# Do TT seats swap right in?



## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

I'm thinking about trying to find some TT mk2 seats for the A3. Does anyone know if they swap in on the same tracks, or do you need to source the TT tracks? How about connectors for the electrics/airbag/occupancy sensors?

TIA


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## crew219 (Oct 18, 2000)

IIRC Rub-ISH has these installed and I remember something about the power connectors being different.


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## Rub-ISH (Aug 8, 2006)

I did get them in and they are pretty great but its not without a little sacrifice...

1st the TT tracks line up and should be on whatever seat you get...They sit higher in the vehicle, which depending on your height (im 6'4) will be noticeable

2nd I Lost my heated seats as the TT's I picked up don't have a heated function...the wiring was redone by following voltage at my local shop...

3rd its not plug and play but an audi/vw/euro shop should be able to splice the stock harness onto the TT connections...you will also need to swap passenger occupancy sensors.

It can be done

( I would post pics but I'm out of town until the 26th)


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Bummer about being higher, I was hoping for the opposite. Still, they are sweet seats. Found some more in PA if anyone else is interested. Thanks for the low down, Rub-ISH. What's the best thing about them?


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

JRutter said:


> Bummer about being higher, I was hoping for the opposite. Still, they are sweet seats. Found some more in PA if anyone else is interested. Thanks for the low down, Rub-ISH. What's the best thing about them?


Could you possibly swap the tracks with your A3 seats so that they don't sit as high?


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## Rub-ISH (Aug 8, 2006)

Best thing about them is the Bolsters and that they are real leather


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## DG7Projects (Jul 12, 2011)

I've been looking for tan TT seats for the longest. Since selling my MKII TT, I've missed those seats.


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

I have never sat in a TT MKII, only a MKI. is the MKII as snug in the hip/thigh as the MKI?

IMHO Audi really f'd up with the A3 sport seat. :banghead:
The full leather sport seats in my 1990 Coupe Quattro were very supportive, and comfy. I have thought about swapping one of those in for the drivers seat. Definitely not plug and play... not a very realistic solution


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Is $900 delivered a fair price for a pair of leather / alcantera electric seats with frames, 32K miles old?


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## DG7Projects (Jul 12, 2011)

JRutter said:


> Is $900 delivered a fair price for a pair of leather / alcantera electric seats with frames, 32K miles old?


If in good condition, I say do it. :thumbup: They don't come around to often.


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## Rub-ISH (Aug 8, 2006)

JRutter said:


> Is $900 delivered a fair price for a pair of leather / alcantera electric seats with frames, 32K miles old?


Im the wrong person to ask...I got my set Leather / Non-electric for 200 bucks delivered


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

JRutter said:


> Is $900 delivered a fair price for a pair of leather / alcantera electric seats with frames, 32K miles old?


seems fair to me. at that price I would try to haggle a bit. Not a steal, but not a ripoff. 

Of course, you could buy a MKII TT, swap in your A3 hot rod parts, and you would get the seats for free!:wave:


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## greyjetta (May 3, 2006)

JRutter said:


> Is $900 delivered a fair price for a pair of leather / alcantera electric seats with frames, 32K miles old?


I payed 1k for my front and rear s5 seats and the guy wasn't to far from me


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## Raacerx (Mar 24, 2006)

I've got a driverside tan TT seat waiting for me until after I move. About the only thing good about a tan interior is that seats are cheap lol.

I wasn't aware they sit higher though. That is a major bummer. I'm under 6 foot but I like to be low and my A3 S-Line seats don't go low enough as it is. 

However, I looked at the electrical stuff and my seat I bought is heated, it is very simple to swap over. Granted I run the wiring department at work, but it looked very straight forward.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Well, I got a pic of the seats that I was thinking about based on a written description. Not a fan of mildew smell.  Going to keep looking...


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## Raacerx (Mar 24, 2006)

I have to admit, I'm looking at this TT seat right now and it seems like it mounts LOWER than my A3 seat?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

^ Really hoping you get to this before I do. :beer:


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## Rub-ISH (Aug 8, 2006)

Raacerx said:


> I have to admit, I'm looking at this TT seat right now and it seems like it mounts LOWER than my A3 seat?


till you put it in a realize that the seat base is taller than the A3... Trust me


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## crew219 (Oct 18, 2000)

Rub-ISH said:


> till you put it in a realize that the seat base is taller than the A3... Trust me


He'll just grind it to fit :laugh:


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## Raacerx (Mar 24, 2006)

crew219 said:


> He'll just grind it to fit :laugh:


AAAAAAAAAAhahahaha! 

Love it. You just brightened my day with that jewel. 

Seats are about the ONLY thing I care about aesthetically lol.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Rub-ISH said:


> till you put it in a realize that the seat base is taller than the A3... Trust me


I just noticed over the weekend, as a passenger in my car, that the manual passenger side seat (lowered completely) sits higher than the power driver's side seat. Wondering if this could explain your experience?


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## ceese (Jul 2, 2011)

JRutter said:


> Well, I got a pic of the seats that I was thinking about based on a written description. Not a fan of mildew smell.  Going to keep looking...


If they are cheap enough put them in a closet for about six hours with ozone machine it will kill the mildew smell permanently.


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

ceese said:


> If they are cheap enough put them in a closet for about six hours with ozone machine it will kill the mildew smell permanently.


The seats look green to me..


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

BeeAlk said:


> The seats look green to me..


The only other pic that they sent me was of the rear seats - which were definitely green and had mold spots... The ick factor is strong, ozone or no. Too bad, because the color was perfect match to my gray interior.


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

JRutter said:


> The only other pic that they sent me was of the rear seats - which were definitely green and had mold spots... The ick factor is strong, ozone or no. Too bad, because the color was perfect match to my gray interior.


So _those_ are the seats they wanted $900 for?? No thanks. Who/where in PA are these located?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

BeeAlk said:


> So _those_ are the seats they wanted $900 for?? No thanks. Who/where in PA are these located?


These are in Seattle for $900, "only 30,000 miles!" I don't remember now the details on the PA pair. Car-part.com is your friend.


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## ceese (Jul 2, 2011)

JRutter said:


> These are in Seattle for $900, "only 30,000 miles!" I don't remember now the details on the PA pair. Car-part.com is your friend.


Offer them $400 that's what they are worth in their current condition - the $900 price is wishful thinking.


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

ceese said:


> Offer them $400 that's what they are worth in their current condition - the $900 price is wishful thinking.


Exactly. Offer them $300-400, then spend that extra $500 you saved to have them completely reupholstered with top notch materials.. That's what I'd do at least.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

I'm checking with a detailer who has ozone service to see what they think. Is it common for upholsterers to allow for proper seat airbag deployment?


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

JRutter said:


> I'm checking with a detailer who has ozone service to see what they think. Is it common for upholsterers to allow for proper seat airbag deployment?


I'd hope so...


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

JRutter said:


> I'm checking with a detailer who has ozone service to see what they think. Is it common for upholsterers to allow for proper seat airbag deployment?


I would imagine that there would be a liability issue if they did not.. Doesn't hurt to ask.


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## crew219 (Oct 18, 2000)

JRutter said:


> I'm checking with a detailer who has ozone service to see what they think. Is it common for upholsterers to allow for proper seat airbag deployment?


I doubt it . . . you could always pull off the seat covers and have those cleaned separately from the frame and cushions.

I'd imagine that the foam underneath the upholstery is probably ruined too. 

Dave


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Found another pair for $800 that are on the way. Light bolster wear but the alcantara looks good and no water issues. They are sending the plugs from the car as well, so hopefully that will help with redoing the wires for install. I'll update when they go in.


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## ceese (Jul 2, 2011)

Sooo jealous


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)




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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)




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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

You know... if my car gets written off and I do get Maitres... I will have to consider this. In for results!


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

jrutter said:


> found another pair for $800 that are on the way. Light bolster wear but the alcantara looks good and no water issues. They are sending the plugs from the car as well, so hopefully that will help with redoing the wires for install. I'll update when they go in.


old seat frame for sale?


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> old seat frame for sale?


any of you guys have any spare lower seat cushion foam( not the cover) from all this swapping around? 
pm me if you do:wave:


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> old seat frame for sale?


Maybe. We'll see if everything works.


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

SilverSquirrel said:


> any of you guys have any spare lower seat cushion foam( not the cover) from all this swapping around?
> pm me if you do:wave:


i would sell you one but thwe owner of the company that i work at threw my seats and headrests away


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> i would sell you one but thwe owner of the company that i work at threw my seats and headrests away


:banghead:


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## BeeAlk (Jun 3, 2013)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> i would sell you one but thwe owner of the company that i work at threw my seats and headrests away


Are you sure they didn't just tell you that and they sold them? I don't think anyone would just throw away something like Audi seats..


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

BeeAlk said:


> Are you sure they didn't just tell you that and they sold them? I don't think anyone would just throw away something like Audi seats..


mom


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

BeeAlk said:


> Are you sure they didn't just tell you that and they sold them? I don't think anyone would just throw away something like Audi seats..


yea he threw them away.

i had some turbos sitting in the warehuose also, he threw those away too. sorry 

jrutter
whens the install?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

The seats have not shipped yet. Probably at least 3 weeks away from install.


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

sigh sigh


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Do the TT Mk 1 seats fit directly into the A3 as well?
Suppose I should ask which RS/S/A4 seats would also fit....
Thought there was a thread on this subject, a long time ago, but nothing turned up with search.


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## ceese (Jul 2, 2011)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> yea he threw them away.
> 
> i had some turbos sitting in the warehuose also, he threw those away too. sorry
> 
> ...


Time to rent some storage space


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## greyjetta (May 3, 2006)

skotti said:


> Do the TT Mk 1 seats fit directly into the A3 as well?
> Suppose I should ask which RS/S/A4 seats would also fit....
> Thought there was a thread on this subject, a long time ago, but nothing turned up with search.


I heard these fit with modifications


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

greyjetta said:


> I heard these fit with modifications


nope. no way those would ever fit. internet rumor. :bs:


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## greyjetta (May 3, 2006)

SilverSquirrel said:


> nope. no way those would ever fit. internet rumor. :bs:


Damn you photoshop wizards!!!


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

greyjetta said:


> Damn you photoshop wizards!!!


Damn you Greyjetta!!!:thumbup:


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

Ponto said:


> Damn you Greyjetta!!!:thumbup:


Somewhere out there is dumb ass driving around in a really nice S5 with crappy A3 seats.


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

SilverSquirrel said:


> Somewhere out there is dumb ass driving around in a really nice S5 with crappy A3 seats.


hahah never even thought of that... I am sure they must have upgraded to something more awesome than those.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

2004 S4 Recaros in an A3:
http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Features/printer_1889.shtml


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## greyjetta (May 3, 2006)

JRutter said:


> 2004 S4 Recaros in an A3:
> http://www.fourtitude.com/news/publish/Features/printer_1889.shtml


I have also installed those exact seats in rick89's a3 with power on both sides


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

greyjetta said:


> I have also installed those exact seats in rick89's a3 with power on both sides


Any tips or tricks for the wiring?


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## greyjetta (May 3, 2006)

JRutter said:


> Any tips or tricks for the wiring?


Sure 
For my car, it had no power seat options. 
I went to the dealer and bought the car side plugs that plug into the s5 seats 
I bought the repair terminals also from the dealer.(they usually won't sell just the terminal because they make so much off the crappy repair wires) but if you have a friend that works at the dealer you can get the terminals from the techs in the back usually under a buck each which is a lot better then 7.50-11 for two plus you can make your own wiring harness 
Buy 4, 2 for power and 2 for ground. Then ask the dealer for the repair terminal for the back of the fuse box for where the power seat harness usually would plug it. Get the terminal large enough for double the wire thickness that you decide to use, since you will be running both power wires off the one plug. 
DISCONECT THE BATTERY!!!
For the rounds. It's always best to ground the shortest distance, on each side of the car behind the kick plates there will be a common ground (below the glove box and below the hood release handle)
The power plugs will clip into the harness holder which is just below the carpet accessible under the little panel under the seat, plug a fuse into the fuse panel 10amp I believe and reconnect the battery 
Test out your seats.

DISCONECT YOUR BATTERY FOR ATLEAST 10MIN before beginning.
Also you will need the change the air bag plug on the seat side 
Purchase two of these that match the car side(believe it or not passenger and driver side are different )
Take a couple pictures of the plug with the way the wires are orientated.
Using a terminal release tool or small screw driver release the three wires from seat connector 
Reinsert into the new connected. If you don't plan on selling your old seats you can use the seat side connector for the air bag if you with.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Thanks greyjetta. I just got the seats. They are in pretty good condition, with some minor scuffs and a bit of bolster wear on the driver's side. At least it is a leather repair, not vinyl. The boneheads at the salvage yard cut the wiring when they removed the seats from the car.  So first off, I need to do some soldering. I remembered to ask for the plugs from the car, and they did send those. 


















I snapped a few pics to compare dimensions and am glad to see that the seats are longer, and the distance between bolsters is narrower.




















































Connectors from the car.










Mystery connector under passenger seat. 









Not sure when these will get installed, but I will update when they are in.


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

dibs on the driver seat frame.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Anyone have a wiring schematic that covers the seat harness, even if it is just the car side?

Also, do you think that is is possible to buy the seat harness plugs for the A3? That way the A3 seats could remain unmolested...

Still wondering what the extra plug under the passenger seat might be. It is difficult to see where the wires go inside the seat.


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

JRutter said:


> Anyone have a wiring schematic that covers the seat harness, even if it is just the car side?
> 
> Also, do you think that is is possible to buy the seat harness plugs for the A3? That way the A3 seats could remain unmolested...
> 
> Still wondering what the extra plug under the passenger seat might be. It is difficult to see where the wires go inside the seat.


BKS sells the wiring harnesses.


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

JRutter said:


> Anyone have a wiring schematic that covers the seat harness, even if it is just the car side?
> 
> Also, do you think that is is possible to buy the seat harness plugs for the A3? That way the A3 seats could remain unmolested...
> 
> Still wondering what the extra plug under the passenger seat might be. It is difficult to see where the wires go inside the seat.


dont know what is what, but when I pulled my drivers seat to work on the ergonomics of the cushion, there were 2 or 3 harnesses. Motors/position adjust, air bag, seat heater and heater temp sensor wiring. 

its damn lazy of them to cut those wires. I cant believe they did that.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

SilverSquirrel said:


> dont know what is what, but when I pulled my drivers seat to work on the ergonomics of the cushion, there were 2 or 3 harnesses. Motors/position adjust, air bag, seat heater and heater temp sensor wiring.
> 
> its damn lazy of them to cut those wires. I cant believe they did that.


Speaking of cut wires, here's a poll: solder and shrink tubing, or crimps to repair the wires?

I've figured out which groups of wires go with which module/plug, but still need to figure out exactly how to connect to the car side female connectors. For example, each seat has a seat belt sensor that is just two wires, same with airbag and 12v power to the adjustor motors - easy. But like you said, the heater circuit also has extra wires for the sensor and I'm nervous about frying something if they get connected wrong. The passenger side also has pressure sensors in addition to the seat belt sensor. I found plugs for the power / heat connection for ~$8 ea, but the other part numbers are not coming up with anything or are going to a completely different connector. I may end up taking them to a shop who can pull up wiring diagrams for the A3 and TT (having the female bits as well as the male plugs from the TT will help decode the wire colors).

On another note, I got some leather dye/repair fluid called Black Jacket and it did a decent job of covering the bolster wear.


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

JRutter said:


> Speaking of cut wires, here's a poll: solder and shrink tubing, or crimps to repair the wires?
> 
> I've figured out which groups of wires go with which module/plug, but still need to figure out exactly how to connect to the car side female connectors. For example, each seat has a seat belt sensor that is just two wires, same with airbag and 12v power to the adjustor motors - easy. But like you said, the heater circuit also has extra wires for the sensor and I'm nervous about frying something if they get connected wrong. The passenger side also has pressure sensors in addition to the seat belt sensor. I found plugs for the power / heat connection for ~$8 ea, but the other part numbers are not coming up with anything or are going to a completely different connector. I may end up taking them to a shop who can pull up wiring diagrams for the A3 and TT (having the female bits as well as the male plugs from the TT will help decode the wire colors).
> 
> On another note, I got some leather dye/repair fluid called Black Jacket and it did a decent job of covering the bolster wear.


solder and shrink tubing without a question. 

Or well Crimps and heat shrink... but yeah heat shrink. :thumbup:

Also that leather stuff worked awesome!


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

JRutter said:


> Speaking of cut wires, here's a poll: solder and shrink tubing, or crimps to repair the wires?


Solder / shrink tube would be prettier... or solder splices: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/221129638303?lpid=82


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

krazyboi said:


> Solder / shrink tube would be prettier... or solder splices: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/221129638303?lpid=82


Those look great - how do they work?


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

I prefer to slide the splice on one side, solder, slide splice on, then hit it with a heat gun. The solder center will melt and be contained.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

JRutter said:


> Those look great - how do they work?


Push wires in.. heat... melts and seals and connects all in one. 

They are good, I forgot all about them.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Sweet - found all of the male plugs, so I can hopefully splice the TT seat harnesses, push the pins out of the connectors, and insert into the A3 plugs. 

The solder splices with shrink wrap look perfect, thanks!


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Surprise, surprise, Audi did not standardize the type/size of the connectors used in the various modular plugs.  The individual TT wires/connectors do not fit the A3 plug modules. Disheartened. Did not want to cut anything from my old seats (to re-use that portion of the harness) or from the car side (to splice in the TT female modules). 

Poll: 

Suck it up and cut the harness on my A3 seats to re-splice onto the TT seats?

or

Buy repair wires and try to make the A3 seats easy to reinstall by keeping them whole and unmolested?

or

Cut the female modules out of the car and splice in the TT modules, which seem to be used on every other Audi except the A3.


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## greyjetta (May 3, 2006)

depending availability on repair terminals, make adapter plugs the plug in between the car harness and seat harness might cost a bit more but at least it will be a easy plug and play to convert back if you need toopcorn:


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

I wonder if the A3 seat connector scheme is more in line with volkswagen than Audi for some reason, and the TT follows the Audi protocol. I dunno.

I would try to buy the correct A3 compatable connectors and wires to splice onto the TT seats, to that you can leave the A3 and the old A3 seats able to be refitted if need be. 


or cut the A3 connectors off, and make your own harness with molex type connector block or other. Its all just wires. you could use friggin wire nuts if you had too. Not that ive ever done that... :sly:


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

why are the pins different?

can u post pics of the pins on the tt and a3?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> why are the pins different?
> 
> can u post pics of the pins on the tt and a3?


I will have repair wires in a day or two and can put up pics then. The housings are different. The female ends are the problem, since they are on the seat side of the plugs. Only 5 of the connectors out of 25 total will fit into the A3 housings, the rest are too large or too small.

Here are some connectors for the seat belt and occupancy sensors. TT = one right, A3 = two on left









These are the plugs for power and heat. TT = two on left, A3 = one on right (only the medium hole in the TT plugs fit the small holes in the A3 module.


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

looks like the pins are the same sizes


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> looks like the pins are the same sizes


looks can be deceiving


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Wire harnesses are finally made. I was wrong about being able to re-use some of the TT wires. Every. Damn. Connector. had to be swapped out as the housings were completely different... Had to make a second trip to the dealer for more wires. I won't get a chance to try them out until next week to see if I got the positions right.

The A3 contacts are slightly different and slightly smaller than the TT. Here's an example.











Here is the passenger harness.


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

wow never seen pins like on the tt befor


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

Nice work! you must be more than anxious to try the seats. Have you test fit either side yet, for a comparo?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

SilverSquirrel said:


> Nice work! you must be more than anxious to try the seats. Have you test fit either side yet, for a comparo?


Not yet. Gotta disconnect the battery to pull the airbag plug is what I've heard. Would suck so bad to pop that after all this work...


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

JRutter said:


> Not yet. Gotta disconnect the battery to pull the airbag plug is what I've heard. Would suck so bad to pop that after all this work...


I took out my driver seat. I didnt disco the battery, just no key in the iggy. 

but I did put on the special grounding dummy plug (see bentley procedure for removing seat) for the airbag trigger connector. I assume to avoid a static charge from making the seat go boom.


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## DG7Projects (Jul 12, 2011)

I didn't realize what a PITA this is. Oh well. Having owned an MK2 3.2 TT was good enough for me.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

SilverSquirrel said:


> I took out my driver seat. I didnt disco the battery, just no key in the iggy.
> 
> but I did put on the special grounding dummy plug (see bentley procedure for removing seat) for the airbag trigger connector. I assume to avoid a static charge from making the seat go boom.


That would be so much easier. I don't have the Bentley (does it run on mac?) because I thought it was windoz only. What is the dummy plug?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

DG7Projects said:


> I didn't realize what a PITA this is. Oh well. Having owned an MK2 3.2 TT was good enough for me.


Once I confirm that the wiring is correct, I will post up the wiring cheat sheet. 

Did you prefer the TT seats?


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## ceese (Jul 2, 2011)

JRutter said:


> Once I confirm that the wiring is correct, I will post up the wiring cheat sheet.


cheers :thumbup:



opcorn:


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## DG7Projects (Jul 12, 2011)

JRutter said:


> Once I confirm that the wiring is correct, I will post up the wiring cheat sheet.
> 
> Did you prefer the TT seats?


Oh man, ABSOLUTELY. That is the one of 3 things I miss about the TT. Those seats. And steering wheel. And 6MT. Although, I must say, I'm very fond of DSG. :beer:


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## Scuba*A3 (Feb 2, 2013)

WOW! Great job on the wire harness....can't wait to see the final product.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Happy Friday! :beer:


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

looks good


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Power and seat belt sensors are good, but have some codes that show that I can't read schematics and/or have some wires crossed...


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## TechnikSLR (Jul 30, 2008)

JRutter said:


> Power and seat belt sensors are good, but have some codes that show that I can't read schematics and/or have some wires crossed...


i wish i lived closer to you, so i could jump high five with a freeze frame with you. :thumbup:


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## crew219 (Oct 18, 2000)

seats4sale?
:thumbup:


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Nope 

I got codes for bad signal from the occupancy sensor and assumed that I had gotten the harness wrong. Sadly, it is not the case. The J706 passenger occupancy control module is unplugged and missing from the bottom of the passenger seat. That is what the mystery plug is for that I posted a picture of. Someone had to peel off the "DO NOT DISCONNECT" sticker and unscrew the control module. I can possibly take the whole assembly out of my A3 seat and try to install it into the TT seat, but that ruins my chances of selling the A3 seats as a set.

So basically, as it is now, the airbag is disabled. I have to put the old passenger seat in until I get it figured out with the salvage yard.


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

What are your original seats you are selling? You would probably be able to find someone who is upgrading their seats, and they can do the same thing with their old seats- just cannabalize them for the needed module, etc.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Sport seats are what I have. The entire assembly of pressure sensor pad, harness, and control module has to be swapped without unplugging. I guess it is doable. I'll see what the salvage yard has to say about the missing module.

Here is an overview of the issue and the last post is a link to a DIY for swapping the whole assembly.


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

swapping is easy, done it 4 times.
takes max 40 min


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> swapping is easy, done it 4 times.
> takes max 40 min


cool - thanx. may do that.


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

you dont have to install the pad in the new seat right away...... just lay it under the seat and connect. put a something heavy on it to activate the air bag. it doesnt take much.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Good point. ^ 

On a side note, I took my 15 yo old son with me to an Audi club driver clinic and autocross in the snow to set the hook in him for performance driving. He had a blast and the driver seat was a definite upgrade as far as staying put.


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## ceese (Jul 2, 2011)

JRutter said:


> Good point. ^
> 
> On a side note, I took my 15 yo old son with me to an Audi club driver clinic and autocross in the snow to set the hook in him for performance driving. He had a blast and the driver seat was a definite upgrade as far as staying put.


Did you decide on a car for him yet?


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

JRutter said:


> Good point. ^
> 
> On a side note, I took my 15 yo old son with me to an Audi club driver clinic and autocross in the snow to set the hook in him for performance driving. He had a blast and the driver seat was a definite upgrade as far as staying put.


Thats awesome, and something I wish would have been easily available when I was first driving. I'm a long way off from having kids, let alone kids ready to drive, but when I do I will put them in some type of HPDE as soon as I can so that they can learn how to handle their vehicles under more extreme driving conditions than cruising down the freeway. Plus it's a good and safe outlet for any excessive speed urges they might get :thumbup:


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

ceese said:


> Did you decide on a car for him yet?


He really likes my car. It didn't hurt to have a bunch of people asking for details all day.  We want him in something safe with awd. 2 different high schoolers in our little town have died in cars in the past 6 months. He wants an R32. I don't think that the family will sign off on a Mk4 because the Mk5 is newer/safer. A4 is also a possibility. 



TBomb said:


> Thats awesome, and something I wish would have been easily available when I was first driving. I'm a long way off from having kids, let alone kids ready to drive, but when I do I will put them in some type of HPDE as soon as I can so that they can learn how to handle their vehicles under more extreme driving conditions than cruising down the freeway. Plus it's a good and safe outlet for any excessive speed urges they might get :thumbup:


Absolutely! I can already tell that he will be a better driver than me. His first auto-x without even having a driver's license and he was easily in the top 25% of the non-instructor participants. (it was casual, no published times just a timing display after each run). Proud but humbled.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

The salvage yard that I got the seats from had an A3 seat bottom that they are sending me. So despite the mis-steps along the way, they are stepping up to make it right. :thumbup:


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

JRutter said:


> He really likes my car. It didn't hurt to have a bunch of people asking for details all day.  We want him in something safe with awd. 2 different high schoolers in our little town have died in cars in the past 6 months. He wants an R32. I don't think that the family will sign off on a Mk4 because the Mk5 is newer/safer. A4 is also a possibility.
> 
> 
> 
> Absolutely! I can already tell that he will be a better driver than me. His first auto-x without even having a driver's license and he was easily in the top 25%. (it was casual, no published times just a timing display after each run). Proud but humbled.


Something to consider, if it's a concern, is that insurance for a 16 year old male is going to be ridiculously expensive regardless of what vehicle he's driving...but the A3/A4 will likely have significantly lower insurance rates than a MKV. :thumbup:


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

TBomb said:


> Something to consider, if it's a concern, is that insurance for a 16 year old male is going to be ridiculously expensive regardless of what vehicle he's driving...but the A3/A4 will likely have significantly lower insurance rates than a MKV. :thumbup:


Funny, we were just talking about how the A3 is classed as a station wagon on my insurance. If we go that route, I have a ton of parts that he could bolt on, lol!


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## Grey D (Mar 3, 2009)

JRutter said:


> Funny, we were just talking about how the A3 is classed as a station wagon on my insurance. If we go that route, I have a ton of parts that he could bolt on, lol!


Long story short, this is essentially how I ended up with my car. Insurance is hilariously cheap compared to anything else that isn't a Corolla (not including the few tickets I have).


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

JRutter said:


> Funny, we were just talking about how the A3 is classed as a station wagon on my insurance. If we go that route, I have a ton of parts that he could bolt on, lol!


Yep, that's basically the only time I'm ok with someone calling my A3 a "station wagon" :laugh:

Having two of them would be pretty cool


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Got my junker A3 seat today and did the surgery. It was a bit of a PITA to get the TT seat cover and foam lifted on the front and one side, but it worked so that I didn't have to disassemble the whole seat.

Donor seat underneath. The yellow and black plugs at the top of the image matched up with plugs in the TT seat (seat belt connection sensor switch), so hopefully this will simplify the harness. Also got a spare heater mat (which is marked as a prototype?!).










The donor occupancy sensor bladder fits between the foam and the steel frame.









Kept everything plugged in just in case it matters.









The TT bladder is exactly the same shape and has the same push in fasteners to connect it to the seat frame and foam.









Got the seat belt plugs redone, but left my homemade harness in place in case this doesn't work for some reason. In hindsight, if you do not want to trash your seats, buying donor seat bottoms gives you the harness bits and plugs to the car as well as the correct occupancy sensor for probably the same or even less than I spent on new plugs and repair wires. Oh well.

Will test passenger seat rev 2 soon.


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Great idea, using a 'donor' seat.
Did you get the entire donor seat, or just the bottom? I need the black plastic piece that covers the seat back (mine has a crack).
Figured I'd ask


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

JRutter said:


> Happy Friday! :beer:


Late to this...but awesome upgrade! :thumbup:


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

skotti said:


> Great idea, using a 'donor' seat.
> Did you get the entire donor seat, or just the bottom? I need the black plastic piece that covers the seat back (mine has a crack).
> Figured I'd ask


Just the bottom (they comp'd it due to the missing control module issue) and it was grey.



krazyboi said:


> Late to this...but awesome upgrade! :thumbup:


Thanks amigo!


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

so jealous! 

if you dont want the donor seat foam/cover, will buy from you if cheap+shipping.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

SilverSquirrel said:


> so jealous!
> 
> if you dont want the donor seat foam/cover, will buy from you if cheap+shipping.


It was not a sport seat - still want it?


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## SilverSquirrel (Jul 24, 2006)

JRutter said:


> It was not a sport seat - still want it?


sure.. ill just hack it up for the foam, anyway. 
pm. incoming


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

u need stronic shifter now to make it look more sporty


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## 20thGTIMAN (Feb 2, 2012)

JRutter said:


> Happy Friday! :beer:


Looks really good, you have the same color scheme as I do and its nice to see that the tan and black combo works well in the car. ALSO it's a plus that you live semi close to me if I ever want to do this swap:laugh:


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## tp.wannabe.s3 (May 21, 2010)

he has grey interior not tan yo. it looks tan in some light i would know.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

20thGTIMAN said:


> Looks really good, you have the same color scheme as I do and its nice to see that the tan and black combo works well in the car. ALSO it's a plus that you live semi close to me if I ever want to do this swap:laugh:


Thanks - I noticed the other day that you were in WA, right on. tp is right - it is grey, but I am digging the two-tone look. I got a black lid for the center armrest a while back that helps tie it together.

So I did get the seat installed and still got airbag code and no passenger airbag activation. But after searching the code, I found this http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_A3_(8P)_Airbag_9.41 and was able to do the adaptation with my VAD (HPA's Palm based tool). All is good now, FINALLY. :beer:


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

JRutter said:


> Thanks - I noticed the other day that you were in WA, right on. tp is right - it is grey, but I am digging the two-tone look. I got a black lid for the center armrest a while back that helps tie it together.
> 
> So I did get the seat installed and still got airbag code and no passenger airbag activation. But after searching the code, I found this http://wiki.ross-tech.com/wiki/index.php/Audi_A3_(8P)_Airbag_9.41 and was able to do the adaptation with my VAD (HPA's Palm based tool). All is good now, FINALLY. :beer:


Nice work man, I'm jealous :thumbup:


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Here is the wiring decoding in case anyone needs it in the future:


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

Nice work! Wanna find me some TT seats . I'll sell someone my Alcantara-centered seats after the swap :thumbup:


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## 20thGTIMAN (Feb 2, 2012)

tp.wannabe.s3 said:


> he has grey interior not tan yo. it looks tan in some light i would know.


oh snap your right, when I looked closer in the 2nd pic I could see it.:banghead:


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## Presns3 (Mar 6, 2006)

Turned out amazing john! Great job!


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## cleanA3 (Jun 23, 2007)

Looking good


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## Scuba*A3 (Feb 2, 2013)

Great now I need to add this to my list of things I want to do....which really means I'll never get around to doing it...so Jelly.....:beer: for you sir!


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## blksheep3 (Mar 26, 2002)

krazyboi said:


> Nice work! Wanna find me some TT seats . I'll sell someone my Alcantara-centered seats after the swap :thumbup:


If you do I'll buy your mouse furs!!:laugh:


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

blksheep3 said:


> If you do I'll buy your mouse furs!!:laugh:


Deal! Now I need to find a way to convince the wifey that new seats are for safety reasons!


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

krazyboi said:


> Nice work! Wanna find me some TT seats . I'll sell someone my Alcantara-centered seats after the swap :thumbup:


Do you have the rear seats in this trim?


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## krazyboi (May 19, 2004)

JRutter said:


> Do you have the rear seats in this trim?


Yea, my fronts/rears match.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

krazyboi said:


> Yea, my fronts/rears match.


Yummy! If you ever want to sell the rears, LMK.


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## jbrehm (May 16, 2006)

J, any comments on the comfort of the TT seats compared to the A3 ones? I found the bottom of the A3 seat to be rather short (I'm only 6'1"), the lumbar was a little lacking, and generally uncomfortable on longer drives.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

jbrehm said:


> J, any comments on the comfort of the TT seats compared to the A3 ones? I found the bottom of the A3 seat to be rather short (I'm only 6'1"), the lumbar was a little lacking, and generally uncomfortable on longer drives.


For me (I'm only 5'6" and 140 lbs.) the A3 seats were pretty comfy - miles better than the seats in my wife's A4. The longest that I've driven on the new seats is just over an hour, and I didn't get fatigued at all. The alcantara and steeper bolsters on the TT seats work well together to keep you in place. The TT seats are firmer, with a longer bottom (about 1" more extension behind the knees). Lumbar I have not really used because my back seems to fit with it zeroed out. I tend to set up the seats to maximize the bucket effect - front up 100%, rear down 100%, slid forward to be able to rest my foot on the dead pedal with knees bent, then adjust steering wheel and seat back for comfort and be able to rest my wrist on the top of the steering wheel with my arm striaght. The shoulder rests don't seem to be as pronounced, so maybe that would help the lumbar to be more effective.


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

I did 40 hours in the Sport seats... I am 5'11 and 180 lbs and I find them super comfy. haha Go figure. 

Still blows my mind how so many people have troubles and find the sport seats so uncomfortable. :screwy:


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

Just learned the 2.0 sport seats aren't powered and don't have lumbar support?! Yet another reason 3.2 > 2.0

Sent from my Igloo


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## asal (Oct 12, 2007)

krazyboi said:


> Deal! Now I need to find a way to convince the wifey that new seats are for safety reasons!





JRutter said:


> Yummy! If you ever want to sell the rears, LMK.


I think NoVA neighbors get first dibs


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

asal said:


> I think NoVA neighbors get first dibs


haha - locals first for sure :beer:


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Rub-ISH said:


> I did get them in and they are pretty great but its not without a little sacrifice...
> 
> 1st the TT tracks line up and should be on whatever seat you get...They sit higher in the vehicle, which depending on your height (im 6'4) will be noticeable
> 
> ...


I'm preparing to do the same install, same seats (minus the alacantara- these are all leather).
JRutter has been a huge help-especially with this thread.
I do have another question- the post above by Rub-ISH says the passenger occupancy sensor needs to be swapped. Is this true- if so, why? I read why JRutter had to do this (the seller removed the sensor assembly), but I don't understand why the TT seat occupancy sensor won't work in the A3.
Hope Rub-ISH will chime in?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

New addition for track days.


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## Grey D (Mar 3, 2009)

Ponto said:


> I did 40 hours in the Sport seats... I am 5'11 and 180 lbs and I find them super comfy. haha Go figure.
> 
> Still blows my mind how so many people have troubles and find the sport seats so uncomfortable. :screwy:


Trying being 6'5" haha.

And plz be careful with those 4pts... Do they have some sort of anti-sub feature?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

Grey D said:


> And plz be careful with those 4pts... Do they have some sort of anti-sub feature?


Sort of. One side elongates to turn you slightly on impact, which is apparently enough to keep you from sliding under. I got this particular set because you can add actual anti sub straps as well (and HANS).


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Just installed my TT seats as well, many thanks again to JRutter.
I canabalized the old seats and used the connectors, took a while, but worth it.

Issues:
Red airbag light on dash
Airbag 'off' light remains on when passenger in seat.
No seatbelt chime if pax doesn't connect seatbelt (not a bad thing, but...)

No codes found using OBDII diagnostics (Torque app).

I assume all 3 are related to the seat occupancy sensor/module. While I can always swap it out with the original seat, does anyone know if it is possible to fix this with VAGCOM?


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

skotti said:


> Just installed my TT seats as well, many thanks again to JRutter.
> I canabalized the old seats and used the connectors, took a while, but worth it.
> 
> Issues:
> ...


I had to do the occupancy sensor adaptation in VAGCOM to fix the airbag issue. The seatbelt may be related to the occupancy as well, since it won't chime unless someone is detected in the seat. I was able to find the measuring blocks to verify that the seatbelt switch was working and that the airbag was present, but until the occupancy sensor got sorted, I got the same stuff as you.

Glad they are in though!


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Thanks, I'm hoping it will be as simple as that! The install was pretty straight forward- but only because of the work you did with figuring out the wiring. This should be 'stickied' in the DIY section- who is our moderator- Drew?
But I LOVE these seats- I feel like I am sitting in a different car!


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## skotti (Sep 27, 2005)

Quick crappy picks of seats installed.
These seats, with my new VW Driver Gear springs and Koni STR8s, Makes me feel like I'm driving a brand new car- feels the way the A3 should've been equipped from the factory.


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## JRutter (Nov 25, 2009)

:thumbup:


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

skotti said:


> Quick crappy picks of seats installed.
> These seats, with my new VW Driver Gear springs and Koni STR8s, Makes me feel like I'm driving a brand new car- feels the way the A3 should've been equipped from the factory.


You sir need my 3 spoke steering wheel. 

Just saying. Comes with Wheel controls too! Old airbag I believe works. :thumbup:


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## npace (Sep 3, 2012)

Ponto said:


> You sir need my 3 spoke steering wheel.
> 
> Just saying. Comes with Wheel controls too! Old airbag I believe works. :thumbup:


Not to be a d*ck, because I have mad love for you Ponto, but I keep telling you that the three spoke wheel won't fit a four spoke bag, and vice versa. Now, if he wanted to get an airbag as well.... that's another story. 

Plus, even if it would work, it would look crappy, because the cutouts on the airbag covers would make it look like a hatchet job. Just sayin....

Sorry for the thread jack


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## Ponto (Jan 11, 2012)

npace said:


> Not to be a d*ck, because I have mad love for you Ponto, but I keep telling you that the three spoke wheel won't fit a four spoke bag, and vice versa. Now, if he wanted to get an airbag as well.... that's another story.
> 
> Plus, even if it would work, it would look crappy, because the cutouts on the airbag covers would make it look like a hatchet job. Just sayin....
> 
> Sorry for the thread jack


Clearly I keep forgetting.

My bad. 

I just need a snickers.

Plus I took this thread off course first lol. 

Sent from my Igloo


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