Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

Anyone having problems with the seats?

2K views 15 replies 14 participants last post by  ponzese 
#1 ·
Hi,

i was just wondering if anyone other than myself was having problems with the seats that come standard in North America, more specifically Canada. i fine them lacking in Lumbar support and 'buttocks' support. This results in me often slouching on long trips and sometimes find my back overly tired when i'm on the golf course.

I've finally decided to buy an obus-form back rest for it, and i've only seen one other SLK that has used something similar, but was driven by an old lady. So i was wondering if anyone finds the seat lacking in comparison to other cars. Porsche seats are definitely more supporting than the MB ones.

Anyone?

ps, i don't have electrical seats. (one of the missing options when my car arrived)
 
#2 ·
On my SLK55, I found the seats to be great on the race track and around town. However, the 2 hour trip to the track had me sitting in all kinds of positions to reduce the pain in my lower back.

Thankfully the heated seats helped a little.
 
#3 ·
I have this problem too. Try reclining the backrest more than you normally would- For me this is the only way to get any sort of lumbar support. Of course this means your head won't be as close to the headrest as it should, but it's a small price to pay for a bit more comfort[:)]
 
#5 ·
jono_m - 9/18/2005 9:53 PM

I have this problem too. Try reclining the backrest more than you normally would- For me this is the only way to get any sort of lumbar support. Of course this means your head won't be as close to the headrest as it should, but it's a small price to pay for a bit more comfort[:)]
hehe...that wouldn't work for me. i'm not a tall man as it is, i'm 5'6. If i recline my seat more than usual, i'd be driving gangster style, with my elbow holding me up by my center arm rest. not cool. maybe it works for taller chaps.

i guess it's not just me that absolutely hate the seats then..hehe..

i''m actually thinking about trading my car in for a more comfortable car, as this seat problem is giving me long term back problems..
 
#6 ·
I have the same problem with mine. In fact, when I first got it, the seat was perfect, then one day I noticed the seat "sunk" after about 7 hours of nonstop driving. A pillow helps the lumbar but does nothing for the butt. Good to hear someone else is having the same problem, maybe there's a material defect in the seat padding. I'm going to call up the dealer and ask.
 
#7 ·
It is very easy to change the seats, around $1,500 should get you very nice leather seats... The only problem is that the new seats could sit too high since the stock seats are so thin.... The best thing to do is to try it out and see for your self.... Maybe Brabus or Carlsson have a solution. By the way, are the SLK55 seats any different than the the SLK 350?
 
#8 ·
Yes, I was just going to make a post about this today. I can only go about an hour in the car, before it's really too uncomfortable to be enjoyable. I'll stop and stretch and walk around for a bit, then start again, and I'm good for another hour, but that's about it. As I've only taken it twice in 6 months for trips over 30 minutes, it's not something that is too big a deal.

Let's keep up the suggestions people have regarding this (seat covers, pillows, etc). I'm curious as to how people who regularly drive long distances solve this issue.
 
#10 ·
I have to tell you, I have had the opposite experience. I have found these seats to be the most comfortable I have ever used in a car or SUV.

Almost uniformly, and as a big guy, most seats are too small and too shallow for me (240lb, 6'0"). I never seem to have enough thigh support. But not with these seats. I have done a four hour trip in my SLK55 and I felt more supported and comfortable than I ever have - including the couple of BMWs we have had and the Jeeps we have had.

I do feel bad that some folks have had their seats "fall" or become uncomfortable after time. Let's hope that this defect doesn't happen too often.
 
#12 ·
This thread worries me, since I'll have my SLK55 in about 6 weeks. I hesitated for 6 months between the Corvette and the SLK before deciding. In favor of the Vette: excellent seats with TWO adjustable back supports (low lumbar and upper lumbar/lower thoracic). But the top has to be removed by hand and that's not good for my back. The SLK has the Vario roof, but--apparently--bad seats. I had noticed the lack of lumbar support before I ordered, but decided to go for the lesser of 2 evils.

Q: Has anyone found a suitable lumbar cushion that works on LONG trips?
 
#13 ·
I have the electrical seats and I still have some comfort issues (go check this thread: http://www.benzworld.org/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1223504&posts=30 ). I must say, however, that I got used to the poor lumbar support to a certain extent. I change positions regularly using the three presets and it helps a little.

Do you have a picture of your obus-form back rest?
 
#14 ·
Ideally the seats would have an adjustable lumbar support. I have a lower back problem, and my previous Z3 became very uncomfortable when the problem became more severe. The SLK seat would be better for me with just a small amount of extra lumbar support. I have tried a lumbar cushion, but it was far too thick - I tried cutting the foam inside to a third of the thickness, but the seat is still better without the cushion. I recline the seat as much as possible - using all the generous space of the cockpit. For my kind of back problem, creating a sharp angle between lower spine and thighs stresses the back - so a reclined seat with legs outstretched (not knees up)is the best position (spine should also be curved properly as encouraged by lumbar support). I am reasonably comfortable for up to 2 hours continuously in the SLK seat - I haven't found any other cars any better in practice. Even an Audi A4 with fantastic sports seats (which were advertised as ergonomic award winning) becomes uncomfortable for me after a while.
 
#15 ·
Well, I'll throw my $0.02 in here, as someone without regular back pain or other problems. I find the seats exquisite... especially in the area of lateral support, as compared with other sportier cars in the lineup, like the CLK (mine's just a 208, but the 209's seats haven't changed much).

To be sure that the car and I would be a good fit, I rented one for a long weekend and took it on a combination of my regular trips as well as an extended coastal drive -- for locals... 280N, 92W, 1S, 17N, 880N, 680N, 580E (livermore, for a brief errand), 580W, 880S (back to so bay), and home -- took nearly three hours, with only a brief stop at a filling station. By the time I finished the long drive -- which included sprints to over 100MPH as well as some stop-go (ugh) -- I knew there was no way I could deny myself this car.

To further contrast with my 208 regarding seats, it's not back but instead knee fatigue I experience. I frequently have to reposition my feet to avoid knee pain. But in the 171 I had no trouble at all. I believe this is due to a combination of the shape of the leading edge of the seat, the lower seating position, and handy items like an actual foot rest in the foot well.

Didn't want to distract from sharing on how others can avoid lumbar pain, but I did want to add another voice of praise for the seating. It's not a total loss... ;)
 
#16 ·
I have drived many sport cars from NY to Florida for the past 30 years this is the first time a car have give me the worst back problem, love this car, but the worst seat.[?]
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top