Aftermarket seats

Coldlogik

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2022
Location
Appleton, WI
TDI
97 Passat TDI
Hey I was curious if anyone has put aftermarket seats in their a3 Passat? And if so which did you use (pictures if possible) and how difficult was the install. I hate these seats they are old, have no padding left and squeak like hell.
 

garciapiano

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Location
Southern California
TDI
1997 Jetta TDI (1Z)
The only aftermarket seats I’ve seen have been custom mounted into the chassis given that mk3 cars don’t bolt the seats into the floor pan.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
What are you looking for? race? just making it better? lazy boy put into the car?
you can cheaply take a few various other seats and with little to no modifications make them go into your car.
Or if you have the $, take them to a upholstery shop.
OR you can do what i did, take the seats out, go buy a can of contact spray adhisive for foam and foam rubber, and about $40 worth of memory foam and a cheap electrical turkey carver and do to town repairing and adding foam. , cleaning up the metal points, im sure some are broken, weld it up and add some heated pads.

If its leather, use this.
Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil

 

volksguy

Veteran Member
Joined
May 29, 2003
I Have Recaro DS Seats in my 1996 Passat Diesel Wagon.
With Custom made Seat Mounts
 

Coldlogik

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2022
Location
Appleton, WI
TDI
97 Passat TDI
What are you looking for? race? just making it better? lazy boy put into the car?
you can cheaply take a few various other seats and with little to no modifications make them go into your car.
Or if you have the $, take them to a upholstery shop.
OR you can do what i did, take the seats out, go buy a can of contact spray adhisive for foam and foam rubber, and about $40 worth of memory foam and a cheap electrical turkey carver and do to town repairing and adding foam. , cleaning up the metal points, im sure some are broken, weld it up and add some heated pads.

If its leather, use this.
Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil

Just looking for something more comfortable and not making a horrid noise every time you move in the seat or get in/out. I get that the car is 28 years old so things are worn out. This is a daily driver that I use to deliver pizzas, so I am riding in it 6+ hours a day for ~100 - 150 miles a day. So you can see why id like a more comfortable ride. :) (and heck some weight reduction wouldn't be the worst thing either as I can use all the MPG I can get, even though Im averaging about 40+ right now(idk how heavy the OEM seats are each but im sure they are heavier than most aftermarket seats))
 

JordanTr

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2022
Location
Kimberley, BC
TDI
1996 B4V, 2006 Dmax, 2005 Allroad, 2005 BHW
I recently purchased mk4 seats and welded the b4 bases to the mk4 upper frame. Got the mk4 cloth/manual/heated seats for $40.

Result is that the seat is same overall height as original and the mk4 height adjuster works as designed. The b4 slide mech as works as designed. I’m 6’2” and wanted to ensure that I didn’t lose any head room.
 

garciapiano

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Location
Southern California
TDI
1997 Jetta TDI (1Z)
Just looking for something more comfortable and not making a horrid noise every time you move in the seat or get in/out. I get that the car is 28 years old so things are worn out. This is a daily driver that I use to deliver pizzas, so I am riding in it 6+ hours a day for ~100 - 150 miles a day. So you can see why id like a more comfortable ride. :) (and heck some weight reduction wouldn't be the worst thing either as I can use all the MPG I can get, even though Im averaging about 40+ right now(idk how heavy the OEM seats are each but im sure they are heavier than most aftermarket seats))
If you’re talking about the base seats, not only are they trash, they’re ugly. Look into sport seats from the high line jettas or the GTI, they are much better and direct fit.
 
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Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 14, 2010
Location
New Mexico
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI, 210k miles
Yeah, this is an upgrade i need to do AT SOME POINT. Got too many other pressing issues at the moment though. The car is a bit of beater currently, but I spend a lot of hours in it.

Getting some used seats from a fancier version sounds like a good plan. These are the only ones i see available on ebay though:



It would be good to know exactly which years and trim are a direct fit.
 

garciapiano

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Location
Southern California
TDI
1997 Jetta TDI (1Z)
They are all direct fit for cars from 1993-1998. Your best bet would be finding them locally, as shipping these giant seats can get pretty expensive.
 
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