*SOLD* 1st Gen JCW seats

[Edge]

Real 1st Gen JCW Sport Seats (branded with JCW logo) from Europe. These are the Sparco-based seats (specifically the Sparco Milano), not to be confused with the 2nd Gen JCW Sport Seats, which are Recaro-based.

 

These were on another person's MINI ("works4me" from Houston, TX) for 3 years before I bought them from him. I have never used them myself - I've kept them in storage (protected by clean garbage bags) since I bought them in 2010.

 

They are black leather and in good condition. I'm only asking what I paid for them (including the shipping cost from TX): $725 (price is firm)

 

Brand new these seats would cost over $2200 for the pair, plus shipping from Europe.

 

NOTE: These seats do not have airbags in them (part of why you can't buy them in the USA). Also, they do not have the passenger weight sensor, so they are ideally suited to a 2002-2004 MINI (the passenger weight sensor was added for 2005+ models). Also, be aware that these seats do not include seat heaters.

 

I'd prefer a local DC region sale, instead of having to ship them (again). I'll be happy to bring them to you, or meet up with you somewhere, or you can pick them up from my place in Annandale, VA.

 

Here's the original Motoring Alliance sale thread where I bought them from:

F/S: JCW Sparco seats - Motoring Alliance :: MINI Cooper Forums

They were $500, and I also paid $225 for shipping - hence the $725 asking price now.

 

...and here are some pics (taken from the above thread):

 

 

[DBeest]

Why didn't you ever use them?

[DBeest]

Interested if it fits 2006 first generation R53 with stock armrest.

[68wmcs]

Do you know what each seat weighs?

[Edge]

Why didn't you ever use them?

I fully planned on it... but I first wanted to get portions of the seats reupholstered in blue leather to match my interior. Also, because I have a 2005+, I needed to find/buy a passenger weight sensor to transplant in so that the car doesn't complain that it's missing.

 

I still plan on doing the above... but I ultimately decided to buy brand new JCW seats from the UK instead of using the new ones. They cost a fortune (notably more than the quoted amount above due to the current exchange rates) and arrived on Thursday evening. Since I now have the new pair of the seats in my hands, I don't need the used pair any more, so that's why I'm selling them.

Interested if it fits 2006 first generation R53 with stock armrest.

I don't know for sure, but this totalMINI forums post contains photos of the seats (with red paneling) and the Euro armrest installed at the same time. I think the Euro armrest is actually bigger than the USA one, so I'm confident the USA one will work fine too. I sure hope so, because I have the armrest too! (mostly for the Bluetooth kit)

 

Note that since you have effectively the same car I do (2005 & 2006 are effectively identical - they are both post-refresh), you'll have the same challenges as me - namely:

 

 

• You'll need to defeat the airbag detection mechanism since these seats don't have airbags. This can be done with a resistor - MINI actually used to sell one for this purpose (see Item 2 here on RealOEM.com), so this is a legitimate solution - provided that you have the correct resistance. I actually own two of those exact resistor parts (bought a few years ago from the UK), and although they are not for sale (I need them!), I'll be happy to let them be measured with an accurate multimeter to determine the correct resistance value.

• You'll need a passenger weight sensor. Unfortunately the circuitry for this can't as easily be defeated by a simple resistor, because the amount of weight on the sensor is measured (at least at a couple of intervals). You will have to take one from a donor seat and transplant it. This issue is why I suggested in my for sale post that the seats are better suited to a 2002-2004 MINI, which doesn't require the passenger weight sensor.

 

Note that the above two problems will be the same for any aftermarket seats that are installed in a 2005+ MINI, unless they are specifically designed for a USA MINI, including the airbags and passenger weight sensor. This isn't a problem unique to the JCW seats!

Do you know what each seat weighs?

Since you asked, I just weighed one of my new ones, which still has the shipping plastic on it and also has the seat heaters (my used ones don't). The weight of one of these seats is 43.4 lbs. Note that this was without the mounting rails installed on them. Take away the plastic and the seat heaters and you're looking at about 42 lbs per seat - again, without the mounting rails. The seats are identical except that the adjustment controls & seatbelt connector are on opposite sides... so I expect that they're the same weight.

 

BTW, one small detail I forgot to include - these seats are specifically based upon the "Sparco Milano" seat. A quick search for regular Sparco Milano seats (i.e. not JCW-branded, etc) turns up a price of $1,699 per seat. :dong: I'll update my first post with the model comparison.

[minime331]

i wish i had the $$ for these o well hope they find a nice home

[Edge]

I now have had 2 serious buyers PM me... so consider this "sale pending".

[Edge]

These seats are sold. Sorry folks - the quickest serious offer won!