M sport seats - RHD seats in LHD vehicle

C

camel1cz

Member
 Czechia
Hello,

I decided to do a major update of my seats.
I am going to purchase black M sport seats in very good condition, heated and electrically adjusted. I should have them on Sunday in my garage! Yay! But... they are from RHD vehicle.

I read a lot of discussion here and also on internet but I'm still not sure about how difficult is the RHD to LHD change.

What I understand, there are several options:

1) rebuild the seats:
a) I need to put occupancy mat in the passenger seat. Is the correct part no. 65 77 6 978 839 ? My Z4 is around May 2003. I don't see the mat on the diagrams. I don't want to use the emulator - I want the car as OEM as possible...
b) I would need new control panels. The one with memory buttons needs to be on the left, the one for passenger without memory on the right.
c) what other changes are in the seats? I was told, there are also some motors different?

2) swap the seats base from my current non-sport seats. This should be quite easy from what I read as the bases are identical for sport and regular seats. The occupancy is still same problem. Disadvantage is, the old seats will be "broken".

I would prefer to go the 1) route as I'll have fully operational second pair of seats which can make someone happy.

Thank you for any pointers to the right direction!
 
Swap the occupancy pad over. It's quite easy to remove from the current passenger seat.

Buy replacement seat control panels from LHD drive models. The control panels were fitted to loads of models so should be easy to find from a 3 or 5 series for cheap.
 
You will need to move some wiring loom over for the memory function to work. The motors on my passenger have the extra sockets to accommodate the memory loom sockets.

Small socket with grey tab is the loom you would have to remove and swap over:

20230831_222648.jpg

RHD Passenger seat

20230831_222705.jpg

RHD Drivers seat

20230831_222654.jpg

If they were mean enough not to include the pins within those sockets on the passenger seat motors then you would have to swap all the motors over. They are interchangeable.


LHD drivers seat control:

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/pa..._30i&mg=52&sg=10&diagId=52_2969&q=61307036125

LHD passenger seat control :

https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/pa..._30i&mg=52&sg=10&diagId=52_2969&q=61308099074
 
Great information!

I'll search for the control units - I saw them somewhere around 50 bugs each, I think.

The notes about motors and wiring is great - I'll confront it with the seats (as soon as I will have them in my hands) and will let you know how it goes.

Thank you, very much @Usel !
 
You only really need a seat contol switch for the drivers side. You can leave the passenger seat with the memory buttons, they just won't do anything.
 
I seemed to have missed the fact that you have a pre-facelift car. Are the m-sport seats from a face-lift or pre-facelift car?

One way to confirm is to look under the passenger seat and look for this box when you have the seats:

16935891341954270854771304483004.jpg
 
@Usel they should be pre facelift with occupancy mat... But we'll see on Sunday.

@bigwinn thanks Stuart, will post progress into this thread along with some info I'll find out ;)
 
New seats are at my garage... I'm happy about the condition.
Now I will try to rebuild them with your kind help to LHD.

@Usel I don't think, the passenger seat has the module you referred. I'm pretty sure the seats come from Z4M E85.

So now, I'll get the correct control modules. Btw. anyone having them in drawer? :)
The motors seems for me doable... we'll see.

Could anyone give some hints about removing and fitting back the occupancy mat? I don't like much going the simulation route...

20230904_161151.jpg
20230904_161200.jpg
20230904_161208.jpg
20230904_161221.jpg
20230904_161255.jpg
20230904_161407.jpg
 
Beautiful seats in excellent condition, very nice :thumbsup:

The occupancy sensor in those seats is not compatible with your car.
However this isn't always the case, it's hit and miss and I don't know why. I have put many facelift seats in my 2004 car and its 50/50 whether I get an airbag light. Though be warned others have done this and later on you get an airbag light, they clear the airbag light, it's okay for a while and then comes back on.

Do you have a code reader that can clear airbag lights?

The safest way is leave the occupancy sensor pad where it is and buy a new one. You will also need the small black box in the photo I posted above.

You will need parts 1,2,3 from here:

https://www.hubauer-shop.de/en/prod...6978839-.html&no_boost=1&open_cart_dropdown=1

You may find this is getting expensive. You can source second hand parts. Also you can fit an occupancy sensor pad from seats you currently have in your car as they may be easier to find second hand. Here is thread where someone has done this:

https://www.hubauer-shop.de/en/pro...6978839-.html&no_boost=1&open_cart_dropdown=1

If you go the second hand route but struggle to find or can't find the parts at a reasonable price then check with me as I have all the non-msport occupancy sensor parts I could post to you.
 
Thank you, @Usel for your time and compliment - yea, they look amazing :thumbsup:

Usel said:
Do you have a code reader that can clear airbag lights?
Click to expand...

Have some bluetooth dongle which I doubt will be capable of it and have also this cable, but haven't tried it yet.
Getting proper BMW tools like IMPA&ISTA to work is still in my TODO :?
But I can visit someone locally (or get the proper tools working)

Usel said:
The safest way is leave the occupancy sensor pad where it is and buy a new one. You will also need the small black box in the photo I posted above. You may find this is getting expensive.
Click to expand...

The new parts are indeed a bit pricy... seems way over GBP 200

Usel said:
You can source second hand parts. Also you can fit an occupancy sensor pad from seats you currently have in your car as they may be easier to find second hand.

If you go the second hand route but struggle to find or can't find the parts at a reasonable price then check with me as I have all the non-msport occupancy sensor parts I could post to you.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to break my old seats (I want to fix them and pass to someone) and I hesitate trying to get the pad out of my new driver M-seat - if I'll fail getting used parts, I'll buy new ones :headbang:

I can buy the control box along with the pad as you noted, but don't see the even the OEM No. of the loom in the schema breakdown / or is it the cable sold with the pad on ebay you sent above?

Would it be too much to ask you for all the parts from you right away? :P :evil:
(if you have LHD adjustment control units for the seets, I would take them as well - I'm still completing my shopping list)
 
I'm sorry I have just read my previous posts and incorrectly added the wrong link. Hopefully the below will now make sense:

'You may find this is getting expensive. You can source second hand parts. Also you can fit an occupancy sensor pad from seats you currently have in your car as they may be easier to find second hand. Here is a thread where someone has done this:'

https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23646

I can provide an occupancy sensor to do the above and the below box with the cable which seems extremely difficult to find new(impossible?) and isn't usually provided with the box when sold second hand:

20230905_195354.jpg

I cannot provide you with the correct m-sport seat occupancy sensor pad as they are expensive and I need them :D
 
The fitting process is quite scarry... Uh.. :o

Anyway, I would love to have the box with cable from you!

About the pad - please correct me if I'm wrong: I have actually 3 options - take out the pad from my driver's side seat and put it in passenger side OR buy new/used m-seat pad and don't fiddle with the drivers seat OR fit pad from standard seat as referred in link you provided. Is this correct?

I don't like much using different part as I'm obsessed with "do it as it was ment to be" :)
I'm hassitating between option 1 and 2.
 
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