Project Completed - Genuine Recaro Wingback seats in a MK8!

[GE90]

Hi all

Time to share a little project and an opportunity!

Having worked my way through MK5’s, MK6’s and MK7’s before my MK8, I’ve always admired the Recaro Wingback seats, but cars with them always commanded a premium and the seats were tatty!

So having my MK8 I embarked on a project of sourcing some mint seats and installing them. The seats took a very long time to find (had to be in great condition last of the run MK7 seats with known background) and the rest took a while to figure out. The front seats bolt straight in, but wiring needed a bespoke harness and also seat airbag delete, which I had made up.

Underseat/footwell lights also work. All sorted and they are simply amazing and so unique in a MK8. I cannot stress how great these feel and look - just the option that should have been available for the MK8. These are heated too.

However, these rears were more of an issue, as I wanted the occupancy sensors to work, which the MK7 doesn’t have. So I appointed a very respected upholsterer to fit the covers on the MK8 seats, which I hadn’t realised are more sculpted. What a project that was, but at least they will fit both MK8 and MK7 now. The fabric is not available, so the only way of achieving the full set was to have the rears shipped from Australia! 

All in all a great upgrade (only the seat belt buckles need changing, but the company that did mine were great - not expensive). 

No lights on dash or errors when scanning!

Based in Bromley, Kent (UK).

£6k for the entire set, with harness etc- owes me more!

No offers I'm afraid.

Any questions, please ask.

[WelshGolf]

This is might impressive but also wild to spent about 20% of the cars value on just the seats! Well done though!

[GE90]

The seats are now sold - absolutely no regrets completing the project!

[SRGTD]

They look great and well done to you!

The nerd in me was wondering - were there any insurance implications from fitting these seats;

• expensive to replace and presumably quite rare, so (very?) difficult for insurance companies to source replacements if they are damaged or stolen; I can vaguely remember reading that because of their desirability, there were instances of them being stolen from the mk7 Clubsport S.
• insurance company premiums for the mk8 would have factored in the existence of the standard seat airbag safety feature, so disabling / deleting it in theory increases the risk of injury to front seat occupants in the event of a side impact.

[AbsoluteAnorak]

I must commend you for the shine on the back of those seats - outstanding!

[Adam T7]

I must commend you for the shine on the back of those seats - outstanding!

They do look awesome but I’m guessing no kids in the back seats?

[JoeGTI]

They look class. They're the same buckets that were available in the MK7 CS 40 (and standard in the CSS). It's a pity they didn't offer something similar in the MK8.

If they were mine I'd look into getting those shiny backs PPF'd.

[GE90]

So insurance wasn't an issue for me; my company covered after supplying all details. Only difference is side airbags, as the front will still work due occupancy sensors being fitted to the Recaro's.

Yes, the gloss black rears were machine polished!

Cheers.

 

[Exonian]

10/10 for seeing that through Tony.  no mean task.

Why did you remove and put the seats up for sale again after?

[GE90]

Decision was purely financial - I needed my investment in the seats back out (to fund another project!).

They looked and functioned so well while I had them.

Cheers!