Comments on: Seat Covers and the 2005 MINI

By: roland aber

roland aber — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 17:45:33 +0000

now that six months have gone by since the recall of the seat covers, what is the statis of MINI redesigning a cover to work on a 2005 MCS Conv.?

By: Michael Burchill

Michael Burchill — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 22:34:42 +0000

… I thought it was illegal for children under the age of 9 (or 10?) to sit in the front seat anyway – with or without restaint system.

By: indygomini

indygomini — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 20:24:54 +0000

Some seat cover manufacturers do address the presence of side airbags when they design their covers, including special seams that will allow the airbags to deploy properly without interference (Wet Okole is one that comes to mind for the MINI.) The weight sensors itegrated into seat bottom cushions are new, and I would expect that some accomodation can be made for these as well.

I suspect that MINI USA is just guarding against potential legal liability with their warning, which is only smart business. If they didn't, someone, somwhere in the U.S. would no doubt slap the tanned husk of a dead sheep over their seat, and file suit crying "I wasn't warned!" if their airbag malfunctioned due to said dead sheep.

Personally, I think that a self-deactivating passenger front airbag is a good thing- and not just because some people endanger their kids by putting them up front when they're still too small. This system helps reduce repair cost in the event of a collision, since it keeps the passenger airbag(s) from deploying to protect a non-existent occupant. At the $800 to $1000+ that many airbag modules cost to replace, plus the fact that the passenger airbag on many cars is designed to fracture the windscreen when it deploys (not sure on the MINI, though), airbag deactivation can save a substantial amount. This could translate into lower collision insurance rates- which is something I'd welcome!

Too bad they put the airbag activation indicator where the clock belongs, though.

By: RB

RB — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:43:18 +0000

Does anybody else see Crusader Rabbit in that picture?

http://theimaginaryworld.com/crusader.html

++RB

By: Gabe

Gabe — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:42:08 +0000

LOL – that’s the only way to hit refresh in Safari :) I love the thing but it does have a few cache issues.

By: RB

RB — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:39:08 +0000

I hit the mother until it was punch drunk. I thought the changes were in the font.

Thanks for the explanation.

By: Gabe

Gabe — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:25:23 +0000

It was Safari holding onto an old cache. Our css style was down for about 30 minutes the other night and it seems that some using Safari are finding that their browser has cached that style (go figure).

To everyone:

As I've said on and off since Monday - If you use Safari please hit refresh to see the new MotoringFile design tweaks.

By: RB

RB — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 15:24:50 +0000

Huh, for a while was the site using a serif font and now it's back to a san serif font?

Was it just my browser, Safari, screwing up? What ever it was I'm glad it's back to the original font.

By: Nervous

Nervous — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 14:48:56 +0000

I’m with Ken. Not that I would want to cover the leather, but I would believe that seat covers would hinder the seat airbags, anwyay – OC mat, or not.

By: Ken

Ken — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 13:51:31 +0000

I know that in some cars there are air bags in the side of the seat. Is that the case in the mini too? anyway if there is a cover over that surface it will just screw up the depolyment of the airbad.

By: aleks

aleks — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 13:49:11 +0000

FYI those warnings are intended to protect the public and make sure that vehicles are used properly. I would not install any seat covers at all on any MINI built from january 05 on. If any of you have ever seen the sheepskin seat covers, you know they are quite heavy, so its no suprise they could activate the system inadvertently.

By: Josh Wardell

Josh Wardell — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 13:23:32 +0000

I know they have to officially cover the bases, but I hardly think a seat cover will add weight or interfere with the system. At least the new passenger air bag button/light will let you know if it’s been deactivated or not…just make sure it is functioning the same as before the cover was installed.

By: Jim Z

Jim Z — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 12:06:43 +0000

Does this mean that it it illegal for a private individual to install a seat cover, or just the dealer?