Drivers Seat Replacement - Does Any Year Work?

[medinasod]

Hi all,

New to the board. Have a '96 318ti, have been driving it for over a decade. My drivers seat is about to give up the ghost, and I'm looking around for a replacement.

My question is this: will any seat from 95-99 work as a replacement?

Forgive me if this is a silly question, I've sleuthed around the internet and can't seem to get an answer. I may have found a seat that would match my car but it is from a 1998 model, just wondering if they are all compatible (it is the right color and fabric).

Your replies are appreciated, thanks!

Al

[cooljess76]

You're gonna want a seat from a coupe as sedan seats do not tilt forward. Second, depending on the year, you may or may not need to swap out the seat belt receptacle. Early models used a cable actuated locking mechanism while newer models use a pyrotechnic actuated locking mechanism.
Also note, the front seat belt receptacles are armed with an Automatic Locking Tensioner. This device retracts the recepticle about 2 inches in the event of an accident. 318ti's built up to 03/97 use a mechanical auto-locking mechanism(part#'s 72118167711 left and 72118167712 right) while models built after 03/97 use a pyrotechnic auto-locking mechanism (part#'s 72118221013 left and 72118221014 right).

[medinasod]

Originally Posted by cooljess76

You're gonna want a seat from a coupe as sedan seats do not tilt forward. Second, depending on the year, you may or may not need to swap out the seat belt recepticle. Early models used a cable actuated locking mechanism while newer models use a pyrotechnic actuated locking mechanism.

Thanks for the quick reply! From the sound of it you're saying that I can actually replace my seat with a 318i coupe seat? I was searching only for 318ti drivers seats, but this would make my search a whole lot easier if I could expand it to include two-door models like the 318is.

Also: is swapping out the seat belt receptacle a costly addition to the parts/labor on a seat replacement? Need to factor that in if it's going to add significantly to the mechanic's bill.

Thanks again for your quick reply, really appreciate it.