Change driver's car seat

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Hi All.

I have a 192 Skoda Karoq and I suffer from back issues caused by Disc Degeneration.

Due to the pandemic I was able to work from home for over 2 months and this did wonders for my back as it gave me a big break from driving to work but unfortunately this is coming to an end now and I'll have to start driving to work again. The drive would be 1hr 20mins

It seems the car seat is my biggest issue with my back, I've tried various foams etc but made no difference but I've read that Volvo do orthopedic seats and I'm just curious how easy would it be to change the Skoda seat for the Volvo one? Granted I havent sat in a Volvo yet but I'm just really curious about it

I also read that Skoda Octavia has Ergo comfort seats so maybe they'd be more compatible with the Karoq
https://www.skoda-auto.com/news/news-detail/octavia-seats

Atlantic Dawn

From same brand group they may be compatible but I would doubt a Volvo seat would fit in a Skoda especially with airbag coding. An Audi, VW or Seat seat should fit, go for the highest spec, make sure to keep the old seat to replace it down the line to maintain resale value.

You may need to recode the airbags in the seat to work on your car.

cpoh1

The problem isin't the type of seat its the fact you are sitting full stop. 1hr20 is a long commute each way?

Some manufacturers offer better seats but the main thing is posture and you have that with the karoq who have decent seat adjustment and high driving position.

Might be worth pursuing remote working on a more regular basis rather than sinking a effort and cost into replacing car/seat for marginal gains.

kirving

You won't be able to swap in a seat from a different manufacturer.

Even if the seat rails were the same, you then have to contend with built in airbags, seat heaters, motors, seat occupancy sensors, possibly active head restraints, none of which would be standard across brands.

Rent an XC60 for few days and see how you feel, but I'd really be looking to your employer to see how they could accommodate more working from home.

Neilw

I’m sure there is a model specific base which would allow you to fit a recaro seat, look up ergomed or orthoped seats.

Tropheus

Neilw wrote: »

I’m sure there is a model specific base which would allow you to fit a recaro seat, look up ergomed or orthoped seats.

This is what I did about 5 years ago. I have an Audi Allroad that gave me no problems for years. Then all of a sudden I started getting back problems and narrowed it down to the car seat. I had seat cushions replaced, but made no difference.

It was then recommended that I get a Recaro seat. They are expensive new running to more than €3k. I eventually bought one used on eBay from Germany. The seat with the base to suit the Audi C5 set up cost just under €1k. I haven't had problems since.

The only downside is that I lost the side airbag and had to add a resistor to stop the airbag light coming on. You can get Recaros with side airbags, but they are expensive.

darragh o meara

Tropheus wrote: »

This is what I did about 5 years ago. I have an Audi Allroad that gave me no problems for years. Then all of a sudden I started getting back problems and narrowed it down to the car seat. I had seat cushions replaced, but made no difference.

It was then recommended that I get a Recaro seat. They are expensive new running to more than €3k. I eventually bought one used on eBay from Germany. The seat with the base to suit the Audi C5 set up cost just under €1k. I haven't had problems since.

The only downside is that I lost the side airbag and had to add a resistor to stop the airbag light coming on. You can get Recaros with side airbags, but they are expensive.

Thats fine in an older car which the C5 Audi would be. Try that in a new car and it will set off all manner of lights/ errors.

As stated above, if you can find one from a higher spec model of the car you have then you have some chance but coming trying to put a seat from say a Volvo whilst not impossible will not be financially feasible/ not to mention the safety risk if something goes wrong.. Skoda have a "VRS" type model (not called VRS but you get the idea) of your car which has pretty supportive seats, these may fit if you can get them, buying new will be very expensive..

In essence if the Volvo seat suits better then it would be easier/cheaper to change the car..

Tropheus

That's possibly true. I had a look on eBay and there doens't appear to be an Recaro seat base adapter for the Karoq. Plenty for the Octavia. Although the Karoq is a relatively new model so one could be available in the future.

The OP should have a look on briskoda.net and see if anyone else is having similar problems and how they resolved them.

My wife has a Superb MkII. She was having back problems shortly after getting the car. I found on Briskoda that a lot of people find the seats uncomfortable although there is pleny of adjustment.

Seemingly they are narrow in comparision to other seats and it's very easy to sit with one bum cheek on the bolster thus causing the pelvis to be at an angle. This causes backpain for a lot of people. The solution is to remove part of the base trim and gently bend a bar supporting the bolster on the base. This gives more room and has solved the issue for a lot of people. That coupled with ensuring you're sitting in the middle of the seat when you get in the car has solved the problem for her.

It's worth taking a look.

Tropheus

This is worth a read - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/469993-karoq-seats-uncomfortable/

Del2005

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Rent an XC60 for few days and see how you feel, but I'd really be looking to your employer to see how they could accommodate more working from home.

The chances of a rental company having a high spec car are slim, you rent from a class of cars so you could get any car.

Tropheus wrote: »

This is what I did about 5 years ago. I have an Audi Allroad that gave me no problems for years. Then all of a sudden I started getting back problems and narrowed it down to the car seat. I had seat cushions replaced, but made no difference.

It was then recommended that I get a Recaro seat. They are expensive new running to more than €3k. I eventually bought one used on eBay from Germany. The seat with the base to suit the Audi C5 set up cost just under €1k. I haven't had problems since.

The only downside is that I lost the side airbag and had to add a resistor to stop the airbag light coming on. You can get Recaros with side airbags, but they are expensive.

What have your insurance companies said about the modification to your cars safety systems?

Neilw

Tropheus wrote: »

That's possibly true. I had a look on eBay and there doens't appear to be an Recaro seat base adapter for the Karoq. Plenty for the Octavia. Although the Karoq is a relatively new model so one could be available in the future.

The OP should have a look on briskoda.net and see if anyone else is having similar problems and how they resolved them.

My wife has a Superb MkII. She was having back problems shortly after getting the car. I found on Briskoda that a lot of people find the seats uncomfortable although there is pleny of adjustment.

Seemingly they are narrow in comparision to other seats and it's very easy to sit with one bum cheek on the bolster thus causing the pelvis to be at an angle. This causes backpain for a lot of people. The solution is to remove part of the base trim and gently bend a bar supporting the bolster on the base. This gives more room and has solved the issue for a lot of people. That coupled with ensuring you're sitting in the middle of the seat when you get in the car has solved the problem for her.

It's worth taking a look.

The karoq is based on the vw mqb platform, mk7 golf, a3, octavia, Tiguan so there is a good chance a recaro base from one of those will work.

kirving

Del2005 wrote: »

The chances of a rental company having a high spec car are slim, you rent from a class of cars so you could get any car.

True, but I've asked for specific cars on occasion and got them. With a back problem, I'd be trying every avenue to trial a potential change for as long as I could.

Best thing I find for my back in a car is leather seats, you can slide around and my little adjustment much more easily than fabric or suede.

nophd08

Tropheus wrote: »

This is what I did about 5 years ago. I have an Audi Allroad that gave me no problems for years. Then all of a sudden I started getting back problems and narrowed it down to the car seat. I had seat cushions replaced, but made no difference.

It was then recommended that I get a Recaro seat. They are expensive new running to more than €3k. I eventually bought one used on eBay from Germany. The seat with the base to suit the Audi C5 set up cost just under €1k. I haven't had problems since.

The only downside is that I lost the side airbag and had to add a resistor to stop the airbag light coming on. You can get Recaros with side airbags, but they are expensive.

Just curious, did you have to declare the seat swap as a modification to your insurance company?

ml100

I had a golf mk6 that I added foam to the car seat to help with my back pain, (1 hour 20 minute compute), looked at lots of cars when changing it last year including the new karoq but couldn't get comfortable in them (top spec style were the worst seat for me), so I decided to stick with what I knew and bought a low mileage golf mk7 with the view that if it didn't work out I could sell it without taking the hit that you would have with a new car.
I tried using the mk7 for a few weeks without doing anything to the seat but my back problems came back (mk7 is lower than mk6 which doesn't help) so had to add some foam to the seat which helps alot.
So what I've done was to buy a camping mat, which is about 10mm thick and cut it into rectangular shapes increasing in size and stick them together to make a wedge exactly the height I needed, this has the effect of flattening the seat base, I then got a seat cushion cover to cover the foam, I then got a small lower back cushion that I use when needed.
To be honest I think the car seats in the vag group of cars don't suit everyone (I tried audi and skoda cars when changing last year), I also have an smax and can sit in it all day with an mods, I think sitting more upright helps, which is one advantage the karoq has, you just need a way if flattening the seat base to take the pressure off your lower back.

Next time a change my car I'll be looking for a weekend test drive and doing a couple of hours driving to really try out the seat, sitting in a car in a showroom and doing a small test drive will tell you if a car doesn't suit your back but it wont tell you if it does suit it.

Tropheus

nophd08 wrote: »

Just curious, did you have to declare the seat swap as a modification to your insurance company?

Never crossed my mind to be honest.

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Thanks everyone for their feedback and sharing their knowledge, it's been a very good read.

I think the easier thing would be just to get a new car at this stage. I've been doing some home work on cars that have good size for tall people (like myself) with poor backs

Cars like Volvo and Audi Q5 stand out so far so will look at doing some test drives etc

If anyone else has some recommendations let me know, namely i'm only interested in small SUVs

cpoh1

Think you are missing the point really TBH. Every back is unique and different cars suit different people.

The elephant in the room here is spending less time in the car.

Notch000

ml100 wrote: »

To be honest I think the car seats in the vag group of cars don't suit everyone (I tried audi and skoda cars when changing last year)

This is true, I've a golf GTI and think the seats are fantastic. my wife hates them comfort wise and blames the tilt/rake of the seat base, cause her pain in long trips