I do not have a big butt (well, OK, it depends on who you ask) but I find the seat pan bolsters uncomfortable - to the point of being mildly painful on the thighs on long drives. They are too close together and the foam has the pliability of blocks of wood. I made a small leather cushion to insert and lift me up a little, but that seems like a ghetto solution. Is there a way to replace the rock hard foam with something softer without having problems with air bag sensors or some other mysterious electronics?

I guess I am asking if the seat can be removed and the innards accessed by mere mortals. I know an upholsterer who is willing to replace the foam and contour the seat, but is scared to death of running into some electronics issues. I thought I might take the seat out and remove whatever has to be removed so he can work on it, and take it to him.

I don't want to acidentally engage the ejector module or something.

Thanks!

 

My legs also gets pinched after awhile of driving.I thought I might try to make a cushion that would fill the area between those humps.Then just lower the seat a little.Why the heck is it shaped that way anyway?I don't know anyone that has an *** like that.Good luck and take care,Dave

 

Jaguar warn not to disconnect the seat wiring harness until the car battery has been disconnected, and an interval of at least one minute has elapsed. The seat cushion has no airbags or other safety items, but contains an occupancy sensing module. There is also the seat heater element too.

Note that the seat backrest contains a side impact airbag module; you should see a little label on the side saying 'airbag'.

Do you have the seats with extendible cushions ? This allows the cushion to be moved forward or back in relation to the seat back. Adjustment forward might be beneficial if you can ease the bolster pressure a bit.

If it was me, I'd experiment with the seat settings before ripping into the seat, but you have probably done this already.

 

Yeah. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to get the adjustments comfortable. It does have the extendible cushions, and that helped a little, but not enough.

Thanks for the tip.

 

The 2004 has tortourous thigh bolsters. I swear they're made of unsprung solid steel. Now add a steel cable like upholstery cord that runs right along the sciatica nerve! I asked a Jag salesman about that he just shrugged. I think they fixed it in 2006.

 

The seats in my 2005 fit me ideally. But I'm 5'9" and am athletic build. I can drive all day and be 100% comfortable. That is one of the main reasons I ended buying an "R" over a Super V8.

 

I'm glad someone brought this up. The seat needs some help no doubt, but again Fraser lends some wise counsel-please take heed, the brother knows that of which he speaks!

 

At 6'2" 295lbs and 33" thighs (not fat but who cares, this isn't Pumping Iron, lol) I find my 04 XJ to be equally torturous to the point I've fallen in love with taking my Town Car on long trips (plus the Townie gets better mileage) in order to avoid the discomfort.

I'm nowhere near brave (or smart) enough to gut the seats and try that route, especially since I'm sasquatch-like in size I figure it's pointless anyway.

This is a "viewer discretion advised" statement that is likely TMI but another complaint I have with the seat is more often than not, upon exit, I tend to catch, then mash, two very sensitive parts of my anatomy on the bolster. This is especially painful when wearing loose fitting slacks.

Hope I haven't ruined anyones lunch but provided a good laugh for the day

 

I know, it's like trying to high-jump a wooden fence, or straddle a table saw. On the plus side though using it as a handle upon exit is equal to a workout on a pommel horse.

 

Indeed kemosabe. Indeed...

 

I think about this thread now from time to time when I sit in my car. I feel grateful that the XJR seats seem custom built for my frame.

I just had a thought. Perhaps one could find a wrecked Super V8 or VDP and salvage the seats to install in the "R" or standard XJ8, you know, those seats with the funky and cool gathers. It's my understanding that those seats are different, not quite as contoured and more set up for comfort than the other seats. FWIW.

 

Fitz, were you able to get your seat fixed? The seats are so uncomfortable that I'm ready to park the XJ8 and go back to my old truck after two weeks of driving this car every day. But, with the right foam I might not have to.

 

Seats were built for an athletic type European not a super sized American. Sorry but its the truth. If your waist is bigger than 36...........

 

YOu're being a bit cheeky there, CT ! I have 37" waist and an XJ6 Sport yet I don't have any discomfort. Actually, this is a difficult problem to solve, because the lovely leather covers are made to match the foam rubber mouldings, so if the bolsters are cut down, the covers will need reshaping too. It might be easier to find some non-Sport seats from a wrecked car, and use the cushion/cover of these, assuming you can find the same colour leather.

This is not a cheap modification !

 

I had an upholsterer who was going to do the modifucations, but then chickened out. He made an insert out of black leather with about an inch of memory foam that actually changes the entire dynamic of the seat and feels pretty good. So it has not been a big priority. But I do plan an coming up with an alternative and will post my results when I do.

 

Well my waist is 34 so that can't be it. It actually feels like I've pinched a nerve. Haven't driven the car since Friday and it still hurts from my hip down my thigh.

Did the seats get any better in later models? There's a wrecked '06 VDP not far from my house that I could grab the seats out of. Perhaps I'll start with some softer foam first.

 

naterator, you in VA or TX?

 

H20boy, I'm in Arlington, TX. Right on the line between Arlington and Fort Worth. Love to live in Fort Worth again, but I'm priced out of my old neighborhoods. Crazy. Whereabouts are you in Panther City?

 

If you promise not to break my seat with your big ****, you can test my seat out. I'm in Sagiaw, actually.

 

I felt the same way about the drivers seat in my 07 XJ8 when I first bought it but found by extending the bottom cushion helped alot. This weekend I did a 600 mile trip and when returning home and pulling into the driveway I was not in a hurry to get out. I now find it the most confortable seat out of any car I have owned, At 5ft9 and 245 i am not a small boy.