I am struggling with my new (to me ) 2010 S212 E350 as the driver's seat is starting to kill me - it's really uncomfortable and I just can't get it comfortable.

I think the passenger one is much better so I was wondering if the bases to the seats (the bit that i'm struggling with) as swappable (i.e. can I swap the base of the driver and passenger seats?)

 

Same here with my 2014 E63s wagon. The seats are not very supportive and both me and son are constantly tinkering with the buttons. Had it not been for a wagon, it would have been gone long time ago. We bought it for the long drives but the dang thing sits in the garage as an ornament.

Thinking of picking up a CTT-S with 18 way adjustable both front seats

 

Search on here “nc211” as poster, and “seat pain” as subject. You can read the whole thing (grab a cup of coffee), or scroll to where the photos of the seat start and go from there. There is a “diy tweak” fix to the seat you can try that is pretty easy to do, and makes a nice difference. In my case, it went from horrible to pure bliss, and has been that way since then (5 years now). Others have added on to the thread too with their own tweaks that have worked for them.

end if the day, the non amg, you are likely feeling the thick wire that runs inside the seat bottom padding, and that padding has likely lost some of its support. A hammer, some zip ties, and a few dish towels, and you can “McGyver” that sucker to lazy boy status…

sorry, i don’t about the amg version, but possibly the same situation?

 

And then, for those of us with no back problems, I can drive my 2016 E350 650 miles from Dallas to St. Louis in 11 hours (including pit stops) with NO PROBLEMS AT ALL. I make the return trip to Dallas 3-4 days later. I do this twice a year at least. My back trouser pockets are empty... I keep my thick wallet, combs, keys, key chains, cell phones, etc., in a fanny pack elsewhere in the car.

Full disclosure... I am 6 feet tall, 70+ years old, weigh (an unhealthy) 270 lbs, but have a normal, healthy back. The only issue I have driving long distances is fidgety feet... I end up resting my left knee against the door panel where the vibration annoys my sensitive, 2019 knee replacement. I use a small pillow between door and knee for that.

In other threads here, I read that ripped seats are a problem. I wonder if these are related problems (junk in back pockets)? At my weight, this should plague me as well. But it doesn't. My 6 year-old, MB-Tex driver's seat looks (and feels) brand new.

I guess I should consider myself "lucky." I don't doubt that some people have problems, but I do question whether some here actually know how to adjust a driver's seat properly.

In addition, complainers should disclose whether they have inherent back problems, sciatica, etc. According to the Pain News Network, more than 30% of all Americans (72 million) have chronic lower back pain. https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stor...-low-back-pain
If one has basic back issues to begin with, then perhaps the seat is not the real issue.

Mercedes-Benz has more than 140 years in designing car seating, so this is not rocket science, nor does MB design its seats to harm people worldwide.

 

The same trip in my W211 yields no back discomfort that my W212 does. I adjust the seats the same way. I'm 6 foot, 39, 200lbs and run/walk/hike at least 7 miles a day. My mother also complains about her W212 as compared to her W126 (nothing can really beat 126s).

 

I’m lucky in that i don’t have chronic back problems, just old-ish. On mine, i think the previous owner mushed the cushion down to the point where the wire was no longer properly padded. No way anyone could last for long on my old seat regardless of health or personal metrics. my passenger seat is fine, no pain whatsoever. But I do like what I did to the drivers seat much better, gives much better support for me.

funny you mention the split seats, a seemingly common issue. I too have never had an issue on the 212. But…its now a common problem on several of the new GLS’s (X167)! Including ours. One drivers seat bottom replaced, and one passenger front waiting on MB revision to be completed to replace it too. Both splits in thr exact same spot…

I think MB builds great cars, but also think they design and test a bit too much by computer and not real world living with the car before signing off for mass production. On the seats, they probably drop the robot bag a million times into it, but don’t as the intern to take one home for a month to live with it for a month. I note the intern, and not deep in the weeds engineers who know too much about every bolt.

 

hi nc211
i've read your seat pain thread and I suspect the pain I am getting is from the wires in the seats as it does feel like something is digging into me on both sides of my butt.
I think I am going to have a look and take the seat base apart - people in your thread mentioned bending these wires?
could you explain more about where these wires are?

 

Once you have the seat out, you’ll find the thick steel wire within the molded foam seat cushion. There are two spots that got me, and i suspect is getting you too. One are to try and bend a little.

along the side bolster where your thigh rides, youll see the wire and a slit in the foam. Pack a washcloth in there to help give it more padding.

along the back of the seat cushion, on each back corner, youll find the wire not only turns 90 degrees to follow the back of seat cushion, but that it actually turns upward too, creating an elevated corner of the wire. It’s that raised corner you want to try and flatten out a bit to takenout some of the bite. I hit mine several times with a hammer. Took just enough of it out to eliminate its bite.

i did doubt springs on mine, and i do believe it helped a lot to firm up the seat bottom from sinking into the frame bucket. But as someone on that thread mentioned, they just sip tied theirs together to spread the weight out amongst the 3 springs. I would try that first before spending the money on a spare frame just for the 3 extra springs. For me, I HAD to get the seat bottom to stop sinking into the pan, raise it up and firm it up. That allowed the pressure points to be more in the middle and along back center of the seat bottom, instead of along the outer edges where that wire runs. I did that via the extra springs and a couple of dish towels sandwiched between the springs and the foam seat pad. I also rolled a small towel along the back edge of the seat pad too to bring that part up a little more.

 

I find the 212 seats very comfortable, I'm 68 and 225 lbs, 6' tall. the only thing is, for long drives (over 2 hours nonstop), I have to take my wallet out of my back jeans pocket, or it pinches my butt and cuts off circulation in my right leg.

 

you have the 2016 model and they had fixed the seat issue by then. but thanks for coming into the thread to gloat!

 

fixed in 2014 for all facelift cars? or what?

I do have to say, for really long road trips, the car is NOT as comfortable as our early 90s 124's were. I could drive 7 hours non-stop Santa Cruz to Arcata in the 94 E320 wagon or 90 260E, and arrive feeling just fine. My 93 Cabriolet had the real leather seats back when they were thick cowhide, and those were awesome comfortable even with 250000 miles on them (they'd been reskinned shortly before I bought it with factory skins).

 

This is the first I've ever read about facelift cars (2014-2016) having "fixed" seats. Care to share some documentation?

 

Front seats are not the most comfortable seats to me at at , the bottom part which my legs sit is definitely hard . However, genuine leather seats must be more comfortable in long journeys . My FL W212 , on the other hand, gives me an impression having softer seats but honestly they must be same as pre facelift models being MB TEX / ARTICO . Only bottom sides of the front seats are hard other portions are not that hard .
I'm thinking about adding extra padding to make them softer

 

Cant drive at all with my wallet in my back pocket, have the compartment on the 212 and my truck has a little pouch on front seat cover that I put wallet in. Now a days 5 min causes me to move it else where. Ofcourse Ive got back issues with a couple disk growing together and such.

As far as everyone else get new foam (it degrades and after 10 years is pretty much toast) and adjust the wires in the seat.

 

I'm with you. I have my E450 and I after 20 minutes I feel like there is something hard in the seat. WTH! I've tried cushions on top but that's also totally annoying as they slide and move even if affixed through the back. I've left a few messages at auto upholstery shops with zero response.

 

I believe there are two fixes. My passenger seat has been fine all of these years, but not heavily used either, and now splitting. My driver’s seat is the one I modified years ago and is still insanely comfortable with no splitting.

I personally think the seat frames themselves need twice the spring rate of support like I did on mine in that thread. Seems to prevent the seat cover from stretching too much. I also think that perhaps just buying a new seat foam cushion instead of the Mcguyver routine I did is fine too. But you can certainly use my technique as well with the old cushion. Bottom line that I have come to believe is that the seat springs and foam pad aren’t strong enough for a 200lb person to last. To me this makes sense, as my son (now 15, and maybe 130lbs soaking wet) rides shotgun and no seat pain issues (but now splitting), and my drivers’s seat has no issues with me (220 lbs) sitting in it, while the previous owner was a very large person which clearly crushed down the foam.

 

I am 6'3" and 195#, and I find the seats in my '14 E350 to be very comfortable. My wife is 5'6" and heavyset, and she feels the seats to be very comfortable.

We have taken a couple cross country trips in my E350, driving as much as 12 hours a day. I have found myself more rested and comfortable, when we get to our evening's hotel, than most other cars I have owned. So I have a hard time relating to those that find them uncomfortable.

I have had the seat bottoms apart, to replace to seat cover, and I can't think of anywhere in the bottom of the seat, where the body would ever come in contact with any framing. There is plenty of cushion in the bottom. I can't speak for the seat back.

 

its not the frame itself you hit, its the thick steel wire that runs inside through the middle of the foam pad itself.

If you feel it, you absolutely feel it and it hurts. Not every one will, but for those that do, there is absolutely no mistaking it. Just like my car. The passenger seat is fine, always has been, but also clearly not used as much as it always had more form to it than my driver’s side, which was obvious to me was used by a large and heavy person. On mine, you couldn’t sit on it for more than 30 minutes before the pain started.

 

My 2013 W212 is the most comnfortable car I've ever had. It has the comfort package and only heated seats. The head rest also can be adjusted in and out as well as up and down. Before I bought this sedan, I checked out the coupe with the ventillated seats and I've seen similar seats with dynamic control - both of these have the adjustment buttons on the bopttom cushion near the console. These seats were VERY uncomfortable - thin padding and hard. I'd suggest checking out a pair of regular heated seats. If you have the fancy seats, maybe you can just bolt in a set you find more comfortable (but maybe the electronics will signal an error ??).

 

For me my MB seat is comfy for long distance but poor for aggressive cornering because it is not a sports seat for side way movement prevention both my azz and my waist up will go all over the place
I drive 10+ and 12+ hours for 2 days if Jakarta to Bali.
I am only 5.48 feet / 167CM and weight 154 lbs / 70kg.

I am in the tropics so no heater whatsoever, maybe that is also another factor of better comfort aside that I am light weight and hence my azz does not sit too deep.
I never have wallet or anything at the rear pockets for many years now.... this is important.

My seat is this type : Not my car photo but same seat and seat color.




I have back pain, a bit and when I do sit long time in front of PC at home , I need my Herman Miller Aeron chair medium size.
If I use regular chair and sit a long time , I suffer.

So I guess MB seat for me is good like my Aeron chair.