I have a 2000 XKR convertable. I recently purchased a set of front and rear recaro seats that are a perfect match for my original seats.

I have just completed the removal of the old passenger bucket seat. When I tried to connect the new Recaro seat, I noticed that the connectors were different. There is only one power connector on the old seat and it has a yellow 8-slot connector but only 6 actually have pins and Wires). The new Recaro are possibly from an 05 XKR and have a 14-slot connector but on 13 have pins and wires.

• Do either of these seats have Air bags in them?
• What can I do to make the new seats compatable?
• Also, I'm keeping the control modules with the chairs they came with. Is that the correct action.

 

Although I can't help you with the install, I would be interested to know how you rate the Recaros. I have them on my 2005 XKR and while they look superb, I have never found them particularly comfortable.

 

Depends on what year XK the seats came out of? I have swapped earlier Recaros which did not have the air bags, this was relatively easy.
If they are from a later car you will need to retain your original seat modules, I would advise again if they are the later type to make sure the air bags have been disconnected, you would not want to set them going off trying to discover which wires do what!

I have got to do this excercise myself very soon, depends how long you want to wait but once I have sorted it out I will let you know.


I also agree with Frog, they look superb, but if you are of a slightly larger frame you will not find them as comfortable ....... I could be insinuating something by that

 

I rented a basic Ford Fiesta while on holiday a couple of weeks ago and the seats were amazingly supportive and really comfortable. Much better than my $$$ Recaros

 

'05 Recaros would have the side air bags in them.

I love my Recaros. They fit me well. They fit short people best. :P

 

OK I just confirmed that these came out of an xk8 coupe possibly an 03. The tags on the seats say 11.02.2002 so could've been an 02 or 03. I also noticed on the driver's side there's a cover that says "Airbag" on them. Question is now do I have the airbags on my stock 2000 XKR Seats?

If I do, are they compatable, Meaning all I have to do is make the correct wire connections?

If I don't how can I disable them? Also where can I get the connectors from? Ideally, would like to make or purchase a jumper harness so that I can switch back to the originals if needed.

Being that these are from a coupe, I will have to wait to swap out the rear seats until I come across some from the dismantlers. I have a convertable.

Thanks

 

Your existing seats will not have air bags, I am just going to cut the wires on mine as I will be retrimming them in a 2 tone effect to go with the colour of the car, I will then remove them completely.

I have spare seats here from which I will cut the plugs off and wire them up to the Recaros once I have established what wire does what?

I am afraid you are pretty much on your own here!

 

Do you offer a partial retrim service? I would love to get the driver's side bolsters redone in the original ivory leather.

I enquired at a Jaguar dealer a year ago, but they said I would need two complete covers for both front seats (so the colour would match) at a cost of about £3000!!

 

Once I have taken the seats apart I will see about making up some patterns, the biggest issue would be matching the leather I would of thought

 

I will watch this thread closely as I wish to do the same thing. Good luck!

 

Connolly | UK Hide

these guys have the correct colour Jag hides to match any repairs or retrim.

 

I second that. Looking forward to finally seeing a tasteful interior update.

On a related note, does anyone know a source for seat pads other than Jaguar?

When I had the seat apart a few weeks ago for an airbag light I saw that the bolster foam was torn and breaking down.

 

Quote: XKRacer "I also agree with Frog, they look superb, but if you are of a slightly larger frame you will not find them as comfortable ....... I could be insinuating something by that "

Can it be generally said that "smaller than larger framed" people find the Recaros, more comfortable and supportive than standard, or just nicer looking and costlier? I am about 5'10" (178 cm) and about 10 1/2 stone (150lb).

Haven't got any Jag ones to view at the moment, but saw some in an Audi A8 today. Boy they looked nice

 

Hi All,

I'm back to report that I have successfully transplanted the stock passenger seat from my 2K ‘vert with the Reacro from a 2003 XK8.

1st off, I had the JTIS and I traced all of the Pins from both seats and created a pinout cross-reference matrix of sorts. Then I removed the yellow 8 pin connector from the old seat. No I didn't cut and splice any wires, I just figured out how to unlatched them from the connector. Then I relocated that connector to the new seat. Pins 1 - 8 from the new seat were transplanted into the old connector. I didn't relocate the remaining wires from the new seat since most of those were part of the weight sensors. I then tucked the old connector away into the seat frame so that it wouldn't obstruct any movement.

I decided that I was not going to incorporate the Airbag in the recaro's. I had to peel back the seat bolster to access the airbag. I could've removed the airbag completely at this point but instead I left it in place. I disconnected the harness at the airbag. I could’ve also left it connected but I wanted to be absolutely sure that it would not ignite during install. It has it's own 2 way yellow connector under the seat cushin. The 2K XKR does not have the option for side airbag, hence it would need a need a different controller module to make it work properly plus all the appropriate harnesses. It would have been a value add but I didn't feel it was worth the effort since I didn't have it before. I hadn't lost anything.

Now that the seat is in, I made a couple of observations in case you want to do this yourselves. I'm 224lbs and 5'8" with a muscular build.

Con's of the Recaro transplant:
Recaro seat is heavier than the stock seat – It was a pain to install and I would recommend that you cover up all your paint work and leather with a moving blanket so that nothing gets marred. While locating the seat into position I had to rest the seat on the armrest. It slightly marred it.
Recaro is bulkier than the stock seat – It will take up more space than the buckets both behind and in front. I noticed that the leg room for the rear seats is almost gone when I adjust to a comfortable position for my frame. Not even a 10 yrs olds legs would fit back there unless I positioned the seat way forward to a point where I was uncomfortable. Warning...You must be careful if you do have an occupant back there so you don’t amputate them at the ankle! Also, the seat pad sticks out 3” farther in front.
Reacro are taller than the stock seat - The thickness of the seat cushion positions the passenger higher than the buckets do. The seat are fitted very close to the floor so nothing should be in the back seat floor when moving the seats fore and aft. I had the seat securing bolts on the floor while I was testing the movement. They were there one second and gone the next as the seat scooped them under during the test. .
You lose the functionality of the airbag and weight sensing modules. These are components of the Secondary restraint system and were not part of th system on the 2K model year.
The connector transplant is a PITA- If you don’t know what you are doing this could be a real pain. For me it was cleaner and easier than cutting and splicing so I went for it. I hate cutting wires to save time!!!!!

Pro's of the Recaro transplant:

Recaro seat is very attractive and inviting – The Recaros seem to hold up better to abuse. The ones I got were very clean. They are Charcoal colored and they are a perfect match for my interior. Getting in and out was ok if you had full access, meaning top was down and the seat was all the way back and the doors could open fully. Not much different than the stock seats.
Recaro is is more firm where it should be and more comfortable where it should be – As expected the seats were more confortable in the seat and the back than the stocks. With the old seats I felt very little padding between my butt and the frame but the seat back was just fine. The new seat has more support on the outsides keeping you more in the center of the seat and it fit me like a glove.
Adds value and appeal for resale – I think they are very attrctive looking. The brand is exotic. The seats are more comfortable in the right hands. If I were doing a comparison the Recaros win me over as a selling point.

IMO – I think if you are 5’10 (I’m 5’8) or shorter you will appreciate these seats more so than someone taller. The taller you are the less legroom you will have for both you and any rear seat occupants. Also the seat back height is just right for me I think if my torso was an inch taller my head would stick up past the top of the seat back. The seat cushions are way more comfortable than the stock buckets. With the buckets my butt was always sore on one side because the seat pads aren’t symmetrical on both sides. I don’t think occupant weight factors in much here but I will add that there is more cushion all around so I feel that it would be more comfortable for someone heavier than me at least up to 250lbs. I think as far as the person frame is concerned I am fairly heavy for my height and wide around the shoulders and back and yet it’s still more comfortable than stock. Believe it or not, I felt like I was sliding around in the stock seats while cornering.

These are reverse compatible, meaning, older buckets into a newer XKR since the SRS takes into account the weight of the occupant and the seat belt or backrest position and the older seats do not have the appropriate sensors, controller or harness. It may be possible but it would take too much work and not add much value. However if anyone in the Sacramento, CA area is interested in this mod please let me know. I’d be willing to give it a try and I already have the bucket seats for an XKR Vert.

I will provide more feedback once I get the Driver's seat into it's final resting place. I need to review the electrical schematics 1st to make sure I don’t fry anything. Driver seat has more functionality due to seat memory.

BTW, the total time I spent on just this seat was 6 hrs. This includes doing the research and QC and functionality testing. Yes, I had to triple check everything. Now, that all the legwork has been done I could tackle this on in under 2 hrs barring any issues that arise.

 

did you take any pictures of the process?

 

I'll take some pictures of the Driverseat swap

 

Hi Everyone,

Driver seat recaro transplant completed successfully. No errors and all seat functions are available. Much more comfortable than the stock buckets for me. The process is pretty simple as well just remove the yellow 8 pin harness connector aka "SD1" and transplant the pins fron the 1st 8 pins and wires from the recaros to the old connector. The remaining pins from the recaros can be left on the 13 pin connector and tuck it back into the seat frame so that it doesn't obstruct seat movement. Then install the chair carefully reconnect the harness and test all functions. I didn't have to swap controllers for either chair I just used the ones that came with the recaros.