Bought some vaders....now need options - DAMN

cracker red · 09-28-2009, 04:11 AM

I bought a pair of vader seats off the forum for my 318ti. To make a long story short, the guy was nice enough to bring them by, but I wasn't here to personally inspect them. My wife thought they looked like they were in good condition, so she paid the man and he left.

They arn't in bad shape, and the price was pretty good. However, the drivers side seat back seems to be bent towards what would be the outside of the car by maybe 20 degrees or so. The bolsters are canted that way as well. Seatback still operates fine/back and forth, but it's not angled properly.

My TI had this problem with the seat, although it was a broken weld and fixed easily.

I removed the seat back from the vader seat and can't seem to figure out why/where it's bent. OR, more importantly, how to fix it (if possible). I've contacted the seller and hope he will get back with me, as I'm not happy to say the least. Seats were advertised as being in excellent condition minus a small stitching issue.....these are clearly NOT in excellent condition maybe good/fair when you rate the leather being hard) but the seatback being bent/angled isn't something I knew about. I figured worst case I can have them recovered and be done/happy with them, but BENT?
****!

Here are some pictures from the top view:

Now the seller has agreed to refund my $$$ which is great.....but I'm probably not going to find vaders for 400 either. Now looking for better options. Budget is ~900 for the pair of seats (where I would have been with new covers on these).

mgbman69 · 09-28-2009, 05:53 AM

Hmm, my stock sport seat did the same thing only it bent towards the center.

If you have ~900 to spend I would go with corbeau A4's.
I had them in a CRX and LOVED them. Xenocide on this board has them in his 325is and they are amazing in his car as well.
He has the bottom mounts though and if you're over 6'1" or so you might have head room problems with a helmet on if you auto-x or track you car.

BMW_Hatchback · 09-28-2009, 11:17 AM

the classic BMW seat bend used to always happen in my dad's E28/E34. But he always fixed it somehow and it went back to normal by itself

cracker red · 09-28-2009, 01:11 PM

If you don't mind, ask him how he fixed it and let me know. I'd like to keep these if they are fixable, in pretty good condition minus the bend.

**wolferj-RIP** · 09-28-2009, 08:40 PM

Leatherique and Lexol are your best options for trying to get the leather back in shape... My vaders were cardboard hard when I got them, they are much better now. Also look in the forum's interior section under leather for my DIY's on seat renewal..

I would remove the leather sections and swap them from one side to the other. Also notice how the side bolster on the driver seat is pushed out. There is a frame piece that is probably bent out some, and you can straighten it if the leather sections are off..

BMW_Hatchback · 09-28-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cracker red

If you don't mind, ask him how he fixed it and let me know. I'd like to keep these if they are fixable, in pretty good condition minus the bend.

I think since the 5 series seats were power seats, one side went backward while the other didn't move, I think he did some wire troubleshooted and it went back to standard position. For the vaders, I have no clue

Xenocide · 09-28-2009, 09:11 PM

Hopefully you can fix them! They will be pretty sweet, especially once you finish your swap

cracker red · 09-28-2009, 11:56 PM

Well, a nice dude over on BF has a spare seat frame he is willing to send me. I'll probably keep them if that will fix the issue, because although they are some heavy ass seats, for a daily driver they seems like they will be quite nice!

tiFreak · 09-29-2009, 02:17 AM

I've actually heard that they're kinda uncomfortable, but f*ck it, they look awesome

pdxmotorhead · 09-29-2009, 05:16 AM

Porsche Dealers used to sell a product called Hide-Food.

I've seen it bring nasty seats back.

Its specifically formulated to work with the German leather.
(Silicone tanned if I recall, not organic tanning.)

Dave

mgbman69 · 09-29-2009, 06:46 AM

I've got a set of vaders going into my Ti and just sitting in them in the garage floor they feel great!
Way better then stock sport seats. IMHO though

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