SAAB seats - how to get 'em out of the donor vehicle

[italianjob]

hi all

just found some semi decent SAAb seats in a scrappy - any tips on how to get 'em out of the donor vehicle?? will they just slip off the runners or do I have to unscrew some bits ??

as always, any advice mucho appreciated

ta for now

[Cruz]

13mm spanner on 4 bolts?

[irishkeet]

you might want to check if your insurance co would pay out with non vw seats

[italianjob]

yeah - just been thinking about that. Although its not rocket science, its not a straight swap, so I'm kinda thinking just bite the bullet and fork out for some proper VW captains chairs - presumably these go straight in with no dicking around (thats not a swear word by the way) - I've got an '85 model van.

If anybody's interested, the SAAB seats are from a 9000, in cream coloured leather, at the big scrap yard in Bicester, Oxfordshire - alright condition, nothing that a bit of leather restorer wouldn't be able to put right. As I'm not being sponsored by said scrap yard thats all the information I'm putting up.

ta for now

[leeroy]

hi

did you get a price on the SAAB seats as my vans in for a re-spray and was looking some new seats,didn,t realise that some insurance co would not pay out with non vw seats

lee

[italianjob]

lee

just PMed you.

ta

[CovKid]

Does depend who insures you. CIS (had been with them for years) wouldn't insure me because I REMOVED middle seats in my Caravelle! It was at that point I went to HIC who seem a bit more sensible about modifications but even then, don't think I'd want to chance my luck on front seats no matter how good a job I made of it. Assessors can be very rigid about some of these things. If in doubt, ask your insurers.

[peasant]

Other than just out of sheer principle I can't see why any insurer should kick up a fuss about installing Saab seats.

In the Saab they are held on by four bolts and the same four bolts going through the same holes hold it on to the VW ...via the original VW runner base.

Anyhow ..the belts are not fixed to the seat but to the van (on the original fixings).

Even the over-pernickety German TUEV doesn't kick up a fuss about modified seats (as long as the modification isn't completely wobbly)

[tinman]

Would your insurance pay out if you had standard seats--they'd try to wriggle there way out of paying up whatever

[CovKid]

All of that is true. The problem comes when the insurer has to make a payout. Depends how fastidious the assessor is, but some go through with a fine tooth comb in an effort to avoid a payout and they look for anything that could be described as 'modified' as that phrase is often a good excuse not to pay up. I agree wholeheartedly that if you make sure everything is bolted down securely, that should be enough, and it would be difficult to prove that a different seat say, contributed to an accident. The main thing is do read the small print that comes with your insurance if you have any concerns. After all, even fitting alloys constitutes a modification. Basically anything other than stock fits that bracket.

The likelihood is though, unless the assessor is a T25 guru, he's unlikely to know they're even saab seats.