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Replace Ateca driver chair with Tiguan/Karoq/Q3(?)

7K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  qntrix 
#1 ·
Hello all,
Due to severe back pain - traced down to the Ateca chair itself, as being short and not having enough thigh support, i'm considering changing the driver chair with maybe one from Tiguan or Karoq or....any other

Shutout to all car moders: first : are these seats (Ateca - Karoq - Tiguan) compatible?

Overall, what i need is:
- a longer chair, or, with thigh support - as in Audi chairs - but i need it to be compatible with Ateca, hence either from Tiguan or Karoq or....Audi Q3...?
- memory so that, if my wife changes the position, i don't get again into trouble

This was the short version of the story, traced back to this conclusion, but the rabbit hole is much too deep, if you have time to read:
- since test drive, i felt really uncomfortable, but traced the root cause to bad chair position, given that i've driven saloons previously and it was first time in a SUV (hence the up right position instead of the laid back position of a saloon)
- told the salesman, he advised chairs on the XCellence trim are much more comfortable than the basic version i was testing - it was just a lie. Why didn't i test the other Ateca? well...they simply didn't have it for testdrive
- bought: gel cushion, memory foam cushion, mixed gel and memory cushion, memory form back rest (by the way, the lumbar support is just a hoax), two different massage mattresses, one extra center console arm rest (by the way - do you know any arm rest for the side (door) arm rest)? - nothing works.
Best thing that i've bough - arrived yesterday - a thigh extension from china - seems to actually work - , this is how i've traced the issue to the chair itself.
Pain is so nice that it sets in after 15 minutes of driving - and yes - i went to physiotherapy. It may not be the cause, but it definitively makes it worse.
As coming from the sallon, I enjoyed the view in a SUV, but i still wanted the low position - simply to feel the car better.
Lowest position in an SUV - namely Ateca -> hardest back pain.

I've tried, of course, the up-right position.
First issue: as i raise the chair, chair tilts forward, instead of just going up. hence i would be pushing my legs on the pedals
Second issue: as i raise the chair and my foot are more into the pedals, i need to either tilt the back rest (hence no back support) or the seat backwards - hence i cannot reach the steering wheel anymore...
Tried to set the chair to almost max height: nice up-right position, reached wheel, reached pedals -> central mirror creates a nicely wide blind spot =>>> NEARLY CRASHED into a small fiat as i was turning right (my wheel is on the left, btw).

Contacted Seat Belgium support: sales tells me to call after sales customer support. Imagine if salesman would have just forwarded my email to that guy directly. I reply and ask for a contact.... After sales guy does not reply in one week, emailed his supervisor. received out of office with supervisor being on holiday for the entire month, or so. Contacted manager (less than supervisor), does not reply after two weeks. Contacted Seat.com, redirects to Seat Belgium, Seat Belgium customer support tells me to check the manual on how seat can be adjusted.

Please help a guy in pain :|
 
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#2 ·
Just a thought but have you tried the FR - I believe they are more sport seats which might suit you better in the more upright position as slightly narrower I believe.
You could take one for a test drive and if better at least you know they should be (more) compatible to fit
 
#3 ·
Easy to help a guy in pain - Forget about the Ateca you're looking at.

We're all physically different so impossible to advise on comfort for someone else.

Tiguans have different seats throught their model range, Karoq's have different seats throught their model range as do Q3. Which model of Tiguan / Karoq / Q3 did you find more comfortable. ( and if you do, then why are you not buying one of those? )

Second fault is you haven't tried seat in Xcellence and FR. Both seats are different to basic models in that they have an extended seat base and are actually very good for thigh support. The seats in an Xcellence are exactly the same seats found in higher spec models of Karoq and very like those found in the Tiguan and Q3.

You obviously haven't investigated the possibility of an Ateca with electric seats? With electric seats the seat base can be tilted thus thigh support can be altered. The intensity of the lumbar support can be adjusted whereas with the manual seat basically lumbar is either on or off. And electric lumbar also means the support can be altered vertically which means it'll suit both both tall and small folk. Would have thought that's the way to go if you want an Ateca that fits your frame.

Lastly seats have airbags built in to them. So even if you could find a seat from another manufacturer that fits, the airbag wouldn't work. If that's the case I doubt you'd find someone willing to insure it.
 
#4 ·
Well,
I think the issue is also from the brake pedal being too high. Found this on other forum , where people tell they could not find a comfortable position in years (even if for leon : https://forums.seatcupra.net/index.php?threads/dsg-brake-pedal-height.368536/)
Indeed, i need to pull my entire leg up to reach the pedal. It does make sense on normal (lower) cars, but not here.
Best description ever i could find here https://www.mazda.com/en/innovation/technology/safety/zero_safety/drivingposition/
"Pedals can be reached without twisting the lower body" - i think that's actually the issue






Did anyone tried to lower the (brake) pedal(s)? Is it possible?

@Golfmk56: I do own an Xcellence, and i didn't buy the FR thinking about comfort (softer suspension, etc).
Let me try to add more details, for other people to know:
- you've said: "The seats in an Xcellence are exactly the same seats found in higher spec models of Karoq and very like those found in the Tiguan and Q3." - no, they aren't. As you look through the picture, you will immediately notice that they have shoulder support - which is lacking in XCellence
- Xcellence and FR seats are the same - maybe the leather ones are more comfy, still no more length or support
- Ateca electric seats have no recline - that's another difference versus Skoda - that's also why i didn't took the electric, because they only go back and forth, up and down. The idea was to share the car with my wife (although she has never used it in 1.5 years, deeming it too wide), hence the manual made more sense as it could be set much faster on a more up-front position ( we do the same with my other car)
- lumbar support does not work for me, but that can be adjusted with an amazon bought other solution (tried that, of course)
- i know chairs have airbags, but, overall, it's just a chair - > the software should be the same, as for the airbag equipment
 
#5 ·
Right at this very moment ( for the next month or so anyway) I own both an Xcellence and a Karoq Edition - there's no difference in the seats. The may look a tad different but it's exactly the same sitting position in both cars. If you're now saying there's a lack of shoulder support in the Xcellence then why did you buy it? because a lack of shoulder support would be immediately obvious whenever you sit in a car for the first time.

Ateca electric seats have no recline unlike Skoda? I honestly do not know what you're talking about unless the car in your market is of different spec. Both systems are the same in my cars the only difference being SEAT doesn't have the memory facility ( a subject which already has been discussed elsewhere in the forum )
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If you think software is the same for all cars then my advice is to sell your Ateca and buy another brand ( this time testing the seat before you buy it ) because you seem to be living in a fantasy world. Even the SatNav systems work differently and they're essentially the same units.
 

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#6 ·
@Golfmk56 - please pay attention that i have specified seat recline -not just backseat recline - meaning, either entire seat recline or recline of the bottom part - which recline of the bottom part can indeed be found on Skoda, as seen in below red squares
That is precisely what is missing on Ateca: seat can only move left, right, up, down, but no "inclination".
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Anyway - can you please stop commenting? I mean, for the last posts, you are just trying to dismiss my issue, without any helpful advice.
 

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#7 ·
You may well find that going down the new seat route will end up costing a small fortune. It obviously is all a very personal thing so ignore pretty much everything a car salesman tells you whilst he is trying to make his commission....oops, sell you a car. (These are the same people who happily sell diesels to folk who do 4k miles a year...mainly town or city driving)
In your position, initially I'd try a specialist car seat upholsterer and seek their advice, failing that I'd go to somewhere like Demon Tweeks in North Wales and try sitting in a variety for proper performance seats/rally seats. https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/motorsport/seats-harnesses/seats/competition-seats/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAn8nuBRCzARIsAJcdIfORlCvHYs0lppsLsSVl9hQmu7uN4sQBfzTFSG3dwJe0W9K89A36Z1gaAr-lEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Finally, I'd give up on ever getting comfy in the Seat and look at other stuff and ensure you get at least a 24 hr test drive. If they can't sort that (we were offered an extended test drive in a car the other day...1 hour rather than 20 minutes, we walked out)
 
#8 ·
@boristhebold thanks for support

New episode: after watching , in order to be able to pivot my heel, chair needs to be set way back - hence reaching the steering is a struggle, hence the chair needs to go up at least two times, hence becomes again too upfront (hence cannot pivot the heel)...it's a nightmare

One thing i've found is that, if i rest my left foot as like sitting on a chair, meaning 90degrees, it offers support for my right foot, hence the pivot is easier...guess that foot rest was created for a reason, i have doubts if this is actually beneficial....

BTW: Does anyone have Ateca's "front leg room" dimension?
It's quite interesting that i've checked dozen car info sites and could not find it anywhere.
For comparison, Audi A4 has 1st row 41.3 in / 1050 mm, according to https://www.automobile-catalog.com/ (ateca is not on this site)
 
#13 ·
Sash said:
Have you considered Cupra Ateca bucket sport seats ? I was told they are just great. Test drive it if you can.
Well!...i've just checked the seats - and not even the bucket ones - and they seem to have the tilt "To adjust the angle of
the seat cushion, press the front of the
button up/down."
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Thank you!

That's wonderful, but now....does anyone know good sites where i can search for an Ateca Cupra driver seat ... ?
 

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