E46 M Sport seats in the Z

G

Grose

Member
I have decided following some inspiration from other threads here to swap my se seats with some e46 m sport seats that have come my way.
Before starting this weekend, I wanted to check if there were any tips, tricks, pitfalls that anyone who has done this may be able to point out.

Clearly, disconnecting the battery is a definite but any advice regarding rails, seatbelt or general installation would be much appreciated!

Thanks!
 
Grose said:
I have decided following some inspiration from other threads here to swap my se seats with some e46 m sport seats that have come my way.
Before starting this weekend, I wanted to check if there were any tips, tricks, pitfalls that anyone who has done this may be able to point out.

Clearly, disconnecting the battery is a definite but any advice regarding rails, seatbelt or general installation would be much appreciated!

Thanks!
Click to expand...
If electric seats, take out the rail bolts before disconnecting the battery
 
If you have a convertible lower roof and windows before disconnecting battery. Put seat back in a convenient position if it’s electric too.
 
All the above and also disconnect the battery and leave it for at least 30 minutes before unplugging the seats.

I’d also lay some blankets on the bodywork around the door to protect the paintwork. The seats are quite heavy and awkward to move around.

One final thing, the seat belt runners can move, so just check to make sure the 2 runners are parallel before bolting the new ones in.

Good luck :thumbsup:
 
Thanks all! Great advice as always

Does anyone know if the seat belt bracket on the rail can be removed from the originals?
 
BTW when I did my seats I swapped over the seat runners to retain the Zed’s seat belt mounting points because the E46 ones are different. The actual seat frames are the same.
I also utilised some GM seat belt guides which I fitted to my E46 headrests.
 
Yep, it’s quite straightforward mate. With mine, I took my SE seats out and laid them upside down next to the E46 seats so I could compare them. I then undid a couple of bolts on each runner and transferred them across. One of the wiring plugs was also broken on my E46 seats, so I also transferred the plug over from the Zeds seat.

I’m really pleased with my E46 seats. A great improvement on the original SE seats and well worth the effort mate.
 
Thanks davros, great advice!
Same as you, I have no doubt they will be an improvement over SE seats so looking forward to getting the job underway this weekend.
I can already tell there will be way more support and a bit more adjustability will be a massive bonus for me
 
Looks like you got all bases covered in this thread. The e46 m sport seats are a great alternative to the rather pricey e85/6 ones.
 
Got round to fitting them last weekend and have now got a couple of pictures. I can see why some would say they are a bit chunky for the Z but for me the adjustability and support are well worth making the change and all for £100 or so.

Would recommend to anyone if they were considering it!
 

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Grose said:
Got round to fitting them last weekend and have now got a couple of pictures. I can see why some would say they are a bit chunky for the Z but for me the adjustability and support are well worth making the change and all for £100 or so.

Would recommend to anyone if they were considering it!
Click to expand...

Looking very nice mate. I think you picked up a bargain with those seats and a great improvement on the standard SE seats :thumbsup:
 
They look much better than the standard seats OP! :thumbsup:

My E46 had them and I found them really good.
 
Been for a few drives now, got them set perfectly so well pleased.
It now feels like you sit IN them, not ON them like the old SE seats.
Just a heads up to say I also changes the rails over and the occupancy sensor module as my donor seats show a different hw and sw version though not sure this makes any difference?!!
 
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