DIY: RECARO SPORTSTER INSTALL E46 M3 (detailed)

Busabos77 · 03-11-2013, 12:16 PM

So I have decided to purchase RECARO SPORTSTER CS seats for my car.
I have tried searching for a detailed DIY of installing Race Seats in our E46 M3 cars, but only found partial DIY ones. I think this might be useful for some members who would want to do race seats in the future. This will be my first time to tackle this sort of project so I know that I may or may not have problems along the way. Stay tuned!

OCCUPANCY SENSOR AND AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR EXPLANATION:

Information that I have gathered from other forum members here that explained how things work. (Thanks guys!)

OPTION 1:
If you are like me and prefer to have new parts for peace of mind, You can buy The airbag seat sensor and occupancy sensor from ECS Tuning. I decided to do this since I did not want to salvage these 2 parts from my OEM passenger seat, lessen the chances of the old airbag and occupancy sensor failing since they are old already, and make sure that everything is right and safe. Only downside is that you have to spend about $210 for the two parts. Other than that, it will just work exactly as the OEM seat did. It will get rid of the Airbag light, recognize that there is weight in the passenger seat when occupied which will automatically turn the passenger airbag on, and off when the seat is unoccupied.

OPTION 2:
Another option is to extract the airbag seat sensor and occupancy sensor from your old OEM passenger seat and use them on your race seats. This is great because you basically do not have to spend anything. It might just be time consuming and you risk damaging the parts if you are not careful removing them. Just like option 1, this will work like the OEM seat that you previously had. It will get rid of the Airbag light, recognize that there is weight in the passenger seat when occupied which will automatically turn the passenger airbag on, and off when the seat is unoccupied.

OPTION 3:
Buy an occupancy seat sensor bypass from ebay or do the resistor mod. Both options are cheap and will cost you less the $20. What the bypass or the resistor mod does is that it emulates and recognizes that the passenger seat is occupied even though there is no one sitting on it. Therefore, turning your passenger airbag on all the time. Only problem with this is that if you get in a wreck, even if you do not have a passenger on the seat, the airbag in your passenger seat will still engage. Both driver and passenger airbags will deploy and instead of just replacing the driver side, now you need to replace the passenger airbag as well. Some people are okay with it so it is really up to you to decide. But there is really no guarantee if the airbags are on all the time unless you have a tool to scan and check them with.

DIY RESISTOR MOD ( Not sure if they all work. Do them at your own risk if you want to or search the forums for more DIYs about this resistor mod)
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=771535

ALL PARTS SHOULD BE COMPLETE AND DELIVERED BY NEXT WEEK. I WILL UPDATE THE THREAD AS I GO ALONG.

THINGS PURCHASED:

RECARO SPORTSTER CS SEATS (Black Bolsters and Black Suede Inserts)

RECARO SLIDERS (2 SETS)

PLANTED SEAT MOUNTS (2 pieces)

1 AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR FOR PASSENGER SEAT (YOU ONLY NEED ONE FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT)

1 OCCUPANCY SEAT SENSOR FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT

cak323i · 03-11-2013, 12:32 PM

subscribed Brian!

Busabos77 · 03-11-2013, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cak323i

subscribed Brian!

Cool man! You know that you will be with me on the install day! I require you to drive up here! We need to make this as detailed as possible so that you have a reference in the future!

cak323i · 03-11-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busabos77

Cool man! You know that you will be with me on the install day! I require you to drive up here! We need to make this as detailed as possible so that you have a reference in the future!

Brother...I wouldn't miss this for the world!!! You know I will be up there with my ///M

Busabos77 · 03-11-2013, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cak323i

Brother...I wouldn't miss this for the world!!! You know I will be up there with my ///M

Now that's what I'm talking about!

grkm3 · 03-11-2013, 04:17 PM

I'd love to have those seats, wrapped in imola red leather.

Busabos77 · 03-11-2013, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grkm3

I'd love to have those seats, wrapped in imola red leather.

Be prepared to pay about $2200 a seat for the leather IMOLA color. That's excluding the brackets and sliders... Too rich for my blood!

Busabos77 · 03-13-2013, 03:08 PM

small hiccup!!! I decided to have the seats re-upholstered to IMOLA RED Leather. I had the shipment re directed to the shop that will do the upholstery. I will be sending them my OEM headrest so that they can match the color of leather that they will use. They will work on it for a week and I figured another week to ship them to me. So this will be delayed a bit...

Same shop that did these will do mine.

wannasupra · 03-14-2013, 03:17 PM

those in cinnamon would be tits. can't wait to see how it turns out. you should install some seat heaters at the same time.

Busabos77 · 03-15-2013, 12:43 PM

Some of the parts that I ordered got delivered today.
Base mounts from PLANTED and Occupancy sensor box and mat from ECS Tuning.
The RECARO SEATS are on their way to the shop to be re-upholstered.

BASE MOUNTS

OCCUPANCY SENSOR BOX AND MAT

Hrvat · 03-15-2013, 01:38 PM

Awesome choice of going with red!!

choxor · 03-15-2013, 02:10 PM

Well, this should be sexy.

grkm3 · 03-15-2013, 02:34 PM

Do want!!!!!

jhaurimn · 03-15-2013, 04:56 PM

You bastard, I wish I had your budget

blubayou · 03-16-2013, 04:13 PM

Nice I love it!

spencers · 03-20-2013, 09:08 AM

Sweet. Can't wait to see this complete! Definitely considering picking up one or two of these.

Busabos77 · 03-21-2013, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hrvat

Awesome choice of going with red!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by choxor

Well, this should be sexy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by grkm3

Do want!!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhaurimn

You bastard, I wish I had your budget

Quote:

Originally Posted by blubayou

Nice I love it!

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by spencers

Sweet. Can't wait to see this complete! Definitely considering picking up one or two of these.

Busabos77 · 03-21-2013, 02:02 PM

Seats got delivered to the shop that will do the Imola Red Leather Wrap. Stay tuned!

Status Gruppe · 03-21-2013, 02:43 PM

Brian,
You are a mad man. That is all.
Mike Migs

Busabos77 · 03-21-2013, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Status Gruppe

Brian,
You are a mad man. That is all.
Mike Migs

LOL! What's up Mike! I am anticipating the door cards sir! Let me know soon!

03-11-2013, 12:16 PM	#1
Busabos77 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NH Posts: 563 My Ride: 04 Tiag M3 E46 View My Garage	DIY: RECARO SPORTSTER INSTALL E46 M3 (detailed) So I have decided to purchase RECARO SPORTSTER CS seats for my car. I have tried searching for a detailed DIY of installing Race Seats in our E46 M3 cars, but only found partial DIY ones. I think this might be useful for some members who would want to do race seats in the future. This will be my first time to tackle this sort of project so I know that I may or may not have problems along the way. Stay tuned! OCCUPANCY SENSOR AND AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR EXPLANATION: Information that I have gathered from other forum members here that explained how things work. (Thanks guys!) OPTION 1: If you are like me and prefer to have new parts for peace of mind, You can buy The airbag seat sensor and occupancy sensor from ECS Tuning. I decided to do this since I did not want to salvage these 2 parts from my OEM passenger seat, lessen the chances of the old airbag and occupancy sensor failing since they are old already, and make sure that everything is right and safe. Only downside is that you have to spend about $210 for the two parts. Other than that, it will just work exactly as the OEM seat did. It will get rid of the Airbag light, recognize that there is weight in the passenger seat when occupied which will automatically turn the passenger airbag on, and off when the seat is unoccupied. OPTION 2: Another option is to extract the airbag seat sensor and occupancy sensor from your old OEM passenger seat and use them on your race seats. This is great because you basically do not have to spend anything. It might just be time consuming and you risk damaging the parts if you are not careful removing them. Just like option 1, this will work like the OEM seat that you previously had. It will get rid of the Airbag light, recognize that there is weight in the passenger seat when occupied which will automatically turn the passenger airbag on, and off when the seat is unoccupied. OPTION 3: Buy an occupancy seat sensor bypass from ebay or do the resistor mod. Both options are cheap and will cost you less the $20. What the bypass or the resistor mod does is that it emulates and recognizes that the passenger seat is occupied even though there is no one sitting on it. Therefore, turning your passenger airbag on all the time. Only problem with this is that if you get in a wreck, even if you do not have a passenger on the seat, the airbag in your passenger seat will still engage. Both driver and passenger airbags will deploy and instead of just replacing the driver side, now you need to replace the passenger airbag as well. Some people are okay with it so it is really up to you to decide. But there is really no guarantee if the airbags are on all the time unless you have a tool to scan and check them with. DIY RESISTOR MOD ( Not sure if they all work. Do them at your own risk if you want to or search the forums for more DIYs about this resistor mod) http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=771535 ALL PARTS SHOULD BE COMPLETE AND DELIVERED BY NEXT WEEK. I WILL UPDATE THE THREAD AS I GO ALONG. THINGS PURCHASED: RECARO SPORTSTER CS SEATS (Black Bolsters and Black Suede Inserts) RECARO SLIDERS (2 SETS) PLANTED SEAT MOUNTS (2 pieces) 1 AIRBAG SEAT SENSOR FOR PASSENGER SEAT (YOU ONLY NEED ONE FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT) 1 OCCUPANCY SEAT SENSOR FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT __________________

03-11-2013, 12:32 PM	#2
cak323i Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: RI Posts: 2,536 My Ride: ///M3 & 330i ZHP View My Garage	subscribed Brian! __________________ 2004 TiAg ///M3 2003 Imola Red 330i ZHP 1999 *Electric Red 323i* - *SOLD* ZHP Project Thread TiAg ///M Project Thread

03-11-2013, 04:17 PM	#6
grkm3 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Long Island Posts: 1,892 My Ride: Money Pit View My Garage	I'd love to have those seats, wrapped in imola red leather. __________________ 03 Steel Gray M3 - Imola Red Interior - SMGII - Premium - HK Sound Mods: VFE SC Stage 2, SS Ceramic Coated Stepped Headers, S-Pipe, X-Pipe, TMS Subframe Reinforcement, KWV2 Coilovers, TMS Camber Plates, Powerflex RTAB's, Rogue RSM's, ZCP F/R brakes Coming Soon: Open to suggestions

03-13-2013, 03:08 PM	#8
Busabos77 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NH Posts: 563 My Ride: 04 Tiag M3 E46 View My Garage	small hiccup!!! I decided to have the seats re-upholstered to IMOLA RED Leather. I had the shipment re directed to the shop that will do the upholstery. I will be sending them my OEM headrest so that they can match the color of leather that they will use. They will work on it for a week and I figured another week to ship them to me. So this will be delayed a bit... Same shop that did these will do mine. __________________

03-15-2013, 12:43 PM	#10
Busabos77 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NH Posts: 563 My Ride: 04 Tiag M3 E46 View My Garage	Some of the parts that I ordered got delivered today. Base mounts from PLANTED and Occupancy sensor box and mat from ECS Tuning. The RECARO SEATS are on their way to the shop to be re-upholstered. BASE MOUNTS OCCUPANCY SENSOR BOX AND MAT __________________

03-14-2013, 03:17 PM	#9
wannasupra Registered User Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Seattle Posts: 112 My Ride: 2006 Hayabusa View My Garage	those in cinnamon would be tits. can't wait to see how it turns out. you should install some seat heaters at the same time.

03-15-2013, 02:10 PM	#12
choxor Fully Deeked Out Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,830 My Ride: An Automobile View My Garage	Well, this should be sexy. __________________

03-15-2013, 02:34 PM	#13
grkm3 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Long Island Posts: 1,892 My Ride: Money Pit View My Garage	Do want!!!!! __________________ 03 Steel Gray M3 - Imola Red Interior - SMGII - Premium - HK Sound Mods: VFE SC Stage 2, SS Ceramic Coated Stepped Headers, S-Pipe, X-Pipe, TMS Subframe Reinforcement, KWV2 Coilovers, TMS Camber Plates, Powerflex RTAB's, Rogue RSM's, ZCP F/R brakes Coming Soon: Open to suggestions

03-15-2013, 04:56 PM	#14
jhaurimn Registered User Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Minnesota Posts: 528 My Ride: 01' 330ci View My Garage	You bastard, I wish I had your budget __________________ PAST 2001 330ci - 117xxx (sold) PRESENT 2001 M3 - 90xxx 1989 325i - 2??,???

03-16-2013, 04:13 PM	#15
blubayou Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 437 My Ride: 2003 Bluewater M3 View My Garage	Nice I love it! __________________ INDIVIDUAL BLUEWATER M3

03-20-2013, 09:08 AM	#16
spencers Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fayetteville, AR Posts: 1,331 My Ride: 2001 325Ci View My Garage	Sweet. Can't wait to see this complete! Definitely considering picking up one or two of these. __________________

03-21-2013, 02:02 PM	#18
Busabos77 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NH Posts: 563 My Ride: 04 Tiag M3 E46 View My Garage	Seats got delivered to the shop that will do the Imola Red Leather Wrap. Stay tuned! __________________

03-21-2013, 02:43 PM	#19
Status Gruppe Sponsor Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego CA Posts: 795 My Ride: 03.5 M3 View My Garage	Brian, You are a mad man. That is all. Mike Migs __________________ Mike Migs Status Gruppe Tuning 10801 Vista Sorrento Parkway San Diego, CA 92121 P. 619-887-6006 E. Info@statusgruppe.com W.StatusGruppe.com Like us on Facebook!

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread: