Reusing seats when the airbags have gone off.
Reusing seats when the airbags have gone off.
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Discussion

anyideas

Original Poster:

372 posts

224 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Has anyone had experience of trying to re use an interior from a salvage vehicle where the airbags in the seats have gone off?

I've got the option of a complete leather interior for to replace my current part leather one. Both front seats have had their airbags deployed though and I'm wondering if its a big hassle that's worth avoiding?

MissChief

8,007 posts

199 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
I'd have thought the ECU in the car will go mental as soon as you plug it in, believing there has been an accident it didn't know about?

anyideas

Original Poster:

372 posts

224 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Can the seats be repaired?

Horse Pop

685 posts

175 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
They may well not want to supply parts for this on the basis that if the bags went off then the seats could have structural damage.

anyideas

Original Poster:

372 posts

224 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
May just use the rear seat and door cards, I should be able to get the fronts recovered in the same colour and hopefully work out cheaper then recovering all of them.

Fleckers

2,880 posts

232 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
can you not just strip the leather off the seats and refit it ?


ezi

1,734 posts

217 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Horse Pop said:
They may well not want to supply parts for this on the basis that if the bags went off then the seats could have structural damage.
I've seen breakers selling seats where the bags have been deployed.

wemorgan

3,583 posts

209 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Avoid buying the front seats as they are much more vulnerable to accident damage compared to the rears.

mcford

819 posts

205 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
I would have thought that it'd be a case of swapping the airbags from your old seats into the new seats, to replace the ones that have gone off and getting the new covers re sewn with the weaker thread that they use in the areas where the airbags deploy. You will need to check that the airbags from your old seats will fit the new seats.

Superhoop

4,919 posts

224 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Are the airbag units and seat frames in your existing seats the same?

If so, have the bust seat covers restitched, and then use them on your current seats along with the new rears and door cards - should give you a nice cheap full leather interior

dumfriesdave

406 posts

168 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
Bought parnter's Mazda 3 with seat airbag deployed.
Got replacement airbag from Ebay - just 3 bolts and wiring multiplug.

Took fabric cover off seat frame and took to local shoe-repair shop.
He stitched it back together so that is strong enough to withstand normal wear, yet will give way if airbag needs to explode. Cost - 5 beer tokens.

Put back on seat frame and you would never know.
Only other thing to do is either get the airbag module reset by main dealer, or I managed to get one from Ebay for under a tenner.


anyideas

Original Poster:

372 posts

224 months

Saturday 21st September 2013
quotequote all
The seats are from a 2010 freelander 2' mine is an 08 so fittings should be the same.

If the frames do suffer structural damage then its sounds like the best thing to do is re use the leather to re cover the existing seats.

I'd rather not take any chances.