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My solution to uncomfortable seat

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by rhodson, Sep 12, 2006.

  1. rhodson

    rhodson New Member

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    I am the proud owner of a red #7, for about 3 weeks now. The only major complaint I had about the car was seat comfort. Fortunately, with the help of a local upholstry shop, I have fixed the problem.

    There were 2 problems with the seat, at least for me. One was the lumbar region was not supportive enough. I felt like my back was sinking into the seat too far, and causing me back pain. Second was the thigh support. I'm 5'11, and I like for the front of the bottom cushion to angle up to support my thighs. I've found most cars, even with power seats, don't angle up as much as I like.

    So the solution was to add a wedge to the front of the seat, and then build a custom cover with firmer material than the original cloth. The seat covers are a synthetic material, with the trade name of Avantia. When installed on the seat, it has it's own thin layer of foam. I found it to be more supportive in the lumbar region, and that fixed my lower back pain.

    Here are some pictures of the soft foam wedge that was added on top of the existing foam bottom. It angles the seat up, and lengthens it somewhat. This is a picture before the seat cover is put back on. Sorry about the quality, I had to take it with my pda/phone.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Here are the pictures of the finished project. The seats look a little odd now, but it was a trade off I was happy to make.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Now my only complaint is the color. This was the best of the available choices, but is really too light. I like the way the seats look, but the arm rests and center console contrast too much with the rest of the trim. Fortunately, this has a fix as well. I have the number of another guy who will create a custom dye and make those patches of "leather" match the trim. I'll get around to that eventually. The problem is not as bad as it looks in the pictures. The covers almost look white in the pictures, they're really a beige.

    There is one last issue to take care of. My airbag warning light now stays on. I talked to Toyota service. Apparently after the seats are taken out, the passneger weight sensor has to be recallibrated. This will be 45 minutes and $77.

    Total cost for the upholstry work was $1460. It was worth it to me. I think it was a pretty good deal compared to what Toyota charges for generic leather covers with no seat modification.

    Anyway, I love this car. My only nagging problem was the seat. But now, I am in a state of near automotive bliss.
     
    #1 rhodson, Sep 12, 2006
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Wow! Love the solution, hate the cost! It looks like it would be a perfect fix for my needs.
     
    #2 efusco, Sep 12, 2006
  3. BadD

    BadD New Member

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    Thanks for taking the time to do the pictures. I'll be taking them to my upholsterer, too.
     
    #3 BadD, Sep 12, 2006
  4. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SparkyPrius @ Sep 12 2006, 08:53 AM) [snapback]318424[/snapback]</div>
    Excuse my French... but BS! I've had my seats out about ten times. Nothing has been recalibrated, and my sensors are doing just fine. The sensor most likely just didn't get hooked back up again when the seats were replaced. Plenty of connections under there - make sure they're all clipped into place.

    Man. First I've heard of a weight recalibration for the seats. Amazing.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BadD @ Sep 12 2006, 04:43 PM) [snapback]318670[/snapback]</div>
    Mr. Bad -

    Please, please PLEASE! If you want to comment on a post, the entire HUGE post does not need to be quoted. While the pictures are great, we don't need to see them multiple times and have to scroll way the heck down to continue with the thread. Thanks!
     
    #4 darelldd, Jan 14, 2007
  5. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 14 2007, 01:54 AM) [snapback]375427[/snapback]</div>
    we took out our seats as well recently, the passenger seat was out for a few days, and when we put it back there was no light.

    BUT

    some seats do require it. passenger weight classification or something-or-another. DH isn't here, can ya tell by my incredibly accurate terms? :p he was prepared with the scantool and 60 lbs of sandbags when we went and put it all back together, just in case the 05 prius did need the recal. not a single srs code...
     
    #5 galaxee, Jan 14, 2007
  6. GeekEV

    GeekEV Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 13 2007, 10:54 PM) [snapback]375427[/snapback]</div>
    Possibly if the weight of the seat changed... It looks like they were re-done in leather? And I'm guessing they were fabric? Leather would be a lot heavier, and could be tripping the sensor. Could also explain why you didn't have the problem, because your seat weight didn't change? I'm just guessing though.
     
    #6 GeekEV, Jan 14, 2007
  7. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i think the sensor is on because of the additional padding and weight added to the seat. heck, sometimes my laptop will turn the airbag light on if sitting right.

    i think the seats look great and at $1400 they had better. but not worth the money to me... my SO got seat covers that heat and vibrate (not interested in that, i stay plenty warm on my own) for Xmas....$80... i could probably have added some foam support under the cover like you did...

    but my seats are not that uncomfortable for me. only on a 10 hour drive have i had issues and not sure ANYTHING could have fixed that. my car seems to lull me to sleep much more than any other car i have ever had. so maybe a bit more discomfort is what i need
     
    #7 DaveinOlyWA, Jan 14, 2007
  8. Tom_06

    Tom_06 Active Member

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    Prime Advanced
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 14 2007, 11:20 AM) [snapback]375486[/snapback]</div>
    You need to do a zero-point calibration on the sensor. Even just removing and reinstalling the front passenger seat can affect the sensor. This is just a normal part of doing any work on the passenger seat and is a simple procedure if nothing is broken. See the following service manual page for reasons the calibration is needed:

    [attachmentid=6245]

    - Tom
     

    Attached Files:

    #8 Tom_06, Jan 14, 2007
  9. DeliveringSmiles

    DeliveringSmiles Junior Member

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    s-l1600.jpg My comfort level was suffering as a delivery driver so I found a cheap way to fix it! I got a "Patra" driver side seat cover for under a $100 on ebay and installed it in 10 mins. It has side bolsters too. It wasn't enough so I stopped at "People of Walmart store" LOL and got a package of square foam pads for $7 and put some in the back area and some under the seat. I concentrated them in the middle (lumbar) area and at the front of the seat so there was no more gap under my legs. WOW! What a difference it made! Now my legs are supported as well as my sides and back. Beats spending a fortune and is really fast and easy to do. Now it feels like a BMW! I also added an extra pad on the head rest to rest my head against. That was like 4 months ago.
     
    #9 DeliveringSmiles, Dec 8, 2016
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