Help on M-performance seat install (AMX)

[seis-speed]

They are the CS Recaro seats reupholstered by AMX.

I ordered these back in December and finally got the seats.

Need help with the following items:

1. Seatbelt side not fitting correctly and damaging the cars carpet interior when sliding the seat back and forth. It is very tight...any thoughts on this?

2. Taking off wiring harness from electric OEM seats, this might damage OEM seats with wire stripping? Is there an alternative harness option?

3. Could not use oem hardware to bolt down the rails, the holes were larger than typical for Recaro, does this look correct?

I have PM'd with a member and he has been helping me along the way, but just wanted some feedback and possible discussion for those that are going to do this install in the future.

Thanks for any help!

[MechE]

My seats also came from AMX, but I received different rails. My rails do not appear to offset the seat towards the center of the car like yours do.

I used different/longer fasteners because I raised the outer rail ~1cm to level the seat left to right.

[EvoKnvl]

I wouldn't remove the wiring harness from your stock seats. I recommend buying a new harness and stripping down the harness to just the essential wires. You can re-use the control module box though. That's easy to take in and out.

[seis-speed]

Thanks to all, I was able to resolve the issues working through private messages and a phone conversation with another member.

I have to say this site (the owners) of these fun little cars are the most friendly/helpful group of enthusiasts that I have made contact with.

[ayao]

What was the solution?

[1&done]

If you want the correct OEM offset best to use OEM Recaro built rails and sliders. BK offers rails that can be modified for CS frame but will still sit higher than intended due to the frame. I actually have a left side BMWP frame and rails I was thinking about reverse engineering and producing for the CS seat to allow for the lower seating position. If anyone needs to chat further about these seats shoot me a msg.

[seis-speed]

Originally Posted by ayao

What was the solution?

Rails are correct since I am ~ 6’ (they sit lower)

Seatbelt tensioners need to be installed differently will work on that next week.

I am going to buy a harness from EBay and leave OEM seats alone. Not going to have heated seats until I get these parts.

Will use large washer or non OEM parts to bolt down seats.

Shop is going to code car for passenger airbag.

[atl_1M]

Thanks for posting. It may come in handy in the future.

I really would love to get these seats, but I need to do Ohlins coilovers first. How did the quality turn out? Was all the stitching and material quality up to OEM standards? How much was the cost, was it about 6k incl. shipping?

[seis-speed]

Originally Posted by atl_1M

Thanks for posting. It may come in handy in the future.

I really would love to get these seats, but I need to do Ohlins coilovers first. How did the quality turn out? Was all the stitching and material quality up to OEM standards? How much was the cost, was it about 6k incl. shipping?

I will do a write up once they are all installed and I have some seat-time.

[EvoKnvl]

Originally Posted by atl_1M

Thanks for posting. It may come in handy in the future.

I really would love to get these seats, but I need to do Ohlins coilovers first. How did the quality turn out? Was all the stitching and material quality up to OEM standards? How much was the cost, was it about 6k incl. shipping?

I've had mine for over 3 years and they still look brand new. Quality and stitching is flawless. I also had the pass-through holes color matched and they were well done.

I also have the side airbags, and heating elements installed. Everything works as OEM.

[seis-speed]

Originally Posted by EvoKnvl

I've had mine for over 3 years and they still look brand new. Quality and stitching is flawless. I also had the pass-through holes color matched and they were well done.

I also have the side airbags, and heating elements installed. Everything works as OEM.

You posted your seats in a thread I created awhile back and it has cost me a lot of money!


Did you code out your passenger airbag? Is the wiring harness just for heat?


Still trying to figure this all out, it seems there are a few ways to go about it.

[EvoKnvl]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

You posted your seats in a thread I created awhile back and it has cost me a lot of money!


Did you code out your passenger airbag? Is the wiring harness just for heat?


Still trying to figure this all out, it seems there are a few ways to go about it.

Yes, I coded out the passenger sensor. So it doesn't look for a passenger in the seat. My understanding is that's how the OEM Performance seats are setup and they will assume there is someone in the seat and deploy.

Correct, the wiring harness is just for the heat (and maybe the airbag, I forgot.) I basically stripped the harness down to like 3 or 4 connectors. I then plugged it into the OEM box. No errors or complaints about the power seats not being hooked up. But the heated seats work perfect. No need to code for that. Let me know when you get the harness, and I can try to help you identify which ends you'll need to keep.

[seis-speed]

Ok,

I have these control boxes coming to pair with yellow connector housing from OEM seats.

Will this allow the side airbag and heated seats to function or do I also need another harness for the heat?

Also, for coding, can I get some recommendations in the thread or through PM.

Thanks!

Is Bimmercode or Carly an option?

[EvoKnvl]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

Ok,

I have these control boxes coming to pair with yellow connector housing from OEM seats.

Will this allow the side airbag and heated seats to function or do I also need another harness for the heat?

Also, for coding, can I get some recommendations in the thread or through PM.

Thanks!

Is Bimmercode or Carly an option?

I'll have to get you some pics of the harness and the boxes. There should be a bigger rectangle box mounted to the bottom of the OEM seats. You'll need that one as well. IIRC, the 2 boxes/side need to be used.

I used NCSExpert to do my coding. I would have to research the code I used, but it basically has to do with deactivating the passenger occupancy sensor. You need to do that or you'll throw an error.

[seis-speed]

Originally Posted by EvoKnvl

I'll have to get you some pics of the harness and the boxes. There should be a bigger rectangle box mounted to the bottom of the OEM seats. You'll need that one as well. IIRC, the 2 boxes/side need to be used.

I used NCSExpert to do my coding. I would have to research the code I used, but it basically has to do with deactivating the passenger occupancy sensor. You need to do that or you'll throw an error.

The large box is for the power seats movement, memory, lumbar etc... possibly heating / still not sure / in the AMX video another member sent me, it seemed that that box (light grey) was not needed?

I do not necessarily need the heat, so I am hoping what I have can work with all the airbags and seatbelt tensioners.

If I do need the box - There are some harnesses online, but they state they do not work with 1M, but only 135i & e92 I am assuming they would work if I need to get one.

Here is one https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...t/61129131728/

Thanks for everyone's help!

Figuring out the seatbelt tensioner assembly was huge, my seats now fit perfectly, so it is just the wiring at this point.
Special thanks to the 1M owner who talked me through the fitment over the phone.

[EvoKnvl]

Hi Seis-Speed, here are the p/n for the harness that I ordered. I looked at my notes and conversations from before. I believe this harness is JUST for the heated seat portion. Rather, it's for all the Heat and power function, but I just stripped it down to handle just the heat. I believe you should have everything you need to hook up the airbags. My airbags always worked while I was trying to figure out how to get the heat working correctly. You will need the big box to make the heat work correctly. The rest aren't used, as you correctly stated, are used for the electrical portion of the power seat.

These are the harnesses I purchased from fcpeuro if you want heat.
61129219007
61129218748

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

....

If I do need the box - There are some harnesses online, but they state they do not work with 1M, but only 135i & e92 I am assuming they would work if I need to get one.

...

That’s only because some shops haven’t updated their vehicle variants list at the 2011LCI stage. The E89 electrical platform is equal for all 1-series and 3-series of the day: if it works for 135 or e90, i guarantee it will work for the 1M.

Thanks for hashing out all these details so that the rest of us, can dream about this mod, without the fear of failure; those are great looking seats.

[cmichaelo]

I just got some AMX seats and now I'm struggling what to do with the seat harness. I currently have power seats and they have a large white/gray distribution box. Iow, I do *NOT* have the small brown box discussed in this thread and also shown in AMX's and ObsessedGarage's videos. (I presume the smaller brown box is for manual seats.)

Further, the harness that connects from the cable in the floor to the large white/gray distribution box is a complex mess of interconnected wires, some of which go all the way into corners and crevises of the seat that is very difficult to get to. Most of this wiring is associated with power functions but is unfortunately integrated with the main power connector that not only supports power to the main distribution box but also to some of the "satelite" power function boxes various places in the seat. I'm contemplating unraveling the entire seat harness to avoid having to cut the harness so I can just isolate the main power connector that goes into the big distribution box.

How do you guys deal with this?


Second.. in parallel with the main yellow connector is a fuse-like looking little connector attached to the bracket that the yellow connector is also attached to. What is this for?


Third... someone posted some FCP part numbers of the brown distribution box but they appear to only be for 2011 models and up. I have a 2010 model. Has anyone used them with 2010 and earlier models?

[MechE]

My 1M also had power seats before installing the AMX seats.

My goal was to disassemble my factory seats as little as possible.

The cleanest answer I found as to buy two used seat control modules on eBay for about $30 each. I was able to find the exact part number that matched the modules on my existing seats. I then removed the yellow connector "shell" from the old seats and reassembled it on the AMX seats. The connector shell holds multiple "Tetris like" connector ends that are attached to the harnesses from the new seat. You do not need to cut any wires.

Unfortunately, this is where my memory is failing. I believe I had extra power seat wiring harnesses that I needed to fill slots in the yellow connector shell. Most of the connectors on this harness aren't connected to anything. Part numbers 61129219007
and 61129218748.

I was not able to get the small brown boxes for non-power seats to work with my seat heaters.

The parallel fuse like connector is for the seat position sensor that disables the airbag when the seat is all the way forward. It is a hall effect sensor that is triggered by a magnet attached to the front of the factory seat rail. I suggest removing the sensor from your old seat and tie wrapping it up under the new seat. It just needs to be connected to not trigger the SRS light.

I still needed to code out the seat occupancy sensor, but the seat heaters and airbags worked perfectly.

I hope that helps.

[cmichaelo]

Originally Posted by MechE

My 1M also had power seats before installing the AMX seats.

My goal was to disassemble my factory seats as little as possible.

The cleanest answer I found as to buy two used seat control modules on eBay for about $30 each. I was able to find the exact part number that matched the modules on my existing seats. I then removed the yellow connector "shell" from the old seats and reassembled it on the AMX seats. The connector shell holds multiple "Tetris like" connector ends that are attached to the harnesses from the new seat. You do not need to cut any wires.

Unfortunately, this is where my memory is failing. I believe I had extra power seat wiring harnesses that I needed to fill slots in the yellow connector shell. Most of the connectors on this harness aren't connected to anything. Part numbers 61129219007
and 61129218748.

I was not able to get the small brown boxes for non-power seats to work with my seat heaters.

The parallel fuse like connector is for the seat position sensor that disables the airbag when the seat is all the way forward. It is a hall effect sensor that is triggered by a magnet attached to the front of the factory seat rail. I suggest removing the sensor from your old seat and tie wrapping it up under the new seat. It just needs to be connected to not trigger the SRS light.

I still needed to code out the seat occupancy sensor, but the seat heaters and airbags worked perfectly.

I hope that helps.

Thanks for the feedback. That was very useful and it confirms and ties off some of the loose ends and thoughts I had about that fkin' harness tree. Not exactly plug'n-play as AMX advertises.

One of the things I was contemplating was to get that brown box (this one). But not only is it an insane $370 x 2 = $ $740... wtf!!!... but if there's a possibility that it won't work with the circuitry of car equipped with power seats, as it sounds like you had a problem with, then I'm gonna totally drop this thought right now and reuse the bigger gray distribution box from the stock seat.

Ok, so in order to remove the existing main harness tree (ie, the one that slides into the yellow socket shell and has like 9-10 additional end points/plugs), I had to open up the long plastic cover on the side of seat where all the control buttons are.

After doing that I decided to trace where that "parallel fuse connector on top of the yellow socket shell" connects to... and it ends up inside the headrest. I suspect it must be the "active headrest" feature, which I didn't even knew I had. But I'm pretty sure I don't need it.

I plan to code out the following sensors/actuators:
- Active headrest sensor/actuator (or whatever it's called)
- Seat occupancy sensor (ie, that sounds the alarm and disables airbag)
- Seat position sensor (ie, that disables the airbag if seat is too far forwards)

[EvoKnvl]

Originally Posted by cmichaelo

Thanks for the feedback. That was very useful and it confirms and ties off some of the loose ends and thoughts I had about that fkin' harness tree. Not exactly plug'n-play as AMX advertises.

One of the things I was contemplating was to get that brown box (this one). But not only is it an insane $370 x 2 = $ $740... wtf!!!... but if there's a possibility that it won't work with the circuitry of car equipped with power seats, as it sounds like you had a problem with, then I'm gonna totally drop this thought right now and reuse the bigger gray distribution box from the stock seat.

Ok, so in order to remove the existing main harness tree (ie, the one that slides into the yellow socket shell and has like 9-10 additional end points/plugs), I had to open up the long plastic cover on the side of seat where all the control buttons are.

After doing that I decided to trace where that "parallel fuse connector on top of the yellow socket shell" connects to... and it ends up inside the headrest. I suspect it must be the "active headrest" feature, which I didn't even knew I had. But I'm pretty sure I don't need it.

I plan to code out the following sensors/actuators:
- Active headrest sensor/actuator (or whatever it's called)
- Seat occupancy sensor (ie, that sounds the alarm and disables airbag)
- Seat position sensor (ie, that disables the airbag if seat is too far forwards)

You just need the harness that I list above. You can use the existing white/grey box that are in the power seats. Recommend you strip wiring harness down to the bare essentials. Once you plug in , heated seats and airbags will work. The only thing that does not work is the passenger occupancy sensor, which you will disable through coding. I believe this is how it's done with the OEM seats as well.

[seis-speed]

My memory is a little foggy and I used a specialty shop to take the OEM seats out, but I did not use any parts that needed to be removed from my OEM seats.

I used the parts posted above and decided to forgo heat. I did not really need/want heat.

I did buy the air-bag software for wiring harness, but never installed, I realized I could just put the passenger seatbelt in and the light and chime would never come on.... This was easy enough for me, since if I ever returned to stock it would be one less step.

The Seats are a bit of project to install, but they are unreal, once installed it changes the car so much and it is surprising how many non-car people comment on "the race seats" in my little black car, it is such a (homerun mod) and one reason in the WTB posts I advise prospective buyers to look for a car that has them installed.

I know AMX is a bit of a tedious buying experience sending money to Poland, not much communications, but my seats look absolutely perfect and the seats look better than OEM performance seats due to the matching stitching and M emblems.