Alright, I've got 5,000 miles on my S4 now - and I love most of the car - but I've gone to hating the seats. For short trips they are fine - but for long trips (which I do multiple times a day) they are punishing. Specifically the left side bolster on the bottom cushion digs into my leg something painful - to the point it's bruised after many hours of driving consecutive days. I see myself left with only two options - get rid of the car or fix the seat problem. I've been trying various cushions / placements - none of which were a great solution.
Now I'm going to try to replace the seats with the S-Line seats from the A4. From the pictures of those seats, and a brief memory of sitting in them for just a few seconds in the dealer, those seats had a better bottom cushion and thigh support.
Does anyone know if the airbag connections, power, memory, etc. work across these cars? Because the S4 and A4 share so much, I'm hoping they will. Any and all thoughts and opinions welcome!!
-Scott
dgoesch
02-16-2010, 05:33 AM
I believe you can get those seats on the car in Germany. They should work.
kyee
02-16-2010, 03:41 PM
I feel the same way about the car. that left bolster starts to irritate my left leg after just 30 minutes of driving. And I'm not a big guy at all - 5'8", 170lbs. I thought I was the only one feeling that way about the seats.
scm6079
02-17-2010, 07:11 AM
I checked with the dealer, who was pretty much useless - although I understand their position a bit. :(
I honestly can’t comment/recommend on any changes from “factory-build”; we would not be able to deviate from the original equipment in the vehicle at the time of production.
Grumble.... ...
_Scott
SM82
02-17-2010, 08:26 AM
I'm trying to visualize where your leg is on the seat ie., would it not be an issue if you had a manual and your leg was extended or is this an issue on the cushion itself?
scm6079
02-18-2010, 06:32 PM
I'm trying to visualize where your leg is on the seat ie., would it not be an issue if you had a manual and your leg was extended or is this an issue on the cushion itself?
I do have a manual... I included a photo of my car with an arrow to the nasty pressure point. I'd love to hear any ideas. Seat bottoms are just awful for me - right now I'm really, really wishing I had my 335 back, or my old S4.
-Scott
m444
02-18-2010, 06:45 PM
That's odd, when I sat in a BMW 335i, the console in the center was pain for my right leg. I found the S4, much more comfortable. The center console on a 335i really bulges out into where I would rest my leg.
If you go to a competent upholstery person, they could use much softer (less dense) foam in the lower side bolster cushions.
You may want to see, if the A6 seats will fit, since they are probably less sporty and softer on the sides.
Don
McGriddle
02-18-2010, 07:40 PM
scm6079-
Have you tried putting a very firm, flat chair cushion on the seat bottom to lift you up a bit off the seat? I realize you said you've tried cushions, but I think that the right cushion (shape and firmness) really should prevent your leg from hitting the bolster as much. Try finding a cushion that covers the entire seat bottom but doesn't cover the bolsters to "fill the gap" between the bolsters and make the seat bottom feel flatter. It'll need to be pretty firm so you don't sink into it and hit the bolsters again.
zooomart
02-18-2010, 08:25 PM
I feel the same way about the car. that left bolster starts to irritate my left leg after just 30 minutes of driving. And I'm not a big guy at all - 5'8", 170lbs. I thought I was the only one feeling that way about the seats.
I also think the seats are marginally comfortable. I am getting use to them but the side supports are cruel.
mellow_sparky
02-18-2010, 10:13 PM
Now that I have my car, I can comment here - do you think there may actually be something wrong with your seats? I'm 6', 190 lbs and those side bolsters barely touch my legs with normal driving - certainly not enough to leave a bruise.
McGriddle
02-19-2010, 06:00 AM
For me, I do notice that these seats feel more firmly cushioned and bolstered than other not-as-sporty seats. I now tend to take my wallet out of my back pocket since it can end up resting funny on the side bolster or whatnot. Other than needing to take out my wallet, it's amazingly comfortable for me and I'm the same height and weight as the kyee.
scm6079
02-19-2010, 09:58 PM
After getting nowhere with the dealer I purchased the car from, I reached out to my other local area Audi dealer (Chandler Audi in AZ)- who was absolutely awesome in providing help for what changing the seats would take. Total cost is high (expected) - but it is doable! :) Given the cost, I'm going to explore my other options first (local auto upholstery company) and see where I get - and then come back to this if necessary.
For those also struggling with this issue, here are the parts necessary to make this happen (both seats):
Total Parts: $5,578
Estimated Labor: around 12 hours @ $135/hr
For a grand total for both seats of around $7,500.
The biggest "risks" are potentially damaging seat heater coils since they are fragile; as well as coding issues when reprogramming seat control modules. Acceptable risks in my eyes at this point.
They also let me know that the bottom seat frames for the 2010 Audi A4 S-Line are identical - so the swap should be easier with those.
For now, I've build a seat cushion the length of the seat the exact width of the bottom to try and change the point at which my legs hit the side bolster. It "sort of" works. I think if I had the right density closed cell foam it may work - but I could only get open cell foam at my local fabric & upholstery store, which is still a bit too soft. I took a look at the Audi factory foam which is closed cell rubberized foam - which seems like what i need.
Sooo..... I suppose next steps are visiting the auto re-upholstrey company and/or searching the 'net for foam to build a new cushion. I may also study the part list more and see if I could rebuild just the seat bottom from the S-Line seats.
riegerman
02-20-2010, 08:16 PM
Just be careful when you modify your seats like that, that they still are safe? Make sure that when you brake hard that you still feel that you are pressed down into the seat as that is a safety feature of all car seats. If you feel that you start to slide forward or the addition that you put is sliding then you may want to do something else, because in an accident that would be fatal if you slide off the seat.
zerinS4
02-21-2010, 04:01 AM
Just throwing this out there, but if you want A4 seats that badly, why don't you find an A4 owner who wants to swap? I'm sure there's a B8 A4 owner out there that would love to have S4 seats. Probably cost you nothing to do either. Just do your homework and make sure the tracks/wiring are all the same.
Ryan1524
02-21-2010, 06:51 AM
^ What he said. I for one would LOVE to have S4 seats.
Inclined
02-21-2010, 09:43 AM
Just be careful when you modify your seats like that, that they still are safe? Make sure that when you brake hard that you still feel that you are pressed down into the seat as that is a safety feature of all car seats. If you feel that you start to slide forward or the addition that you put is sliding then you may want to do something else, because in an accident that would be fatal if you slide off the seat.
What he said. All OEM car seats are designed/crash tested with seat bottoms incorporating anti-submarining features to optimize seat/shoulder belt effectiveness. If you are hurt in a collision and makeshift slip and slide cushion is discovered , you may lose some degree of legal recourse .
supraman66
03-02-2010, 06:48 PM
Has anybody though of bending the metal support for the bolsters? If you can get the cover and foam pad off, you should be able to modify the bolster frame ever so slightly. the seats pinched me a little but I'm a wide body.
Can you simply purchase A4 seats and install?
scm6079
03-02-2010, 09:35 PM
Has anybody though of bending the metal support for the bolsters? If you can get the cover and foam pad off, you should be able to modify the bolster frame ever so slightly. the seats pinched me a little but I'm a wide body.
Can you simply purchase A4 seats and install?
Interesting idea, I'd like to get an exploded view parts diagram to see what's inside before ripping it apart. The helpful dealer let me know that the seat base of the A4 S-line is shared with the S4 - so those seats should bolt right up.
Unfortunately - this car is a lease - so any change I did to the seats would either need to be reversible (ie. buy new seats, but keep my old ones) - or I'll need to plan on owning this one at the end. I'm hoping to find a wrecked A4 and salvage the seats off that one. I've been keeping my eyes open for one in the salvage yard sites.
_Scott
riegerman
03-03-2010, 05:37 AM
since it is a lease I wouldn't be going and modifying any seats. You could definitely be asking for trouble. The only thing that I would do is changing them out for A4 seats and putting them back in after the lease and selling the A4 seats afterwards. This would probably be the best and also the least costly option. In the meantime just be very careful with the cushion setup that you have. It doesn't look like it would prevent you from submarining in an accident.
supraman66
03-03-2010, 06:54 AM
since it is a lease I wouldn't be going and modifying any seats. You could definitely be asking for trouble. The only thing that I would do is changing them out for A4 seats and putting them back in after the lease and selling the A4 seats afterwards. This would probably be the best and also the least costly option. In the meantime just be very careful with the cushion setup that you have. It doesn't look like it would prevent you from submarining in an accident.
Good point, I forgot about it being a Lease (not that they would notice that you bent something - wink wink). Is it safe to assume that there isn't an on-line parts catalog like there is for my motorcycle? That would give you some exacting details of the construction.
I can't even find a A4 Seat to purchase! Maybe you could purchase the lower half of the seat for less cost, then attach the back rest from the S4 seats. Either way a PITA (no pun intended).
This does concern me as I said before, I'm a wide body and have only sat in the car for 10 minutes. I could definetly feel pressure on the sides of my upper thighs which could be a huge problem as my commute is an hour each way. :(
Keep all of us posted as I'm going to spend some more time at the dealer before I order and the seat could be a deal killer.
danikas
06-11-2010, 12:15 PM
After getting nowhere with the dealer I purchased the car from, I reached out to my other local area Audi dealer (Chandler Audi in AZ)- who was absolutely awesome in providing help for what changing the seats would take. Total cost is high (expected) - but it is doable! :) Given the cost, I'm going to explore my other options first (local auto upholstery company) and see where I get - and then come back to this if necessary.
For those also struggling with this issue, here are the parts necessary to make this happen (both seats):
Total Parts: $5,578
Estimated Labor: around 12 hours @ $135/hr
For a grand total for both seats of around $7,500.
The biggest "risks" are potentially damaging seat heater coils since they are fragile; as well as coding issues when reprogramming seat control modules. Acceptable risks in my eyes at this point.
They also let me know that the bottom seat frames for the 2010 Audi A4 S-Line are identical - so the swap should be easier with those.
For now, I've build a seat cushion the length of the seat the exact width of the bottom to try and change the point at which my legs hit the side bolster. It "sort of" works. I think if I had the right density closed cell foam it may work - but I could only get open cell foam at my local fabric & upholstery store, which is still a bit too soft. I took a look at the Audi factory foam which is closed cell rubberized foam - which seems like what i need.
Sooo..... I suppose next steps are visiting the auto re-upholstrey company and/or searching the 'net for foam to build a new cushion. I may also study the part list more and see if I could rebuild just the seat bottom from the S-Line seats.
did you change your seats?
srs
06-11-2010, 04:13 PM
For now, I've build a seat cushion the length of the seat the exact width of the bottom to try and change the point at which my legs hit the side bolster. It "sort of" works. I think if I had the right density closed cell foam it may work - but I could only get open cell foam at my local fabric & upholstery store, which is still a bit too soft. I took a look at the Audi factory foam which is closed cell rubberized foam - which seems like what i need.
I have a bad lower back and have used this "Car-Cush" in my allroad and elsewhere (I don't need it in the S4). It is made of a pretty firm closed-cell foam. It is little wider than the S4 seat bottom but may help - see below.
Really the best solution, by far the cheapest as well, is to have a reputable auto upholsterer remove some of the padding. It's very easy and even 1/4 inch can make a big difference, in the right spot.
zamalek
06-12-2010, 02:55 AM
scott, i'm 6'2", 220 lb., and i had my problems with the bolster as well, this might sound too easy but it works and it's a saving of $7500 to change the seats, right after i settle in the seat, i move myself about 2" to the right, right leg half way on the right bolster, left leg totally away from the left bolster, it works amazingly for the left leg, just takes a little getting used to the pedal position(with a manual the pedals ars a little offset to the left of your feet), try it and see man, nothing to loose,cause everything else about the car is just right