How do you feel that sidebolster inflates?
09-04-2008, 08:19 AM
#1
How do you feel that sidebolster inflates?
Hi, I wonder about the air front cushion seats in our C43 cars?
Butt cushion works properly.
Back cushion works properly,
but the side cushion that prevents sliding from side to side, how do I ´know if it gets filled with air when pressing the rectangular button on the control lever?
I tried several times but I can not see that it inflates, DOES THIS FUNCTION WORK AT ALL?
Thanks
Butt cushion works properly.
Back cushion works properly,
but the side cushion that prevents sliding from side to side, how do I ´know if it gets filled with air when pressing the rectangular button on the control lever?
I tried several times but I can not see that it inflates, DOES THIS FUNCTION WORK AT ALL?
Thanks
09-04-2008, 08:38 AM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
On the back of the seat - at the bottom - there are screws that hold the large plastic backing.Remove them and drop the panel.Check all the connection on tubes!.
09-04-2008, 10:47 AM
#3
MBWorld Fanatic!
Mine don't work at all anymore and even to adjust the seats when I start up the car I have to drive it for a while than the seats will start working but the orthopedic never works
09-04-2008, 10:50 AM
#4
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'98 C43 AMG. Obsidian Blk w/2 tone slvr/blk interior
are you sure youre operating the button properly? you dont push it down, but rather side to side like this > I <. on the driver side, you push this bar towards the armrest. try to keep everything quiet and attempt this. sometimes theres a tube under the seat, you can see it if you just look under the seat if you put your head in the footwell. youll see a light grey tube inserted into a larger diameter black rubber tube. often times these two will get disconected... or sometimes just leak, and as a result your side bolsters will not be able to inflate. additionally, if there is a disconnection/leak the compressor will stop running after about 5 mins, it gets fed up and stops. when this happens you will still have air in the lumbar and "butt" bladders, but once you deflate them, you will not be able to reinflate them until you turn the car off and then back on.
the most common cuplrit is the one under the seat. i suggest putting a silicon based glue on the grey tube before reinserting it back into the black plastic tube... then ziptie the black tube ontop of the grey one to "crimp" it.
the second most common culprit is what C43AMG was talking about. you take the back panel of the seat off and check the connections back there. there is a "Y" splitter that feeds the two bolsters with one line, so that they can both inflate at the same rate. same strategy applies here, except you have to watch for the bladder on the right side (armrest side) because sometimes itll slip out of place and put alot of tension on the Y splitter, coercing the tubes to become disconnected. you can remove the cloth covering on either side to expose the bladder... ziptie the connectors on the Y splitter too, because these will definitely come undone again if you just simply push them back together.
Please note. do not forcibly undo ANY hose connectors. these cars are 10 years old and do not need any convincing to break. if you have a leaky connection or no connection at all, then it is ok to apply glue and reconnect, otherwise just wait for it to come undone on its own, to avoid breaking anything while forcing them apart.....
im gonna run down to my garage and take some pics of some trouble spots. ive had to deal with this issue with both of my c43's so ive kind of becoe a veteran...
the most common cuplrit is the one under the seat. i suggest putting a silicon based glue on the grey tube before reinserting it back into the black plastic tube... then ziptie the black tube ontop of the grey one to "crimp" it.
the second most common culprit is what C43AMG was talking about. you take the back panel of the seat off and check the connections back there. there is a "Y" splitter that feeds the two bolsters with one line, so that they can both inflate at the same rate. same strategy applies here, except you have to watch for the bladder on the right side (armrest side) because sometimes itll slip out of place and put alot of tension on the Y splitter, coercing the tubes to become disconnected. you can remove the cloth covering on either side to expose the bladder... ziptie the connectors on the Y splitter too, because these will definitely come undone again if you just simply push them back together.
Please note. do not forcibly undo ANY hose connectors. these cars are 10 years old and do not need any convincing to break. if you have a leaky connection or no connection at all, then it is ok to apply glue and reconnect, otherwise just wait for it to come undone on its own, to avoid breaking anything while forcing them apart.....
im gonna run down to my garage and take some pics of some trouble spots. ive had to deal with this issue with both of my c43's so ive kind of becoe a veteran...
09-04-2008, 11:07 AM
#5
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'98 C43 AMG. Obsidian Blk w/2 tone slvr/blk interior
pics
as you can see, i have applied this strategy to my own seats.
you can see in one of the pics the side of the seat is perfectly flat. if this part bulges out even slightly then your side bolster bladder is out of place. you need to deflate it all the way, then access it behind the cloth covering on the side of the seat, unscrew the plastic bracket that holds it in. once you have it removed you want to readjust it so its folded properly, and then reinsert and inflate. if it happens again you can apply a little glue to the felt casing so that there is more friction to deny the movement of the bladder.
please note how on my Y connector, one of the tubes does not have a ziptie, i am waiting for it to push itself out. i do not reccommend pulling it apart manually.
you can see in one of the pics the side of the seat is perfectly flat. if this part bulges out even slightly then your side bolster bladder is out of place. you need to deflate it all the way, then access it behind the cloth covering on the side of the seat, unscrew the plastic bracket that holds it in. once you have it removed you want to readjust it so its folded properly, and then reinsert and inflate. if it happens again you can apply a little glue to the felt casing so that there is more friction to deny the movement of the bladder.
please note how on my Y connector, one of the tubes does not have a ziptie, i am waiting for it to push itself out. i do not reccommend pulling it apart manually.
09-05-2008, 05:31 AM
#6
as you can see, i have applied this strategy to my own seats.
you can see in one of the pics the side of the seat is perfectly flat. if this part bulges out even slightly then your side bolster bladder is out of place. you need to deflate it all the way, then access it behind the cloth covering on the side of the seat, unscrew the plastic bracket that holds it in. once you have it removed you want to readjust it so its folded properly, and then reinsert and inflate. if it happens again you can apply a little glue to the felt casing so that there is more friction to deny the movement of the bladder.
please note how on my Y connector, one of the tubes does not have a ziptie, i am waiting for it to push itself out. i do not reccommend pulling it apart manually.
you can see in one of the pics the side of the seat is perfectly flat. if this part bulges out even slightly then your side bolster bladder is out of place. you need to deflate it all the way, then access it behind the cloth covering on the side of the seat, unscrew the plastic bracket that holds it in. once you have it removed you want to readjust it so its folded properly, and then reinsert and inflate. if it happens again you can apply a little glue to the felt casing so that there is more friction to deny the movement of the bladder.
please note how on my Y connector, one of the tubes does not have a ziptie, i am waiting for it to push itself out. i do not reccommend pulling it apart manually.
thank you all for your input, much obliged
I'm gonna try to solve this problem.
I've tried to slide pressing the button towards the armrest, trying to inflate the side bolsters but I don't hear any humming from the compressor for this part, but when I inflate the butt cushion and the back cushion I can hear the compressor working.
Does this mean that my side bolster tubes has come off?
thanks for your help.
09-05-2008, 06:20 AM
#7
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C43 AMG, 512 TR, FIAT Coupe Turbo, Toyota MR2 MK2
Just remove the plastic cover of the back of your seat.
Unscrew the two small screw situated at the bottom of the cover,
and you'll acces to the "Y"...reconnect and done....5 minutes...
Unscrew the two small screw situated at the bottom of the cover,
and you'll acces to the "Y"...reconnect and done....5 minutes...
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09-05-2008, 08:14 AM
#8
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'98 C43 AMG. Obsidian Blk w/2 tone slvr/blk interior
hmm... if the y connector is detached then the compressor would still run when you hit the button. youd hear a hiss and the compressor would run...
its interesting that he doesnt get this effect. refer to my above pics and try to reconnect using zipties to "crimp" the hoses firmly so you dont have to keep doing the same thing every 2 weeks...
its interesting that he doesnt get this effect. refer to my above pics and try to reconnect using zipties to "crimp" the hoses firmly so you dont have to keep doing the same thing every 2 weeks...
09-08-2008, 05:14 AM
#9
hmm... if the y connector is detached then the compressor would still run when you hit the button. youd hear a hiss and the compressor would run...
its interesting that he doesnt get this effect. refer to my above pics and try to reconnect using zipties to "crimp" the hoses firmly so you dont have to keep doing the same thing every 2 weeks...
its interesting that he doesnt get this effect. refer to my above pics and try to reconnect using zipties to "crimp" the hoses firmly so you dont have to keep doing the same thing every 2 weeks...
hey buddy when i have the time i will get in to this issue, thanks.
btw i wonder about the supportive function on these seats when inflating the butt cushion it goes out inflating but there isn't much of a support compared to the Bummer M3 seats that are real sporty seats. on c43 there isn't much of support from the seats when they are inflated properly, we only sit on harder seats nothing else.
Am i correct here>?
Bummer m3 driver has way better support from the seats.
thanks
09-08-2008, 12:44 PM
#10
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'98 C43 AMG. Obsidian Blk w/2 tone slvr/blk interior
well at the current point in time you cant make assessments as to what our seats feel like when theyre properly inflated 
.
the "butt" cushion doesnt really do anything... on the m3 its manually adjustable, you simply pull a lever and the front of the seat slides on rails. the m3 seats do give better support ill admit, but its not fair to compare the two as i believe mercedes started the fully adjustable seat trend which bmw took another step further in their later model m3 than was the competitor to the c43.
as far as i know the e36 m3 did not have adjustable seats like our c43's or the e46 m3's
. the "butt" cushion doesnt really do anything... on the m3 its manually adjustable, you simply pull a lever and the front of the seat slides on rails. the m3 seats do give better support ill admit, but its not fair to compare the two as i believe mercedes started the fully adjustable seat trend which bmw took another step further in their later model m3 than was the competitor to the c43.
as far as i know the e36 m3 did not have adjustable seats like our c43's or the e46 m3's
09-09-2008, 05:38 PM
#11
MBWorld Fanatic!
i took off the back cover of the seat and on the driver sear, the Y connector was disconnected i connected it and my seat still don't work. i checked the passenger seat and everything looked fine. i don't hear the compressor working is there anything else i should look for????
04-22-2011, 02:20 AM
#14
MBWorld Fanatic!
This was a very common problem with the C43. First time AMG had tried these seats. Sometimes it was just connections, sometime the entire airpump went bad. Such a shame as these were not cheap.
04-22-2011, 02:23 AM
#15
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99 c43 / 99 ml430
for whatever reason i was excited about this feature.. hopefully mine is just the fittings.. i can hear a little hissing when i toggle a couple of the switches.
btw, duane - you are one spoiled dude.. good stuff with the rides.
btw, duane - you are one spoiled dude.. good stuff with the rides.
Last edited by hoontastic; 04-22-2011 at 02:26 AM.
04-22-2011, 08:11 AM
#16
MBWorld Fanatic!
I have the same issue with the side bolster not filling up, everything else fills up in my seat except the side bolsters. If it is nice out this weekend I may try the fix that was suggested.
04-22-2011, 10:31 AM
#17
My mechanic told me the rear back cover is a biage to put it back in place, he didn't wanna touch my seats to see why sidebolsters didn't inflate.
04-23-2011, 07:04 PM
#19
MBWorld Fanatic!
04-23-2011, 07:08 PM
#20
MBWorld Fanatic!
Ha, I think it may be time for me to pull the old white lab coat out of the closet so I may once again transform into DR. AMG and address this bolster issue as it has been on my list for some time. If tomorrow is as beautiful as it was today I will do it tomorrow and put a post with pics if I am successful.
04-23-2011, 07:12 PM
#21
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99 c43 / 99 ml430
Tomorrow is rain my brotha. But yeah the otter air controls seem to work when I first start the car - the seat inflates to the last setting and then deflates .. This suggests to me there is a leak. But it won't reinflate until Next startup.
04-23-2011, 07:13 PM
#22
MBWorld Fanatic!
04-24-2011, 10:17 PM
#23
MBWorld Fanatic!
It did rain today but I decided I was going to take a crack at it anyway. SUPER EASY, took me 10 minutes and I had the bolsters on both seats filling with air!!!
1.) Remove 2 screws from the rear of the backing at the bottom of the seat
2.) This is what the air lines connecting the pump to my bolsters looked like on my drivers side seat before I fixed it:
And after I fixed it:
Here is what the passengers side seat looked like before I fixed it:
All I did was push the hoses back into the black Y connector, they fit EXTREMELY tight. I plan on super gluing them in the future but I wanted to make sure this was a fix before I did.
You can do this in 10 minutes and have both seats working
This was so easy I really wished I had done it when I first bought the car
I hope this helps
Jason
1.) Remove 2 screws from the rear of the backing at the bottom of the seat
2.) This is what the air lines connecting the pump to my bolsters looked like on my drivers side seat before I fixed it:
And after I fixed it:
Here is what the passengers side seat looked like before I fixed it:
All I did was push the hoses back into the black Y connector, they fit EXTREMELY tight. I plan on super gluing them in the future but I wanted to make sure this was a fix before I did.
You can do this in 10 minutes and have both seats working
This was so easy I really wished I had done it when I first bought the car
I hope this helps
Jason
04-25-2011, 05:39 AM
#24
It did rain today but I decided I was going to take a crack at it anyway. SUPER EASY, took me 10 minutes and I had the bolsters on both seats filling with air!!!
1.) Remove 2 screws from the rear of the backing at the bottom of the seat
Attachment 208431
2.) This is what the air lines connecting the pump to my bolsters looked like on my drivers side seat before I fixed it:
Attachment 208432
And after I fixed it:
Attachment 208433
Here is what the passengers side seat looked like before I fixed it:
Attachment 208434
All I did was push the hoses back into the black Y connector, they fit EXTREMELY tight. I plan on super gluing them in the future but I wanted to make sure this was a fix before I did.
You can do this in 10 minutes and have both seats working
This was so easy I really wished I had done it when I first bought the car
I hope this helps
Jason
1.) Remove 2 screws from the rear of the backing at the bottom of the seat
Attachment 208431
2.) This is what the air lines connecting the pump to my bolsters looked like on my drivers side seat before I fixed it:
Attachment 208432
And after I fixed it:
Attachment 208433
Here is what the passengers side seat looked like before I fixed it:
Attachment 208434
All I did was push the hoses back into the black Y connector, they fit EXTREMELY tight. I plan on super gluing them in the future but I wanted to make sure this was a fix before I did.
You can do this in 10 minutes and have both seats working
This was so easy I really wished I had done it when I first bought the car
I hope this helps
Jason
Hey Jason.
You my wanna be my bestman for my future wedding?
So your problem was loose hoses that came off the connectors on both seats?
I guess this is a common problem on these seats?
So you put the hoses in place by ziptying them?
Now they sit tight not possible to fall off?
The seat cover, was it easy to to put it back in place after refitting the hoses?
My mechanic didn't wanna touch the covers at all, therefore my side bolsters doesn't inflate.
I have to bi-ch about them next time I visit him!
Thanks man
04-25-2011, 07:41 AM
#25
MBWorld Fanatic!
Hey Jason.
You my wanna be my bestman for my future wedding?
So your problem was loose hoses that came off the connectors on both seats?
I guess this is a common problem on these seats?
So you put the hoses in place by ziptying them?
Now they sit tight not possible to fall off?
The seat cover, was it easy to to put it back in place after refitting the hoses?
My mechanic didn't wanna touch the covers at all, therefore my side bolsters doesn't inflate.
I have to bi-ch about them next time I visit him!
Thanks man
You my wanna be my bestman for my future wedding?
So your problem was loose hoses that came off the connectors on both seats?
I guess this is a common problem on these seats?
So you put the hoses in place by ziptying them?
Now they sit tight not possible to fall off?
The seat cover, was it easy to to put it back in place after refitting the hoses?
My mechanic didn't wanna touch the covers at all, therefore my side bolsters doesn't inflate.
I have to bi-ch about them next time I visit him!
Thanks man
The hoses were disconnected from the pump, all I did was reconnect them (no zip ties just pushed them back into the black Y connector, they fit TIGHT. I am going to super glue them when it gets nice out)
As far as the seat backs you will need to give your tech a hard time-they came off in less than 1 minute and went on just as quick and easy (it's 2 screws...)
