Will A LHD Passengers Seat Fit Into A RHD W124 Cabriolet?

[WDB124066]

I need to replace the drivers seat in my RHD 1996, W124, E320 Cabriolet. Thought I could use a passengers seat from a LHD car if it would fit in term of the electrics. I have heated, electric, memory, mushroom leather.

Questions are,
Will it fit and have all the options work?
I assume it will except for the memory as I am not aware of memory for a passengers seat unless the memory function is in the car and not in the seat, does anybody know for sure.
I would like to have an orthopaedic seat which requires a vacuum operated pump. Does the pump sit under the rear seats as in the sedans or is it in the seat already. If it is in the seat is it just a matter of teeing off the vacuum line for the seat lock.

Very much appreciate informed advice, regards to all, W.

 

[Smiley]

Is it poss to get your existing seat refurbished? May be an easier option?
What is wrong with it?

 

[edgarux]

yes seats fits no problem,doesn't matter lhd or rhd vehicle. Seats are same, yuo could use seat from lhd mb passenger side, with same options seat.

 

[kth286]

as stated on other forum the arm rest holes will show.

 

[WDB124066]

as stated on other forum the arm rest holes will show.

I am not so sure they will. I believe MB got a little lazy and put the arm rest on one seat only, the left seat, for all models 124.

Thanks all the same for your concern and comments.

Can anybody answer the other questions with some degree of confidence?

Best regards to all, W.

 

[WDB124066]

yes seats fits no problem,doesn't matter lhd or rhd vehicle. Seats are same, yuo could use seat from lhd mb passenger side, with same options seat.

Thank you edgarux,

Have you done this yourself at all?

Can you reliably advise if there is only one type of design for the electrics, i.e. logic, current capacity, fuses, plug & terminal type & sizes etc.

All the very best to all...... W.

 

[WDB124066]

Is it poss to get your existing seat refurbished? May be an easier option?
What is wrong with it?

Thanks Smiley,

The seat has been severely messed with and even the frame is not sitting correctly. I think the best thing to do here is to start with a seat that has not been messed with and rebuild whatever needs rebuilding with the genuine MB parts.


Thanks for the suggestion, W.

 

[talbir]

Yes, you can fit a pass seat from a LHD car into your RHD car.

You can retain your base frame which houses the electrics - just unbolt the base and backrest from your existing and attach the LHD pass seat parts.

For the memory function, the base frame houses the relevant relays to enable memory to work correctly, so you must either keep the base frame or transfer all over. The motors are also different with memory options, so you will defo need to transfer them over too, but easy to do with seats out of car.

About 2 hrs work to do for the reasons off the memory function enablement.

talbir

 

[WDB124066]

Yes, you can fit a pass seat from a LHD car into your RHD car.

You can retain your base frame which houses the electrics - just unbolt the base and backrest from your existing and attach the LHD pass seat parts.

For the memory function, the base frame houses the relevant relays to enable memory to work correctly, so you must either keep the base frame or transfer all over. The motors are also different with memory options, so you will defo need to transfer them over too, but easy to do with seats out of car.

About 2 hrs work to do for the reasons off the memory function enablement.

talbir

Thank you kindly talbir,

From what I understand you are saying the relays and the motors are attached to the base frame, and that unless I get an exact like for like replacement and unless I use my existing baseframe, I will need to transfer the current motors and the relays to the replacement baseframe & backrest motor to the backrest.

If this is so it looks like it may be possible to get a LHD seat without memory but electric (as most, if not all, LHD passengers seats won’t have a memory) and by transferring the existing motors and relays to the new seat, use it successfully.

Did I read you right?

Regards, W.

 

[Ade B]

How does it work with the seat back release button which needs to be on the outside of the seat?

LH passenger seat in RH drivers

Read the posts Ade

 

[Ade B]

..

 

[WDB124066]

How does it work with the seat back release button which needs to be on the outside of the seat?

LH passenger seat in RH drivers

Read the posts Ade

Don't beat yourself up mate; there are plenty of people who seem only too pleased to do this for you, completely eliminating the need for DIY.

It is a bit of a trick to get your head around. But after advice from forums, and a bit of a think, I do not think there will be a "mechanical or physical fit problem", however, I am very reluctant to proceed unless I am reasonably sure the electrical side of the equation will work.

As the UK is so close to the LHD countries I had wondered if anybody had done the is before.

Before going ahead I would like to see is a photo of the electrical connections (both sides of the connection) of a LHD passengers seat.
Alternatively if there is a way of telling that the parts are the same via a parts listing that would be a great help. I have tried to access the EPC via the Russian connection but I cannot do a comparison on that particular site.

Can anybody help here? Is it possible to have access to LHD & RHD part numbers in the one location.


Desperately uncomfortable.......

Regards to all, W.

 

[219]

Yes , a LHD passenger seat is EXACTLY the same as a RHD drivers seat .

Like the others , I have to wonder what the problem is with your existing seat - either broken springs in the base or worn covers come to mind .

If broken springs , you can use the base from a UK passenger side car , removing the runners , covers and all other parts and swapping over - I have done this with various cars - not difficult but time consuming . Just re-use all your electrics from your existing seat if they are working at present .

For the orthopaedic option , you need a special pump that supplies positive pressure as well as vacuum - it goes in the usual place under the back seat but has twin outputs : one for vacuum and one for pressure to inflate the bladders - probably easiest to find a donor car with this option and get all the bits ( that's what I did with my 190E when I chanced upon a car with ortho seats in a breakers ) .

If your cover is worn ( usually the backrest bolster ) and is too far gone for leather treatment - it is still possible to get new ones from Mercedes ( at a price ) . The covers are not difficult to remove/refit .

The front armrest is always fitted to the left seat regardless of LHD/RHD .

 

[WDB124066]

Yes , a LHD passenger seat is EXACTLY the same as a RHD drivers seat .

Like the others , I have to wonder what the problem is with your existing seat - either broken springs in the base or worn covers come to mind .


W=> seat has been severely messed with by an upholsterer and the frames & covers have been altered.


If broken springs , you can use the base from a UK passenger side car , removing the runners , covers and all other parts and swapping over - I have done this with various cars - not difficult but time consuming . Just re-use all your electrics from your existing seat if they are working at present .

For the orthopaedic option , you need a special pump that supplies positive pressure as well as vacuum - it goes in the usual place under the back seat but has twin outputs : one for vacuum and one for pressure to inflate the bladders - probably easiest to find a donor car with this option and get all the bits ( that's what I did with my 190E when I chanced upon a car with ortho seats in a breakers ) .

W=> Is this the same pump that does the central locking? I have been told it is!


If your cover is worn ( usually the backrest bolster ) and is too far gone for leather treatment - it is still possible to get new ones from Mercedes ( at a price ) . The covers are not difficult to remove/refit .

The front armrest is always fitted to the left seat regardless of LHD/RHD .

Please see questions above & is this chassis number from an early AMG car, can anybody tell me for sure?

WDB1240512B458102


Thank you all & very best regards, W.

 

[219]

Can't help re the chassis no .

However , I would venture that it is VERY unlikely you will find a LHD vehicle in a breakers with the exact spec of seat you are looking for and in perfect condition , moreover since it is a cabriolet you have which restricts you to coupes or cabs of which there are even fewer around than saloons or estates from which the seats are different .

When I got my 190E with a worn bolster and broken spring on the drivers seat , I visited breakers yards throughout central scotland whenever I was travelling around for almost a year before I came across one with the same trim as mine (THEN I found two on the same day !) at that point I was lucky to find a car with orthopaedic seats and retrofitted this option to my car . I had to strip both seats down to bare components , using the covers from my 'good' passenger seat to fit onto the orthopaedic drivers seat from the donor car (which also had a worn bolster) , having removed the right-handed runners from the base of my drivers seat and put them onto the sound base from the passenger seat off the other car and re-assembled everything . Result , after a day's work : two perfect orthopaedic seats - cost £40 for the two seats from the scrappy . Still looking for a matching front armrest as none of the cars had that option . Likewise , 7 months into my W126 ownership , I'm still looking for a facelift style mushroom leather interior ( including the 'needle in a haystack' individual rear seats option ) .

The point is - you're unlikely to find the exact spec you are looking for as a 'drop in' replacement and will almost certainly have to find something close and build up the seat you want .

 

[WDB124066]

Crikey, you must know your way around these seats by now, thanks for the info Pontoneer!

You may not believe it but after searching far and wide I have found today not 450 km away matching seats (except they are not heated) but they are orthopaedic!

I have heated covers. Hopefully my non orthopaedic covers can be used on orthopaedic seats?

I wonder if I can use my heated covers with the orthopaedic bladders, will the heaters damage the bladders with the heat? Does anybody know for sure if they have seen these two options together?

Regards, W.

 

[219]

Yes , the two options often go together , many W126 cars have heated , ortho seats .

Make sure you get the vacuum pump from the donor car , the pressure reservoir from under the back seat and all the air tubing from the pump to the seats .

It will be an easy matter to take your covers with heater pads and put onto the ortho bases .

Good find !

 

[219]

Just looked at your earlier question about the pump .

The same pump operates both central locking and ortho seats - however you must get the pump from the donor car as it has the additional positive pressure output for inflating the bladders which the standard pump on your car won't have . The pumps look identical save for the extra air nipple . You should also find a pressure reservoir which looks like 2 or 3 plastic spheres joined together - this is usually under the back seat near the pump .

 

[WDB124066]

Too right it was a good find!

May have to buy the car though, do the swap then move it on.

Do you know if it is possible to use the central locking vacuum pump to drive the seats, only someone told me this today and I am not sure about this.

Regards, W.

 

[WDB124066]

Just looked at your earlier question about the pump .

The same pump operates both central locking and ortho seats - however you must get the pump from the donor car as it has the additional positive pressure output for inflating the bladders which the standard pump on your car won't have . The pumps look identical save for the extra air nipple . You should also find a pressure reservoir which looks like 2 or 3 plastic spheres joined together - this is usually under the back seat near the pump .

Right then,

Can I use my pump but just add an extra positive pressure outlet I wonder. Maybe there is a part of the donor car's pump I can take off and use on my pump to give it the extra outlet.

Would my car already have a reservoir connected to the central locking system that would be able to be used for the seats, or am I definitely going to need that extra reservoir as well.

Many thanks, W.