WoollyPanda
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Does anyone know if its possible to convert a standard front passenger seat so that it folds forward to make it operate like one that has the folding table option?
General Front Seat Table
- Thread starter WoollyPanda
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General Front Seat Table
Hi Woolly Panda,
It may indeed be possible, but I think it might end up costing you quite a bit. Also, the passenger table option doesn't seem to be very popular at all, so it wouldn't surprise me if the parts required are not readily available.
However, all I will say is that the actual plastic table part of the seat has nothing to do with the folding mechanism. I know that because I took the table off last year as it was eating into the space in the rear when our little boy was sat in his car seat. It's just glued and clipped into the back of the passenger seat. Looks a bit untidy now though...
But what I don't know is whether the seat back itself is the same design, or if it is different in order to accommodate the fully folding mechanism.
Also - you might need to take into account the airbag sensors on the passenger seat. I guess they would come into play as well?
It may indeed be possible, but I think it might end up costing you quite a bit. Also, the passenger table option doesn't seem to be very popular at all, so it wouldn't surprise me if the parts required are not readily available.
However, all I will say is that the actual plastic table part of the seat has nothing to do with the folding mechanism. I know that because I took the table off last year as it was eating into the space in the rear when our little boy was sat in his car seat. It's just glued and clipped into the back of the passenger seat. Looks a bit untidy now though...
But what I don't know is whether the seat back itself is the same design, or if it is different in order to accommodate the fully folding mechanism.
Also - you might need to take into account the airbag sensors on the passenger seat. I guess they would come into play as well?
WoollyPanda
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Thanks for the info. I'm looking to get the seat folded flat in order to enhance the load carrying abilities, rather than using the actual table itself, although the plastic table might be handy to protect the seat cover when doing so, it was one of the few options that I would have chosen if I were getting the car built to order. I know that the cover is available as a part.
I'm pretty sure that the ability to fold flat (or not) is down to the mechanism behind the lever, and as I have an engineering backround and access to a workshop, I was wondering if anyone had tried to do the modification themselves.
I'm pretty sure that the ability to fold flat (or not) is down to the mechanism behind the lever, and as I have an engineering backround and access to a workshop, I was wondering if anyone had tried to do the modification themselves.
It'd be really great if you do manage to find a solution. I'd love to have just a regular seat which folded forward, the table part itself has always been completely redundant for me.
Hopefully though someone else will be able to help. The levers on my passenger seat and driver's seat are exactly the same, and the seats recline to exactly the same angle. It's just the passenger seat manages to fold flat when forward, whereas the driver's one goes to a forward angle of around 50 deg or so.
I do wonder whether it is just a simple modification to get to go past that 50 deg angle? Not that I would know how to of course, haha!
Hopefully though someone else will be able to help. The levers on my passenger seat and driver's seat are exactly the same, and the seats recline to exactly the same angle. It's just the passenger seat manages to fold flat when forward, whereas the driver's one goes to a forward angle of around 50 deg or so.
I do wonder whether it is just a simple modification to get to go past that 50 deg angle? Not that I would know how to of course, haha!
theshootist
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This is EXACTLY what I need too - modify the front seat to fold forward flat. Not bothered about the table bit.
Any clues in here at all?
https://www.fiatdalys.lt/diagrams/1B/1B64B73BE582323AC136D3979B77B32E.png
and
https://www.fiatdalys.lt/diagrams/5F/5F50949DE394AFAEA7284E146B5B25CC.png
also, note the table is shown as part 7 here (but not listed in the text below the pictures as being available)
https://www.fiatdalys.lt/en/catalog...17M051870/ZFA31200003210850/0/0/0/front-seats
https://www.fiatdalys.lt/diagrams/1B/1B64B73BE582323AC136D3979B77B32E.png
and
https://www.fiatdalys.lt/diagrams/5F/5F50949DE394AFAEA7284E146B5B25CC.png
also, note the table is shown as part 7 here (but not listed in the text below the pictures as being available)
https://www.fiatdalys.lt/en/catalog...17M051870/ZFA31200003210850/0/0/0/front-seats
theshootist
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Thanks.
Well tomorrow I will take off the lever and see if its something as simple as a "stop" which can be moved or modified.
I dont see why they would go to the trouble of making two mechanisms - probably same one but with different setting inside ?
Well tomorrow I will take off the lever and see if its something as simple as a "stop" which can be moved or modified.
I dont see why they would go to the trouble of making two mechanisms - probably same one but with different setting inside ?
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Mate, there is nothing on a motor car that is so simple that an automotive engineer can't turn it into an overly complicated warrantee claim looking for a place to happen.
theshootist
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You make a good point.
WoollyPanda
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I'm afraid that I never did find a way to make the passenger seat fold flat. I've just sold the Panda, but bought another one! So if anyone DOES find a way to make a non folding seat fold, I'd still be interested!
My dad has an base model 2012 Pop, and I have a 4x4 with the folding seat. We live in different cities so I haven't had the chance to compare them side by side, but from what I remember from visual memory, the non-table seat is basically exactly the same as the driver's seat but without height adjustment. On the other hand, the point from which the picnic table seat folds at the bottom of the backrest is a good 4-5cm higher that the driver's side seat in my 4x4, which means that the whole seat back and probably hinge and seatback mount are different parts. The height difference also plays an important role in that without it, the seat back couldn't possibly fold flat as the seat back and seat base would be too close to each other and would only fold about 45 degrees before squishing too much of the seat foam to fold any further.
Truth be told, my experiences with the picnic table seat aren't that good and have the following shortcomings:
1. It eats into rear legroom quite a lot and there's nothing to be done about it because the plastic is screwed into the seatback frame and can't be removed easily, and there's no fabric underneath once it is removed.
2. Folding it down is a pain. First you have to move the seat all the way back because the headrest can't be removed and it won't clear the dash in most cases. Then you fold the seat down by faffing about from both the front and rear. Then you have to go back up front and slide the seat forward for any semblance of foot room in the back, but it only goes forward a certain amount because the head rest (again, non-removable) hits the glovebox.
3. When the seat is in table mode, the rear seat is slightly lower than the table. So it's too low to be a useful table, but too high to use as a leg rest from the rear seat (I tried, having your legs up in the air means they go numb pretty quickly).
4. Getting it back upright requires just as much faffing about as folding it.
5. Last but not least, because of the aforementioned difference in hinge height, the passenger seat ends up never being as comfortable as the driver's seat no matter how much I adjust it.
Truth be told, my experiences with the picnic table seat aren't that good and have the following shortcomings:
1. It eats into rear legroom quite a lot and there's nothing to be done about it because the plastic is screwed into the seatback frame and can't be removed easily, and there's no fabric underneath once it is removed.
2. Folding it down is a pain. First you have to move the seat all the way back because the headrest can't be removed and it won't clear the dash in most cases. Then you fold the seat down by faffing about from both the front and rear. Then you have to go back up front and slide the seat forward for any semblance of foot room in the back, but it only goes forward a certain amount because the head rest (again, non-removable) hits the glovebox.
3. When the seat is in table mode, the rear seat is slightly lower than the table. So it's too low to be a useful table, but too high to use as a leg rest from the rear seat (I tried, having your legs up in the air means they go numb pretty quickly).
4. Getting it back upright requires just as much faffing about as folding it.
5. Last but not least, because of the aforementioned difference in hinge height, the passenger seat ends up never being as comfortable as the driver's seat no matter how much I adjust it.
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