Advice on Recaro Seats for R56 S

[ELFMAN]

I'm very happy with my new S, but certain parts of me are missing the old JCW chairs which I had in my JCW 210 S. The standard seats in the new car are much better than the old standard ones, but still don't hold you very well at anything above moderate speeds on a good road and I find the headrest is a just bit too 'bulky' and actually pushes my head forward very slightly. Nothing drastic, but annoying at times.

I've tried the new Alcantara JCW's (thanks William!), and liked them - BUT I don't fancy splashing out two grand for two seats. I presume Recaro produce the same seat for their own market - obviously without the 'JCW' logos etc - as I'm sure I've seen them in other cars. The reason I couldn't transfer my old (non-airbagged) JCW/Sparco seats into the R56 was that I was told by the dealer that there was an 'airbag issue' and they weren't compatible, so presumably if I can find the 'correct' airbagged Recaros to fit the R56, I should be onto a winner and maybe save a few pennies by avoiding the inevitable 'BMW Mark-up'. (Think of a number and double it!). I sold the JCW seats no problem by the way, but was a bit miffed at the time.

When I have a bit more time I'll have a proper hunt around on the internet etc, but in the meantime if anybody knows what's what with Recaro re. R56 fitment with no airbag conflict (ie they just plug in to the standard airbag gubbins), I'd be most grateful for any info and advice. TA.

[japper]

I'm very happy with my new S, but certain parts of me are missing the old JCW chairs which I had in my JCW 210 S. The standard seats in the new car are much better than the old standard ones, but still don't hold you very well at anything above moderate speeds on a good road and I find the headrest is a just bit too 'bulky' and actually pushes my head forward very slightly. Nothing drastic, but annoying at times.

I've tried the new Alcantara JCW's (thanks William!), and liked them - BUT I don't fancy splashing out two grand for two seats. I presume Recaro produce the same seat for their own market - obviously without the 'JCW' logos etc - as I'm sure I've seen them in other cars. The reason I couldn't transfer my old (non-airbagged) JCW/Sparco seats into the R56 was that I was told by the dealer that there was an 'airbag issue' and they weren't compatible, so presumably if I can find the 'correct' airbagged Recaros to fit the R56, I should be onto a winner and maybe save a few pennies by avoiding the inevitable 'BMW Mark-up'. (Think of a number and double it!). I sold the JCW seats no problem by the way, but was a bit miffed at the time.

When I have a bit more time I'll have a proper hunt around on the internet etc, but in the meantime if anybody knows what's what with Recaro re. R56 fitment with no airbag conflict (ie they just plug in to the standard airbag gubbins), I'd be most grateful for any info and advice. TA.

Your theory should stand up, but unfortunately it doesn't. I looked at this option and all seelers of the Recaro seats ( to the same spec. ) i.e. full leather and side airbags worked out more expensive. However this was before BMW's price hike. Don't know whether Recaro have increased prices too though.

I love my full leather JCW seats and was lucky to get them new but very cheap. I wouldn't say they're any more comfortable / supportive on a long journey, but they keep you in place and look the dogs.

Good luck:smilewinkgrin:

[japper]

BTW: You will need runners and also need coding, unless you can cope with warning lights and annoying 'bongs':rolleyes:

[ELFMAN]

Nothing's ever simple is it? I doubt I'd go for full leather though, I prefer cloth/alcantara, as I feel it grips that wee bit better. I'll have a think about it and see if I can maybe sweet-talk my dealer at some point! (hopeful eh?) Cheers for the info anyway.

[MINI William]

Elfman.yes Recaro do the same seats deJCW'ed they are called the sportster CS (if memory serves).But i would still imagine you would need them to be coded :argh: and i would presume that you could use your existing runners as thats all the garge do is take your runners off your standard seats and put the on the Recaros:yes nod:.

Hope this helps

[ELFMAN]

Thanks for that 'special' info William - I'll investigate this further.... sounds interesting though - I knew I'd seen them elsewhere as pure Recaros and I'm sure I could persuade my friendly dealer to do the coding thingy, after buying three MINIs from them in the last eight years..... 'Course I could just bite the bullet and go for the same JCW seats as yours... depending on the cost difference - if it wasn't huge I might just go for the JCW's as I know I could swap them into my 'next' R56 if and when the time comes Hmmmmmmmmm.

[MINI William]

When I was down at Demon tweeks last year they had the sportster CS for £630ish each (cloth) and they also had loads of other nice seats from a range of companys ie Recaro,Spraco etc etc

[D3 JDA]

Hi there elfman thought you said there was going to be no mods for the r56?I new it wouldn.t be long before you got started new seats m8 what will be next?:thumbs up:clap::D

[japper]

Elfman.yes Recaro do the same seats deJCW'ed they are called the sportster CS (if memory serves).But i would still imagine you would need them to be coded :argh: and i would presume that you could use your existing runners as thats all the garge do is take your runners off your standard seats and put the on the Recaros:yes nod:.

Hope this helps

The 'runners' transfer over, but i was referring to the adaptor runners to suit. These are around £105 per seat extra from Recaro IIRC.

They're easy enough to fit, just a bit time consuming. Took me 3 hrs, but could probably do it in 2 hrs now.

Coding is definately required.

[japper]

When I was down at Demon tweeks last year they had the sportster CS for £630ish each (cloth)

That sounds about right, but add airbag option and runner adaptors and your looking £800ish i guess.

Many dealers will knock 15% -20% off retail meaning similar price in leather:smilewinkgrin:

I remember an earlier post on here or on MINI2 that showed a dealer down south that were doing them for less tha £1600 IIRC.:thumbs up:

[ELFMAN]

Hi there elfman thought you said there was going to be no mods for the r56?I new it wouldn.t be long before you got started new seats m8 what will be next?:thumbs up:clap::D


Hold your horses there Davie Boy! :hand: I'm just looking :eek: into the seats at the moment, if I can work something out spec and price-wise :rolleyes:, I'll give it a go :yes nod:, but sticking to what I said before, I'm still not looking at any 'performance' upgrades at any time in the near future! :smilewinkgrin:

Thanks for the info folks :thumbs up: :clap:

[ELFMAN]

That sounds about right, but add airbag option and runner adaptors and your looking £800ish i guess.

Many dealers will knock 15% -20% off retail meaning similar price in leather:smilewinkgrin:

I remember an earlier post on here or on MINI2 that showed a dealer down south that were doing them for less tha £1600 IIRC.:thumbs up:

Thanks for the useful info Japper, appreciate it :thumbs up:

[AndyP & Lenore]

I really fancy a set also:D, still trying to convince Andrew though.

L:D

[zimbo]

I'd LOVE a set of these in Alcantara, but the prices are just plain rediculous... :hand:

I assume MINI (or JCW department at least) think that mini owners who fancy these seats are on their way to becoming millionaires or something so would easily be able to afford these!! :ragin:

:frown:

I wonder if our resident sponsors would be able to maybe do a "Group buy deal" on JCW seats if there was enough of us wanting them?

[RyanK]

I wonder if our resident sponsors would be able to maybe do a "Group buy deal" on JCW seats if there was enough of us wanting them?

Zimbo :cool:

[antihero3000]

Zimbo :cool:

Must resist.....

[Forbes]

I wonder if our resident sponsors would be able to maybe do a "Group buy deal" on JCW seats if there was enough of us wanting them?

I did have other things planned, but if they are a good price...

[ELFMAN]

Got prices from Douglas Park MINI... Fitted (airbagged) - Cloth Seats £2,100.00, Alcantara & Leather £2,200.00. No prices available for full leather. Now can somebody tell me why there's only £100.00 difference between the 'basic' Cloth and the Alcantara/Leather combo? I'd been thinking that Cloth would be a fair bit cheaper. Anyway that's all academic as there is NO WAY I'm shelling out two grand for seats (unless Kylie's in one of 'em!). I knew they were pricey for the alcantara - but £2K+ for CLOTH SEATS? Shocking. I could buy a decent classic Mini or an old VW Beetle to play with for that sort of money. No chance.

I also asked that if I could source the exact same Recaros (Sportster CS) elsewhere, would Douglas Park fit them and do the Airbag Coding thing...? NOPE. They're 'not allowed' because they're not MINI parts.... Hmmmm. who'd have thought an embroidered 'JCW' logo would change the technical spec of a Recaro seat? The actual reason is that if they did that, nobody would buy the JCW version.

I've still to check out prices outside MINI for the equivalent Recaro, and find out if they'd be able to sort the airbag issue - DP told me nobody else would be able to because of the specialist equipment involved. I'd probably go for plain black cloth non-airbagged ones - but even with the Airbag option I'd be most surprised if it came to anything like £2100.00 fitted - they'd never sell any! I'd even put up with an Airbag Warning Light if I knew I wasn't being skinned for my hard-earned in the process.

I agree with Zimbo, IMHO it's a prime example of over-complication and over-pricing. They can knock £2K+ off my car because of the recession, but still charge 'Boom-Time' money for the good seats. The fact that even the factory JCW R56 still doesn't come with Recaros as standard says it all... Kerr-Chiiiiiiiiing£££££! If they were doing them for £1300.00 - £1500.00 I would probably have gone for it, but at £2K+ I think they're taking us for a ride. Ah well, their loss - a sale at £1500.00 Vs no sale? You work out the economics of that one BMW/MINI.

[MINI William]

The Leather seats are 2100 (just checked the JCW Book with pricelist).But Im posative that you can not get these seats in Cloth only full leather and alcantara / leather is a vailable according to the book and the MINI website.But if youve been told you can get them in cloth they must be new

[ELFMAN]

Cheers William - that's thrown some light on the subject. I reckon they've quoted me the LEATHER seats price as opposed to CLOTH which MINI don't do... that would explain why there's so little difference between the Leather/Alcantara and their supposed 'Cloth' quote. I thought it was really stange that there was such a small price difference (£100) between 'basic' and 'FAB'. Maybe you should get a job at Douglas Park.

Recaro do the CS in Cloth (it's 'Nardo/Artista' in Black - lovely) as I have a pic of it from an American Seat-Seller site, but MINI maybe just don't do cloth in the JCW stylee. I mean it seems fairly obvious now - DP said they didn't have a price for 'Full Leather', when I think they should've said they didn't have a price for 'Cloth'. Oh well. If you're ever selling your seats give me a shout.... I'll maybe give 'Drivers' in Glasgow a call to see what they say. Thanks for the info!

[japper]

Cheers William - that's thrown some light on the subject. I reckon they've quoted me the LEATHER seats price as opposed to CLOTH which MINI don't do... that would explain why there's so little difference between the Leather/Alcantara and their supposed 'Cloth' quote. I thought it was really stange that there was such a small price difference (£100) between 'basic' and 'FAB'. Maybe you should get a job at Douglas Park.

Recaro do the CS in Cloth (it's 'Nardo/Artista' in Black - lovely) as I have a pic of it from an American Seat-Seller site, but MINI maybe just don't do cloth in the JCW stylee. I mean it seems fairly obvious now - DP said they didn't have a price for 'Full Leather', when I think they should've said they didn't have a price for 'Cloth'. Oh well. If you're ever selling your seats give me a shout.... I'll maybe give 'Drivers' in Glasgow a call to see what they say. Thanks for the info!

They have quoted you leather as th Alcantara is a bit dearer IIRC.

I have an offer for you:smilewinkgrin:, it seems i may need a bit more space in the back or even a bigger car soon:popcorn:so i'll be getting rid of my full leather JCW Recaro's.

They're in excellent condition, only 5 months old and just a wee bit of normal wear / slight scuffing on drivers side bolster, though i would repair this at my cost before sale.

Make me an offer around half price and they're yours:D

[ELFMAN]

Cheers Japper, great offer. If you don't mind, I'll have a think about it - I know it sounds stupid, but I actually prefer cloth seats, as I like the 'grippier' surface. I'll quickly suss out the cost of the cloth ones from, say, Drivers, and I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks for the offer though - hang off selling them for a couple of days will you?!

[japper]

Cheers Japper, great offer. If you don't mind, I'll have a think about it - I know it sounds stupid, but I actually prefer cloth seats, as I like the 'grippier' surface. I'll quickly suss out the cost of the cloth ones from, say, Drivers, and I'll get back to you ASAP. Thanks for the offer though - hang off selling them for a couple of days will you?!

No probs, and if you need any photos give me a shout.

BTW: they are pretty narrow buckets, so don't worry about 'grippy' cloth, you don't need it:D

[ELFMAN]

PM'd you Japper.

[MINI William]

Cheers William - that's thrown some light on the subject. I reckon they've quoted me the LEATHER seats price as opposed to CLOTH which MINI don't do... that would explain why there's so little difference between the Leather/Alcantara and their supposed 'Cloth' quote. I thought it was really stange that there was such a small price difference (£100) between 'basic' and 'FAB'. Maybe you should get a job at Douglas Park.

Recaro do the CS in Cloth (it's 'Nardo/Artista' in Black - lovely) as I have a pic of it from an American Seat-Seller site, but MINI maybe just don't do cloth in the JCW stylee. I mean it seems fairly obvious now - DP said they didn't have a price for 'Full Leather', when I think they should've said they didn't have a price for 'Cloth'. Oh well. If you're ever selling your seats give me a shout.... I'll maybe give 'Drivers' in Glasgow a call to see what they say. Thanks for the info!

Any time.Yes Recaro do the CS in a nice black cloth have a pic of them on my phone if you want it.You have first dibs on my seats if I sell them

[MINI William]

PM'd you Japper.

Were my leather ones not good enough hmph lol

[Crombers]

I'm still not looking at any 'performance' upgrades at any time in the near future! :smilewinkgrin:

I can 'smell' that new manifold your planning from here :rolleyes: :yes nod:

[ELFMAN]

Sorry William. Hope no offence taken! It's all in the timing and the price. I wasn't sure at all what I was doing a while back - car was too new and I hadn't looked into it in enough detail. Just made up my mind the other night based on the spec + cost of Japper's chairs. Airbagged, Heated Recaro Sportster CS/JCW in dark charcoal for a great price an ELF couldn't resist. Hopefully getting them in August and Douglas Park MINI WILL fit & code as they're genuine JCW's.

CROMBERS - what are you talking about man? Of course I won't be fitting a Manifold... I told you all - NO PERFORMANCE MODS ON THE NEW CAR! Anyway, you don't get manifolds for the R56 S - it's a Downpipe and Sports Cat. Miltek do a good one apparently... not that I've thought about it at all. So I'm not fitting that either... probably not soon, or an Exhaust System... this year, at all.. ever. Really. Hmmm. Nope, definately not doing that sort of thing... or any sort of Re-mapping. Or Induction stuff. Don't need anything improved or upgraded - the Seats are for my back... NOT so that I can corner faster without sliding about...Not going down that road again, oh no, not me. No Sireee Bob. Standard all the way from now on, that's me... happy... no hassles... (mumble... 'Werthers', 'Pipe & Slippers'...)

[MINI William]

Sorry William. Hope no offence taken! It's all in the timing and the price. I wasn't sure at all what I was doing a while back - car was too new and I hadn't looked into it in enough detail. Just made up my mind the other night based on the spec + cost of Japper's chairs. Airbagged, Heated Recaro Sportster CS/JCW in dark charcoal for a great price an ELF couldn't resist. Hopefully getting them in August and Douglas Park MINI WILL fit & code as they're genuine JCW's.

CROMBERS - what are you talking about man? Of course I won't be fitting a Manifold... I told you all - NO PERFORMANCE MODS ON THE NEW CAR! Anyway, you don't get manifolds for the R56 S - it's a Downpipe and Sports Cat. Miltek do a good one apparently... not that I've thought about it at all. So I'm not fitting that either... probably not soon, or an Exhaust System... this year, at all.. ever. Really. Hmmm. Nope, definately not doing that sort of thing... or any sort of Re-mapping. Or Induction stuff. Don't need anything improved or upgraded - the Seats are for my back... NOT so that I can corner faster without sliding about...Not going down that road again, oh no, not me. No Sireee Bob. Standard all the way from now on, that's me... happy... no hassles... (mumble... 'Werthers', 'Pipe & Slippers'...)

Glad you got ur seats sorted.I was only playing no offence on my side was just having a wee play with you :smilewinkgrin:

[MINI William]

Elfman fit the seats urself dead easy then you only need to get them coaded