Superb II - Narrow Seats !

[linni]

Managed to sit in Superb III today. Unfurtunately, nothing has changed and the driver`s seat is as uncomfortable as it is in Superb II. It makes me seriously think, what is going to be my next car. Probably not Skoda.

[Superb170]

Managed to sit in Superb III today. Unfurtunately, nothing has changed and the driver`s seat is as uncomfortable as it is in Superb II. It makes me seriously think, what is going to be my next car. Probably not Skoda.

I think the fact that the Asian markets (especially China) are where the bigger volumes are at for Skoda is definitely a factor here, hence designing some aspects such as seats to suit customers in those markets.

[skippy41]

I wish they would fit a convectional accelerator peddle, my right foot is never in the same place twice

[Paddington2012]

My wife is experiencing a similar problem on our recently acquired 2013 Elegance 1.6 TDi.  After a couple of weeks, she has pain in her right hip and feels she's not sitting evenly on the seat.

 

I removed the side trim where the seat memory switches are.  It's not easy to undo at the rear, but at the front of the trim there is a clip that can easily be undone.  Once that's undone the trim can be moved clean enough (be careful with the very rear of the trim under the rear of the seat as that's no so easy to unclip but doesn't need to be). 

 

Once the trim is pulled back slightly, you'll see a black narrow steel bar just under it.  From what I can see, this bar is merely there to hold the trim in place and is not structural.  I got a large flat blade screwdriver and bent it back about 10 mm as suggested.  I then remounted the trim. 

 

The only downside is that you're left with a slight gap between the bolster and the trim, but you'd want to be looking hard to notice it.  That gap will likely disappear as the bolster now has room to spread a little more.

 

I'll let you know how she gets on.

Hi Tropheus,

 

First drive in my newly purchased 2012 Elegance Estate today - my right leg was in some discomfort after a couple of hours and this mod sounds like it could give me some relief.   How is your wife getting on with it now, and could you post some pictures showing where the clips are yo removed to get to the bar?  I have searched high and low for more info on the fix but can't find any further details.

 

Cheers

[Paddington2012]

Hi Tropheus,

 

First drive in my newly purchased 2012 Elegance Estate today - my right leg was in some discomfort after a couple of hours and this mod sounds like it could give me some relief.   How is your wife getting on with it now, and could you post some pictures showing where the clips are yo removed to get to the bar?  I have searched high and low for more info on the fix but can't find any further details.

 

Cheers

Well I managed to get the trim off myself and gave the bar a good bend back. Probably only moved it a cm or so, but won't go any further until I've had another long drive.  The trim doesn't fit quite as well as it did before but once the bolster spreads out it should be ok.  Little bit disappointed with the seats - I've been a passenger on a few long drives in a friend's Superb with no issues.  Must be the alignment of the seat / wheel / pedals.

[Steffan]

where to pull to get the trim of ? Is it possible for you to take some pictures ?

[Paddington2012]

where to pull to get the trim of ? Is it possible for you to take some pictures ?

The way I did it was:

1. Raise the seat base as much as possible using the height and angle adjustments.

2. Move the seat back as far as possible to make access easier

3. Using a small torch you should be able to quite easily see the plastic clip at the front holding the trim to the seats tubular metal frame

4. Carefully undo the clip and free the trim from the framework (no tools required)

5. Once the front of the trim is free you should be able to release the trim's other connections to the framework - take your time so as not to damage any of the cables the connect the controls in the trim to the seat

6. The offending bar should be quite apparent.  I used a pair of pliers to get some leverage and bend it down - takes quite bit of force.

7. The trim clips back quite easily (do the bits at the back first before reattaching the front clip) but may feel a bit loose because of the gap that has now been created between the bolster and the plastic.  I expect this to lessen over time as the bolster spreads.

 

Hope this is useful - I will try to get some pics this evening.

[Steffan]

Okay super !

Thanks for the guide :-)

[Paddington2012]

Okay super !

Thanks for the guide :-)

No problem, hope you find it useful.  I might do the same on the passenger side.

[Chunk11]

I had a go at sorting mine this morning as it is killing my right leg even on short journeys.

Took five mins just undo the clip at the front then grab hold of the bar, squat down and rock back applying maximum force and it bends a couple of cm's out!

There is a large gap now between the trim and the side bolster but if it saves my right leg it won't bother me.

[Paddington2012]

Great tip - I never thought to use my body weight as the lever.

[Paddington2012]

I had a go at sorting mine this morning as it is killing my right leg even on short journeys.

Took five mins just undo the clip at the front then grab hold of the bar, squat down and rock back applying maximum force and it bends a couple of cm's out!

There is a large gap now between the trim and the side bolster but if it saves my right leg it won't bother me.

Also do let us know if it helps with the leg pain.

[Chunk11]

Certainly will do I have been out this evening and the side bolster squashed into its new gap so it looks like it's working. I am guessing it will take a little bit of time to squash down more permanently.

Wish I had done this before now instead of waiting a year...

[Paddington2012]

Certainly will do I have been out this evening and the side bolster squashed into its new gap so it looks like it's working. I am guessing it will take a little bit of time to squash down more permanently.

Wish I had done this before now instead of waiting a year...

Yes it rather feels like you are sitting on the bolster, like the seat needs to move an inch or so to the right.  Anyway, hope it works out for you.

[Steffan]

Is this the bar i need to bend ?

[Paddington2012]

Yes that looks like the one, but you should be able to get the whole trim off to get a better look at it.  It runs parallel to the bolster, holding it up, so it's pretty obvious once the trim is completely off.

[Paddington2012]

Just popped out to get some pics.  One shows the bar from the side of the seat, the other shows looking down while sitting in the seat.  As you can see there is now a fair bit of room for the seat bolster to spread out into. 

 

The trim is unclipped in both pics.

Edited 14 July, 2015 by Paddington2012

[Steffan]

Nice with the pictures !

I still struggle to unclip the trim... I have the manuel seats so i Think i need to remove the handle somehow.

[peterposh]

The seats are on the snug side ,my Mondeo mk4 seats are like gentlemen's club in comparison

[Paddington2012]

The seats are on the snug side ,my Mondeo mk4 seats are like gentlemen's club in comparison

We were looking at mk4 mondeos, but were swayed by the Suoerb's space and kit. Slightly annoyed with myself now even though there's no way we would have got an equivalent spec mondeo estate for the same money.