Seat removal / cleaning

[Rubyoptics]

Hi all! So, with the warmer weather starting to appear, my mind is turning to some much needed CC TLC! I'm thinking about removing the front seats in Lizzie for two reasons : 1 - I'm planning on fitting some aftermarket inflatable lumbar support pads under the upholstery. Try as i might, being 6'3" i can't find a seating position which doesn't give me lower back pain after a while, and experimenting with pillows makes me believe that this could be a great solution to my problem! 2 - If the seats are out for this anyway, and I'm removing the covers in order to fit the pads, I would dearly love to throw the covers through the washing machine! Not that they are particularly dirty, but 15 years and numerous arses must have left them in a state where a wash can't do any harm! The only thing im worried about is the covers shrinking somehow. As long as I leave the washing machine on a cold wash, does anyone envisage any problems with doing this?

Thanks for your help and advice guys, got some more work being done shortly and hopefully can have some pics up in a few weeks!

[IanL]

Reminds me of a Nissan of many years ago which had an adjustable lumbar support (well, alleged). We didn't think much of it and it got called the discomfort bar!

I'm not as tall as you, so this may not help, but I've achieved much greater comfort by fitting a couple of hard plastic washers (10mm thickness) under the front of the seat tracks. Tilts the whole seat back a bit, which allowed me to use the height adjuster to bring the seat back forward (sounds odd, but that's how it works) without folding my waist in knots. I can now comfortably reach the wheel without a stretch, avoiding the curved back syndrome. Much better.

[Rubyoptics]

That's an interesting idea, thanks Ian. I think i'll give that a go as it may well prove helpful. The problem is that i need the seat as far back as it can possibly go in order to get comfortable on the pedals, but then (as you rightly suggest) it's a bit of a stretch to the wheel/gearshift. Oh Peugeot, would it have killed you to fit a telescoping steering column??!!

[johnbrander]

Think I'd be trying to borrow an "aqua vac" rather than going to the trouble of removing the covers off the seats, Did this on a Fiat X/19 many years ago and it was a very fiddly job and time consuming too but at least the fabric didn't shrink !

[IanL]

That's an interesting idea, thanks Ian. I think i'll give that a go as it may well prove helpful. The problem is that i need the seat as far back as it can possibly go in order to get comfortable on the pedals, but then (as you rightly suggest) it's a bit of a stretch to the wheel/gearshift. Oh Peugeot, would it have killed you to fit a telescoping steering column??!!

Hear , hear

I think the raising the seat front allows the lower leg to come a bit more vertical whilst retaining support under the thighs. I got my washers here. I bought M8 x 10mm.

[Rubyoptics]

As a bit of an update to this, I now have an additional problem. I have the 2.0 so side airbags are fitted into the outside edge of both front seats. On the drivers side, the material where it goes under the plastic airbag "shield" has started to come out. It doesn't affect anything but it does made the interior look tatty. Any tips for sorting this out? Thanks as always!

[gazza82]

All I can says is .. "Ours did that. And no matter how much you push it in, it pops back out" ..

[johnbrander]

Me too, in the end super glued it back in place but eventually it still came adrift - they all do this with cloth interiors!

[IanL]

Let's hear it for leather.....

[johnbrander]

my 2nd one has leather

[Rubyoptics]

You don't live in a country with -28 degree winters and 38 degree summers !!!