Saab 9-3 seats

Post by **cubensis** » 05 Aug 2008, 17:05

Hello are saab 9-3 seats, easy to fit? i have the hance of getting some but was just wondering how hard they are to fit?, thanks!

Post by **Fritz** » 06 Aug 2008, 14:06

Have a look in the 'WIKI' at the top of the page, look under alternative seats as there is a clear section on 'How to' fit such seats.....

Regards

Fritz,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Post by **cubensis** » 06 Aug 2008, 17:13

Thanks for your reply, the only problem is ive already looked there and there for a saab 9000 seats. Is it a simalar process with the saab 9-3?

Post by **maxstu** » 07 Aug 2008, 00:47

No, they are different. Especially with the height adjuster models.
The 9000 are far easier to fit IMO.

Twice I've looked to go down this road for added comfort (Saab owner for many years. Probably the most underated car I ever owned) and each time decided not to bother because of height issues. And if you have swivel plates fitted then the problem is exacerbated. In many cases this also involves getting a smaller diameter steering wheel too.

Okay, if your are a shortar5e, then make up extra brackets bolted to rails. Then bolt seats to brackets. However this increases seat height by about 30-40mm . And as my 5' 10" tall girlfriend annoyingly complained, when in the passenger seat, she was perched up far too high! Her view was partly obscured by the dirty area above the sweep of the wiper. Left eyes dirty screen, right eye clean screen, type of thing through the windscreen.

The proper way fitting them, I guess, is to grind off orignal VW rails and bolt seats through floor using metal plates underneath in the wheelarches.

Post by **cubensis** » 07 Aug 2008, 07:41

Thanks for your reply i was wondering about height issues also, i am 6"1 and thik would experience the same right eye dirty left eye clean senario! Also we do not have a swivel base but we do take the seat opf its runners and turn it manually, i was wondering if this would bring us problems also. Tricky decision to make!

Post by **Aidan** » 07 Aug 2008, 08:32

Recaros are best for a decent squab height and comfort imho

Post by **ali thommo** » 07 Aug 2008, 19:40

Any particular recaro model or just any recaros?

Post by **4gearwonder** » 07 Aug 2008, 22:24

Hi cubensis,

We recently tried fitting a set of these 9000 SAAB seats - well comfy by the way! But just like Maxtu said, made the seating position about 40 or 50 mm higher on the swivel passenger seat; my girlfriend also moaned a bit too that you were looking at that unclean bit the wipers leave behind at the top of the windscreen!

What have done since though is removed those side metal panels that hold all the gubbings together on the sides of the SAAB seats that come with it - sorry, it's a bit hard trying to explain - fitting SAAB seats, that someone kindly did.

Will be fitting these new lower versions though hopefully this weekend and if goes ok, will let you know next week how it went. Basically the bottom line is that if this works - can't see why shouldn't now - then these are now exactly the same hieght as the chairs that we are replacing and should lose that extra 40/50 mm that spoke of earlier. So hopefully, a worthy replacement with no, or little height difference to the original seats.

PS. The seats in our van at mo aren't origainal, but some type of recaro ones, but the SAAB ones now sit the same height as these,which were always fine, just a bit too narrow though! Hope this all kind of makes sense!

All best with it though