Well,
I have been lucky enough to come across a complete interior from an 2000 A6 2.7T sport...so I had to jump on it. Locating these seats has taken me the better part of 12 months.....and trust me, I have tried every angle in the book - salvage yards, ebay, lease returns, soliciting obese A6 owners to swap seats, interesting trades (reference to Seinfeld episode when Jerry gets the van). Call it luck, call it fate...call it karma...call it what you want. I was destined to get these seats in my car. What made it tough was that myself and a few others on this forum (and you know who you are) have been trying to locate these seats (so demand was high...and supply wasn't) for a long time....and for most, the search goes on....

In fact, I ended up buying the entire interior (f/r seats, door panels, armrest and misc trim was $1000 shipped). Plus, I get to keep my existing interior (boy, my attic is getting crowded with all this inventory). I'll install the armrest later this month and figure out the rear seats later in the spring. Installing the rear seats will be interesting as the Avant has that rear partition screen that attaches to the back of the 60 (from the 60/40 split) side of the rear seats. When/If I sell my car, the sport seats will come out...and will find a home with someone else. I'm not sure what to do with the door panels. I actually prefer the onyx/black color combination in my existing door panels and dash layout; it is very unique. Maybe I'll sell panels...who knows.

My car:
2001 A6 Avant
Onyx interior
Heated seats with side airbags (not memory)

Donor car:
2000 A6 Sedan (sport)
Black interior
Heated seats with side airbags (with memory)

The install was very straight forward. BostonDrivers' install pix were extremely helpful and straight forward (http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/460748.phtml ) It took me about 3 hours one night to do the swap (including the time I needed to wrap up my old seats in bubble wrap and relocate them into my house). Pretty easy.

There are some additional items that I want to point out:
1) The motors near the front of the seats (the ones that make the seat move front/back) end up being the primary frontal resting point when the seat is removed. That motor is kinda delicate. If the seats aren't handled correctly, you can damage the point where the motor aligns with the track. You DON'T want to rest the seat on the ground and plant your arse in it...for a preview of the fit/feel...this would be very bad. You could do serious damage to that motor and it's linkage. It looks like all/most of parts are a standard Audi part#s....but you REALLY don't want to become an expert in the field of repairing these seat motors. Therefore, you should rest the front/motor/rail on something cushy (a 2" thick piece of foam was what I used).

2) The front (the ones that cover the front two bolts) and rear plastic covers can be damaged if not removed properly. The front covers have three plastic clips that can break fairly easy when removed. I broke one of those plastic clips...so I'll be ordering a replacement. The rear clips have a combination of metal and plastic fasteners. It's not really the end of the world if you brake one of those clips; for the most part, the metal clips will hold them in place just fine.

3) The battery should be disconnected. Period. Anytime you deal with airbags etc, you should disconnect the battery. In fact, I've read a couple of posts on this forum that said that you should wait 1 hour after disconnecting the battery

Not all C5 seats are created equal:
Given that these seats were from a 2000 sport, there have been some subtle differences. My car didn't have the memory adjustment as a factory option but, these new seats did. That just means that there was an extra connector in the new seats wasn't connected (no issues there).

The biggest difference was in the coding of the airbag control module. Special thanks to Lee Hicks (NSX Jr) and Phil T (BasicBlack) for helping me figure this out. Lee did a ton of research for me in the Bentley manual to help me decifer this issue. Ok, so with the new seats installed, I was getting this code that couldn't be cleared. On the instrument cluster, my "AIR BAG" light wouldn't go off (no matter how many times we cleared the code with the VAG-COM). Here's the output from the VAG-COM:

Address 15: Airbags
Controller: 4B0 959 655 F
Component: Airbag Front+Kopf 1002
Coding: 00307
Shop #: WSC 02325

2 Faults Found:
00591 - Seat Belt Switch: Left (E24)
30-00 - Open or Short to B+
00592 - Seat Belt Switch: Right (E25)
30-00 - Open or Short to B+

It turns out that in 2001+ Audi used a specific sensor for the seat belt connector (the one that is built into the seats; not the seat belt tensioner that is built into the B pillar) that was part of the routine airbag check everytime you turn on the car. In model years prior to 2001, this was not the case. So the actual hardwiring underneath my new seats was slightly different. More details (via the Bentley manual):

Airbag control module code: 00306 (for pre 2001 cars)
Description: Airbag 8 Vehicles with front airbags, front side airbags, front belt tensioners, three rear belt tensioners, side curtain protection (rear side airbags disabled).
My thoughts: I don't have the rear side airbags in my Avant but everything else matches up ok. I had my module recoded to 00306 and the "AIR BAG" light is now off. Yipee!!!!

Airbag control module code: 00307 (for 2001+ cars; not sure if this extends all the way up to the 2005 allroad)
Description: Airbag 8 Vehicles with front airbags, front side airbags, front belt tensioners, three
rear belt tensioners, side curtain protection, and front belt buckle check
My thoughts: Upon further research, the front belt buckle check will not impact how or when my airbags are deployed. This item is linked to an annoying warning light/chime if we don't buckle the seat belt. I will plan on swapping the buckles/sensor between seats sometime this winter and recoding my module from 00306 back to 00307.

Ok...enough with the installation....and lets get to the good stuff.....
I have been driving my A6 for the past 4 years (wow, my car is old!!!) with the standard comfort seats. Let me tell you that these seats are a world apart from my old seats. They make my old seats remind me of the bench seats in my Grandmother's 1973 Dodge Dart. This is the only pix that I wanted to post so I could show you the difference between the two seats.

Every morning that I get into my car....a large grin appears on my face. I get my 33" arse all snug in the seats, angle the back of the seat to a new position (just to feel the large bolsters hold me all snug and fit). I turn on my RNS-E and tune in Howard Stern or the Classic Hits channel (via Sirius).....and off I go to work. I start taking sharp turns on purpose because I want to feel those side bolsters dig into my lat muscles (which are usually flexed during these turns anyway). And then I find myself thinking...."Man...I can't wait to get my summer rims back on. Man...now I really need to install those H-sports in the spring."

It's pretty cool ...when you know that you probably have the only A6 Avant (stateside) with these sport seats. Having these new seats, a S6 tiptronic steering wheel and the 17" S-line rims makes for a pretty cool combination. I wish I had a nickel for everytime one of my friends sat in my car and said "I can't believe that this is a 2001 model". Heck, if that nickel theory were true, I'd be importing a RS6 Avant from the motherland. Sure, I'd love to have more muscle under the hood....but sometimes, I don't mind having the great fuel economy of my plain-jane 2.8. My avant will be paid off in 5 more payments and my aftermarket warranty will cover me until March 2007 or 100k (I have 77K now).

Until then, I'll probably be coating my new seats with a weekly treatment of Lexol conditioner (the original owner didn't clean/condition these seats as much as I would have liked). Luckily, there are no rips or tears in the leather...just some slight cracking....but overall I would rate these seats as a solid 7 out of 10. I'll probably bump that up to 8.5 when I'm done cleaning/conditioning them.

That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it. Peace out.

Go Patriots!!

• Henry's sport seat install post

TeddyBGame
- C5 Avant - "the Beast" (Ha!!)
- 2005 Chrysler Pacifica Touring (Nav, Sirius, Bluetooth, Xenon, TPMS, ParkSense, DVD Changer - basically loaded)
- 2003 Vespa ET2 (modified exhaust and carb -- so I can max out at 45MPH)
- John Deere Gator (4x2) for the boy

As of November 2006:

Accessory Add-ons:
(Definition: An item that provides a specific function - in a cyclical nature - and can be removed very..very easily.)
1) OEM winter floor mats
2) OEM rubber trunk mat and cargo net
3) VW Touareg cigarette lighter flashlight
4) Thule roof bars with Evolution 1200 roof box

Upgrades:
(Definition: A [bolt-on/bolt-off] item that enhances the appearance, performance or misc function of your car.)
1) OEM front/rear Euro black Recaro Seats (from a Euro 2003 S6 Avant)
http://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/618112.phtml
2) OEM HID/Xenon (complete) housings (car never came with the Xenon option from the factory)
3) OEM Euro front/rear (avant) beam-style wiper blades/arms (available via www.vagparts.com)
4) OEM B6 S4 Interior auto-dimming black mirror with compass and on/off button
5) OEM Euro blindspot exterior mirrors
6) OEM S6/4.2 exterior lower door trim
7) OEM S4/S6/S8 aluminum mirror housings
8) OEM Euro rear license plate panel from 2002+ facelift avant (slight MODification to US plate required)
9) ?
10) OEM Euro RNS-E DVD Navigation system with MP3, SAT control and TV input
11) Dietz 1417 A/V input to RNS-E
12) Blaupunkt ME3 DVD/CD/MP3/TV Tuner with aftermarket amplified TV antenna in windshield
13) OEM Sirius tuner (special version to work with RNS-E)
14) OEM Phatnoise Phatbox MP3 player (trunk mounted) with custom interface cable to allow Sirius tuner and Phatbox to work together -- cool!!
15) ?
16) BBS RC 17x8 ET35 with Michelin Pilot Sports (summer tires)
17) 2002+ Rear bumper with valance openings for Magnaflow 3" exhaust tips
18) OEM submarine fin roof antenna for SAT / GPS / Cellphone (GSM)
19) OEM Euro gunmetal black avant roof rails
20) 2002+ Climate control faceplate to match faceplate color of RNS-E
21) Walnut wood trim near hazard button (above RNS-E) to match rest of interior wood scheme
22) OEM Euro Avant door panels with integrated sunshades (imported from Germany to match the black leather in my Euro Recaro interior)
23) OEM Euro blacked out front grille (no chrome perimeter)
24) OEM gunmetal black lower rear hatch strip (specific part# for avant vs. sedan)
25) OEM RS6 gunmetal black interior door latches; no need to add any RS6 badges in my car (Thanks Nelson!!!)
26) OEM Euro four spoke walnut wood and black leather (special order via Audi GmbH) multi-function wheel with tip buttons and OEM phone (BT) control
27) Upgraded "618" MF/Tip control module

Coming soon:
- rear mounted removable 7" LCD panel

MODifications:
(Definition: Any permenant change to a part or component of your car that you cannot reverse)
1) Tray under armrest to add aux. cigarette lighter
2) OEM avant CD changer bracket MODified (to fit two large CD changers etc) - now I just use it for Phatbox, OEM SAT tuner and OEM BT module.
3) Exhaust tips MODified to add Magna Flow (#35163) 3" dual walled tip
4) Factory wiring behind Sym I to simplify installation/removal of RNS-E
5) MODified glovebox to support fitment of Blaupunkt ME3 (a biatch to install!!)
6) MODified headlight switch bezel for fitment of GALA switch for "video-in-motion" for playing Blaupunkt ME3 through RNSE
7) MODified stock exhaust and had magnaflow 3" tips welded on (see above)
8) MODified rear Euro license plate surround to house 2nd rear foglight (2001 model only came with one from the factory); US license plate needed to be MODified a bit to fit inside the narrow Euro opening.


RNS-E for C5 A6/S6/allroad/RS6 - your quest starts here - (regularly updated)
OEM submarine fin installed on 2001 A6 Avant with RNS-E etc
Euro gunmetal black roof rails on 2001 A6 Avant
Interior facelift: front sport seats
2001 A6 Avant: Interior Mods (Nav+, DVD/MP3 player, Sport Steering Wheel, Compass Mirror etc)
Euro blind spot exterior mirrors (thoughts, fitment, experience etc)
Lots of electronics upgrade (RNS-E, SAT tuner etc) documents for C5 folks
OEM PhatBox installation/experience-updated: November 2005
All kinds of info on OEM Audi head units
Great site for Audi OEM rims specs, fitment, part#s etc (in German)
Special Wire Extraction Tools for Audi headunit connectors
OEM HID/Xenon upgrade content (long) and research website
New 2002+ rear bumper, Magnaflow tips on 2001 Avant
New Winter Setup...Merry Christmas to me...(I love my Winter tires!!!)
Likes/Dislikes with my A6 Avant
I just spent $2K on an extended warranty on my 2001 A6 Avant