BMW E90 3-series Seat Swap

[OCarb]

Oh, hey - didn't know you were on here or I would have private messaged you with questions before I dived in. I haven't had a chance to get it set up in the truck permanently, but supplying 5V as I mentioned above keeps the seat from going into sleep mode for the several hours I tried it. Like you, work's been keeping me from getting around to getting the permanent setup installed.

The E90 and later 3-series seats with the flat rails seem to be pretty universal conversion seats for a bunch of different vehicles. The E90 Sport power seats I have also have the width adjustment you mentioned, so I would guess that'd been an option on some F30 seats as well.

Do keep in touch and let me know what you find out about Volvo seats - I have a friend who would like to use Volvo seats in his rig but neither of us have had the time to dig into the options and what would be required to put them in. If I can be of any assistance in your further seat conversion work, let me know.

That's awesome that you got it to work properly! I tried to supply 5v to a couple of wires I have left from the main plug and my seat still goes into sleep mode. There's this one wire that after you provide 12v for just a second it will bring the seat back from sleep mode, I was hoping that would be the wire that needed 5v. I'm going to have to pull some f32 wiring diagrams and tinker with it.
Thanks for offering your help! I'll definitely message you if I have any questions.

I've seen a couple of guys fitting Volvo seats and the cool thing is that you can fold them flat. I gotta wait until the next holiday sale at the junkyard and get some Volvo seats to experiment with.

 

[griplimited]

Who else is searching CL like it’s they’re religion?

 

[imolam3md1]

Will seats from a e92 (coupe) fit as well? I’m assuming so....


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[Spktyr]

Will seats from a e92 (coupe) fit as well? I’m assuming so....


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You may want to re-read the thread because right in my first post I point out that I was using E92 seats. And again a few posts up, I specifically mention the seats in the truck are E92 seats...

 

[Cole T]

You may want to re-read the thread because right in my first post I point out that I was using E92 seats. And again a few posts up, I specifically mention the seats in the truck are E92 seats...

I’ve been drooling over this thread for the last few weeks! Can you confirm is these are the correct seats? I’m about to pull the trigger! E90 sedan Sport seats - Auto Parts - East Windsor, Connecticut - Marketplace | Facebook

 

[Spktyr]

I’ve been drooling over this thread for the last few weeks! Can you confirm is these are the correct seats? I’m about to pull the trigger! E90 sedan Sport seats - Auto Parts - East Windsor, Connecticut - Marketplace | Facebook

Those appear to be E90 Sport seats and should work, yes. Can't tell you which version of the E90 Sport seats they are without a better pic of the controls around the outside. You will probably need to get a wiring pigtail from a junkyard E90 with power seats to make connecting them easier.

 

[VernySanders]

Great thread I love the luxury look!

 

[jgue467]

Great thread I love the luxury look!

Have you sat on one? On my GFs 06 330ci, very firm, no give on the foam, pretty stiff, good for a sports car yet if that's what everyone wants in an already stiff supensioned vehicle, go for it but I just had my seats redone with new foam and covers, oh so sweet, multiple layers of increasing firmness of foam leads to a super soft yet supportive product. That's lux to me, improves the ride big time too. :cowboy:

 

[96RedRunner]

The look is great sporty and all, they're just like whats in my 2011 Audi S5 I bet they feel the same also.
As for long haul comfort I like the 4Rnr OE seats much better.
Ha, your butt go with what you like, they do look good.

 

[Cole T]

Those appear to be E90 Sport seats and should work, yes. Can't tell you which version of the E90 Sport seats they are without a better pic of the controls around the outside. You will probably need to get a wiring pigtail from a junkyard E90 with power seats to make connecting them easier.

Cool thanks, I’ll do that. Also will the stock 4runner seat belt fit into the female end on the bmw seats? Did you have another plan for the seat belts?

 

[Spktyr]

Cool thanks, I’ll do that. Also will the stock 4runner seat belt fit into the female end on the bmw seats? Did you have another plan for the seat belts?

I transplanted my seat belts from the Toyota to the BMW seats as the buckles are not compatible. The BMW has the same type of mounting system as the Toyota does, a single bolt capping a metal pipe or bung, but the Toyota buckle assembly has a larger hole. You will need to find or make a reducer to make it fit; not too difficult. I had a leftover set from a prior project but these can be found on Amazon, local hardware stores, etc.

 

[Cole T]

I transplanted my seat belts from the Toyota to the BMW seats as the buckles are not compatible. The BMW has the same type of mounting system as the Toyota does, a single bolt capping a metal pipe or bung, but the Toyota buckle assembly has a larger hole. You will need to find or make a reducer to make it fit; not too difficult. I had a leftover set from a prior project but these can be found on Amazon, local hardware stores, etc.

Great sounds good. I’ll be picking up those seats tomorrow and I hope to get started right away. I’m sure I’ll have some questions about the wiring, but otherwise thanks to your pictures the mounting should go smoothly. I’m also going to eventually want to hook up the heated portion of the seats. I’m thinking just a universal 3 position seat heater switch, but I’m not sure if that will work because of the on board computer in the seats? If you don’t mind, I’ll post updates. Or would you prefer I start my own thread? Let me know.

 

[Cole T]

Hey [MENTION=268425]Spktyr[/MENTION],

So I got the seats and I bolted the outside legs on. For inner leg placement, I’m going to bolt the inner legs down in my parts truck, then bolt the seat in and tack weld the feet in place. Then I’ll remove it from the truck and finish the weld. My question lies in the wiring. I’ve attached a photo of the two plugs on the BMW seat. Would you be able to tell me which wire to supply 12v and ground to? Also which one needs the 5v feed? I’m guessing the orange and green are 5v feed/ground, but as you mentioned, I don’t want to try the wrong wire and set off the airbag.

Thanks! Hoping to have the first seat in tomorrow.

-Cole

 

[Brandt]

I'm the OP of that Reddit post, just came across this post looking for something else lol did you get the seats to prevent them from going on sleep mode?

I have now upgraded to f32 seats and gave my f30 seats to my friend with a 1st Gen Tacoma (yes, they'll fit a Tacoma). I also made my own rear brackets to set the seat a little bit lower.
The f32 seats have full lumbar support and you can adjust the sides so you don't move around when off-roading.
I have gathered e46 and e90 seats and possibly getting Volvo seats for testing and fitting to make a universal bolt-on bracket, I just had been really busy with work that I haven't had time.

OCarb, have you had any success with the e46 seats?

 

[Cole T]

E-90 seats have a taller seating position

So I figured out the wiring today and got the driver's seat installed. I found out by searching the BMW part number on the wires that the plug with only two wires is for the airbags, so this gave me the confidence to play around with the other wires and figure it out. The seat heater wires are still a mystery but I'm not too torn if they don't work. I've ordered the voltage converter to try and stop the seats from going to sleep with a constant 5v feed. I'll update on how that works.

As for the fitment, I'd say there is nothing easy about this swap. It's just convenient that the BMW rails are flat. For me, only one bolt lined up and when I bolted it where OP said it would work, the mounting hole was like an inch off. I ended up having to weld the other 3 legs on. Not a big deal for me, but not really an easy swap to do. Also, the seats definitely sit higher then the 4-runner seats did. I can't tell if it's going to annoy me yet, but I'm 6'0" and my head is 2" from the ceiling in the lowest setting. the seats are mighty comfy though.

The passenger seat seems to have many more wires then the driver's seat... like 7 more... OP have you figured out what all these wires are for? That's tomorrows project!

 

[Cole T]

Got them in!

Finished the passenger seat today! it was a ton of work and it seems like nothing about this swap is bolt in. oh well, I'm pretty excited about the seats.

It seems as though my passenger seat didn't have the "sleep" issue. I ran a 5v converter to the driver's seat and that's working well.

I still have yet to figure out the heated seat components. I'm thinking of just finding the wires that go to the heaters themselves and wire up some sort of potentiometer to control the heat.

I'll be driving 800 miles this weekend so I'll get to really test them out!

 

[mikeySA]

So, if E90 and F32 seats can me made to fit without much effort, that seems to indicate that aftermarket options for those become viable as well. Interesting...

I prefer manual over power seats, and that's why I went with Corbeau in my 3rd gen. Total shipped price for a pair (Moab), with double locking sliders, $728. Sold my OEM seats for $400, so $328 bucks for brand new seats.

How do you like those Moad seats? I was thinking of getting the Sport Seats. But if Moab is comfy then I'll get those. Cheaper

 

[TonyB66]

How do you like those Moad seats? I was thinking of getting the Sport Seats. But if Moab is comfy then I'll get those. Cheaper

I don't drive the 4Runner much, but zero complaints. More important, from the wife. We have another 4-5 hour drive to Tahoe (hopefully) in a few weeks.

 

[Scott5017]

Just about to tackle this switch myself do you know if the wiring is the same on the f30 seats? Cheers.

 

[Scott5017]

Well got my driver side installed and wired, works great. Gotta figure out how to stop them sleeping and the heated tho still.