remove passenger seat?

[MAMSport]

I am thinking that a dog might be in my future, perhaps up to 70#. As my primary vehicle is the 128i, the dog would get a lot of 'ride time'. Is it possible to remove the passenger seat to give the dog a larger, flatter area? Any issues with either the airbags or the warning lights for them?

[cerealwars]

Love that idea.

If you remove the seat it will definitely trip an airbag light. I'm not certain but i think you may be able to code out the presence of the equipment using a coding tool like Bimmergeeks. I would search for info on installing race seats (as those have no airbags) and see if that leads you anywhere.

[Blau]

Tbh, you're better off removing part of the back seat. A dog that big should have some sort of tether. The front seat at least provides a bit of protection if you get rear ended.

[MAMSport]

Thanks for replies. I thought that I could use the front seatbelt as a tether for a dog, but maybe that isn't realistic? It's been over 30 years since last having a dog, and back then, he liked to lie on the passenger seat. I figure that being on the floor would prevent a dog from being thrown off the seat.

[K9Leader]

I've not considered this idea for my 128i but I have thought about it for my C5 Corvette for road trips (when my wife is not going along). My dog is medium sized (40 lbs) and I've thought about some sort of wooden base with storage underneath and a padded area/bed on top for her. I would want to bolt the base down on the seat attachment points and use some sort of restraint in the top section for her. No issues with airbags as the Corvette does not have airbags in the seats.

[MAMSport]

Not sure why my reply from a couple of days ago didn't get posted. K9Leader, you have a nice looking pooch. I don't know if I need to build a platform as I expect the floor to be fairly flat. I'm concerned whether the seats are held in place with bolts or have studs extending up from the floor panel with nuts above the seat track mounts? The seat belt could still be a tether even if a dog is on the floor, or is the female end too high in practice?