not come with a subframe either, so bear that into the cost, many also do not have airbags fitted, so require a resistor fitting into the airbag system (mine came c/w resistor and plugs when I bought the subframe).

It will be the most comfortable option by far, but at a cost and the seat will not fully match.

Electrically adjustable seats are the way to go (the only thing you don't need to be electric is the front to rear sliding mechanism on the subframe) as you can alter the setting more than you can with manually adjustable ones, also do not even think of a ratchet (lever or round knob on the side of the seat) lumbar adjustment if you have back issues, electric or the air pump are the ones to get.

Lowering or highering the seat alters the angle

If it is simply the angle of the seat and nothing else that is the issue then you could try fitting spacers / washers under the side of subframe that needs lifting up, I had to do this on a Fiesta that I could not comfortable in, once lifted about 10mm at the front it made the world of difference.

You may need longer bolts though (they are probably M8)

A big thank you to everyone who bothered to reply......

Right, so the car itself is great ,so really don't want to get drastic, especially after spending £££££££££ so looking at things again I need to change the angle of the squab as the angle is just no good for me whatsoever , it's too acute.

So before shopping for seats I will track down a wedge ( no s******ing please) and see if I can get one of those. I employed one in an Audi A 4 and it helped no end, so that's the first , quickest , cheapest fix on the list.

Failing that I will maybe look up a local trimmer to see what they say , but will ultimately change the drivers seat !!!!! With resale in mind.

Lastly it will be to sit on , and source a vw group seat that has the adjustment to the seat Squab angle.

Q .. I know it's 4 torq bolts that hold the seat in place but how do you take the thing out without having a comedy moment with airbags/ immobilisers etc .........?.....?

Apart from that it's a bloody goody good car and thats comparing it's to the A4 ....Bmws ...mercsetc

Ooh for the record aim 15 stone and 6 ft so don't think I,m asking too much, just a dodgy neck I,m afraid.

As an example.

http://www.back2.co....at_Cushions-c28

http://www.back2.co.uk/Seat_Wedges-c27

Maybe best see then in the flesh and try for being firm enough.

I have my right leg amputated and drive using my left foot on standard throttle pedals & need the cushion to be very supportive, or it kills the back of my thigh.

I always take care in whatever my own cars seat is, but often its a few hundred miles of a journey before the position really bothers me.

I find that the vRS seats are great for getting a good angle with when right down low.

& the backrest side bollsters certainly get a bit more comfortable with wear.

the wedge in the pictures was about £35 a few years ago, but worth its weight in gold.

Some of the other ones are not much of a help if getting in an uncomfortable seat.

Mobility, Disability, Mobilty Scooter type suppliers or Showroom maybe.

george

Dinger, have you tried raising or lowering the seat?

The higher you have the seat, the more horizontal it gets.

If you lower the seat, the front of it gets higher than the back.

Hi guys ,

Yes I have tried raising the seat as much as possible ...

Just come back from my sisters where I sat in their top of the range passat .....all leather seats with multi directional seat seat settings ...the most obvious thing was the squab and back rest were so much more at right angles / 90degrees and so more accommodating .......but it's not my Vrs lol

Anyhow, the mobility wedges is my first ange of attack ...but if that fails then I will endeavour to look at seat options from the vag family .

Would still like to know how easy to change seats bearing in mind the airbag situation , so any advice would be welcome

I have swapped Superb and A6 over easily enough, picking a set that uses the same runners is the first and most important part.

The airbag plugs may well be different, but replacement plugs can be bought to swap them round.

Hi again ,

Just preparing for the worst through a fog of pain ....... When you take a seat out .....what is the procedure to ensure the airbags remain ok......and if the seats are replaced with electric ones ( non sporty ones) will the wiring plug be hidden under the carpet ??

Thanks for any suggestions

Dinger

Disconnect the battery before you start anything and connect it back up last thing (for the airbags).

There will not be any wiring looms in place for the electrics, these are easy to install though as there is a 'power block' just above the throttle pedal (under the trim) which has ignition fed live supplies, use this with a suitable in-line fuse.

Where in Kent are you?

Contact your dealer as there is a known warranty issue with seat internals falling to bits. Just had both mine done on my current vRS.