Has anyone done this before and know how to avoid airbag warning lights or worse !?

 

I've searched but can only see (various) advice on disconnecting plugs while you are swapping, but nothing about what the car does when the seats suddenly aren't plugged into the airbags connectors any more ?

 

Thanks

 

My Elegance 4x4 seats are knackered and the vRS ones I've got aren't !

In terms of the light being on as far as I can make out its only a case of fooling the sensor into thinking it's pluged in, it might just be a case of joining the connectors so it makes a circuit but it may need to sense a resistance? I would try if you can getting hold of of a seat side connector from a scrappy and joining the wires (think there are just 2) to see if this extinguishes the light before you mess around with the seats??

You ideally need VAGCOM/VCDS, but resistors can be used too: Disabling airbags

The fault system knows what the specific resistance of the seat electrics are, and uses this to detect faults

There's a man who knows not a buffoon who guesses

lol, just through research - racing seats/harnesses (hence disabling airbags) still a long long way down the 'to-do'

It's not something I've done, but I'd have a guess you could change the airbag coding to tell the ECU it hasn't got side airbags installed

ive done the swap - awaiting for resistors to arrive, then i will post my findings.

There's a man who knows not a buffoon who guesses

 

I know exactly how you feel and what you mean on that Its me many many times!!

ive done the swap - awaiting for resistors to arrive, then i will post my findings.

Good luck and I hope it works out without too much hassle. Really interested in what you learn.

Cheers

OK - so I added a 2.2 ohm resistor between the green and white on the drivers seat and the blue and white on the passinger seat - cleared the faults using vcds lite, and the light is gone

 

No multiple flashing airbag light - just stays on for a brief period as normal, and then turns off.

 

Happy days!

Edited 24 October, 201411 yr by sebring

Excellent!

Would you mind telling me the sequence you followed when removing & fitting the seats  (re the battery and unplugging airbags) and was it the official part (1JO... part number) you bought or from somewhere else ?

Thanks - glad it worked out

See I was close.............................. Ish

i didn't do anything special to be fair - battery remained plugged in, but the car was switched off without the key in the ignition.

 

To remove the seats, remove the slider covers (i screwed a small screw into the cover and pulled it off - yes, it makes a small round hole, but i thought that was better then screw driver scratches and dents around the cover. - in hindsight, using a gluegun would have worked.  After the covers are removed, side the seat forwards and raise it to its highest point, and disconnect the plug - then slide the seat back and undo the 2x 13mm nuts - the seat can then be slid out from the rear and removed from the front door.

 

If you have the resistors, then install them as my previous post and if all goes well, you might not even need to use the vcds to clear any codes.

 

the resistors i used are from here (note that the purchase price is for 1, and its an extra £1 postage)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-2-OHMS-SRS-AIRBAG-RESISTORS-0-25W-2-AMP-FUSE-BYPASS-DELETE-FAULT-LIGHT-/261610592062?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3ce934d73e

 

you might get away with cheaper ones from maplins, but i didn't have time to go searching - and would have cost me however much i save in fuel and time anyway!

OK - so I added a 2.2 ohm resistor between the green and white on the drivers seat and the blue and white on the passinger seat - cleared the faults using vcds lite, and the light is gone

 

No multiple flashing airbag light - just stays on for a brief period as normal, and then turns off.

 

Happy days!

 

I used same method to fit a none airbag steering wheel.

 

You have to fit a resistor and then program VCDS to either clear the faullt and or disable then re enable .

 

If you disable you will get fault light on all the time so it is a case of keeping airbags enabled but deal with the resistor to act like the airbags are still there.

 

some folks are lucky and the removal of airbags seat's and or steering wheel  then fitting resistor does not trigger a fault , but i have never been that lucky    

I used black leather seats from a mk4 Golf in my 4x4.

 

 

The side bolsters are the same as the vRS seats but have airbags in so no problems with the warning light.

Now you tell me! lol

Now you tell me! lol

 

 

iirc vrs seats are actually the only VAG sporty seats that don't have side airbags

Thanks all ! :clap:

Unless you can find a set of wrc vrs seats these have the side airbags ,very rare .