I am upgrading my original mulberry seats. Since this was my dad's car am still using mulberry as the main color with black stitching and piping. What model and type of seats have people upgraded to? Was the type of seat easy or difficult to install and what modifications had to be made? I am looking at a newer seat 2011 XJ that has an occupancy sensor, side airbags and electric seat adjustments with a lot of motors under the seat that probably raise the height which we know there is little room to have a taller seat. I did install a Nardi steering wheel that gives me an extra 1". Is there a website that you can get the actual dimensions of the seat with height of the front and back of the seats, rail dimensions and locations etc?

 

Are you planning on incorporating those features (airbag, occupancy etc) from a late model seat into an XJS ?

 

XJ-S seats are generally considered to be quite comfortable, when they're in good condition. As a result of that not too many people replace them. What about them do you not like?

 

I like the seats.The passenger's side is like new but the color changed over the years. The driver's side the leather is torn so I am replacing all of the original mulberry leather to mulberry with black stitching and black piping to tie into the new black wool carpet. The car seats don't have any occupancy sensors for some reason. The 1989 XJS has a mandatory lifetime recall on the passive belt system by the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. Currently Jaguar corp. is not compiling by replacing the defective parts. Their statement is there are no available parts for the repair and it does not look like they plan on producing any parts or provide a fix. I have notified the local dealership that I am going to purchase and install a new system, and send the bill to the local jaguar dealership who is directed to make the repairs. The recall work is to be performed by the local dealership. Since I am providing the parts and installation. I told the dealership manager that the car is unsafe the passenger's seat belt does not work and the car can not be driven. I have to make the repairs to drive the car safely. She agreed that the dealership will probably pay for the repairs and jaguar corp. would probably reimburse the cost of the repairs. It is cheaper than someone getting injured or killed and it will relieve jaguar from any liability. I am charging them for a temporary repair until the factory provides a permanent repair. I need to get new seat belts, seat occupancy sensors and a controller.
I can put most of the different years of style seat covers on my current seats because the foam matches the other seat styles. I would like to get a later model XJS or XJ pair of seats that have the occupancy sensors and maybe side airbags and a rounder headrest. The seats can still be manual adjustment. I am thinking if I can get new seats with the seatbelt safety system it would be cheaper than purchasing the parts I need for the safety upgrade. Any Ideas?

 

The only seat i would consider as a replacement would be a period correct Recaro re-trimmed in factory leather.

 

You're best off either trying to fix the seatbelts yourself or fitting ones out of an earlier car that don't have the passive restraint system. The later would be my recommendation.

While Jaguar may be technically responsible for the repair, no one has yet had any luck getting them to produce more parts. Which has the effect of you being SOL. I can't imagine a dealer actually being willing to cover the costs of installing some other seats in the car, and if those seats also have curtain airbags there is no way they would want the liability of connecting them. There was never an occupancy sensor in the passenger seat, and someone may have gotten annoyed at the buzzing and removed it from the driver's seat.

 

Isn't your car a convertible? AFAIK, they never had the mouse track passive belt system. Just standard shoulder/lap belts and starting in 1990 a driver's side airbag.

 

Patrick,

I would be absolutely staggered if you can get Jaguar to pay for anything in fixing a 1989 car. If you can, could you remind them that every airbag on every facelift XJS has a label that says that the airbags must be replaced by a date that is long gone by. And no XJS owner is able to do that. I'm really interested in what response you get re. your seats.

Good luck

Paul

 

Yes my car is a convertible and it does not have the mouse track, It has a standard reel in the rear back panel goes over the shoulder and lap. There are no airbags. I think the car was to have seat sensor but my car does not have any occupancy sensors. The seat belt buckle has a latching sensors, no control module that I have found, and buzzer. I have seen a picture that you get put a plastic card with the purchase of the car to insert into the seat belt buckle to stop the buzzing when no one is in the seat or if you did not want to wear a seat belt. Which would make sense if the seats did not have occupancy sensors or a controller. I remove the annoying buzzer and installed a standard dinging gong with multiple sound options. I am going to contact a jaguar parts supplier and find the least expensive seat sensor and controller without airbag monitoring and purchase custom seat belts and reels that will fit in the current mounting brackets in the car. I will keep you posted on the progress. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

 

Apologies but I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish. Since you have manual seat belts, and no airbags, I'm not sure why you would want or need an occupancy sensor. If on the other hand, you are just trying to quell the annoying buzzer, there is a rather easy fix. Since I always wear my seatbelt, I find the nanny reminder quite annoying and unnecessary. There are two electrical connectors under each seat, one for the heater and lumber support, and the other for the seat belt which I believe is the two wire one. Just unplug the connector on each seat -- no more buzzer.

 

I really don't understand what it is you want to do either.... The XJS doesn't have any airbag sensers at all, just an explosive charge in the middle of the steering wheel.
You have confused me with the passive seatbelt system, which has the shoulder belt attached to a motor, which then drives the belt up and over the shoulder when you start the car.
As already stated above, it was never fitted to the convertible. As to how you got the dealership to pay for anything non standard to your car amazes me no end.