Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

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moogle007
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Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by moogle007 »

Hi,

My drivers' side seat bottom cushion isn't cushy anymore. I have researched compatible seat replacements, but I made a terrible mistake. I ordered and installed wet okole seat covers for my original Baja seats, and now I can't swap the seats and have the covers fit, whoops.

I feel like I need to replace the seat bottom cushion, but my research shows that the drivers' side seat cushion is discontinued, but the right/passenger seat cushion is still for sale, like this:

https://www.subaruparts.com/oem-parts/s ... 64120ae24a

However, the assembly diagram is weird, and implies this is a small part, number 12, even though the name is "seat cushion pad." I even found one on e-bay that had the same diagram, so I am now doubting that this is a seat cushion...?

Assuming this is a Baja bottom seat cushion, is there a difference between the right and left cushions? Could I stuff the right one in the left / drivers' side, and it would feel good / fine, or would it not fit / feel weird?

Has anyone done this swap, or maybe used a 3rd party cushion that you recommend, please?

Cheers,

Moogle007
06Suparu
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by 06Suparu »

When i put heated seats in my Baja i took the heating elements from an 2002 Outback wagon. The cushions had the same part #'s.
Ben Staad
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by Ben Staad »

Try calling around to dealerships and see if they can assist.

Not sure if that is helpful but best of luck in your search.
kensei
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by kensei »

If you take a look at this diagram, I think it does a better job of trying to show what Subaru is talking about. You can see that 64140 is denoting the seat cover and 64120 is specifying the seat cushion. They must have realized this was confusing, as a seat cushion search on newer models actually shows a pic of the foam cushion. Just for reference 64111 is listed as the heating element.

I agree with your research in finding that the driver's seat cushion is discontinued. Odd that both front seat covers and the drivers seat cushion are discontinued, but the passenger is not, which is probably the least wear item of all those things... As far as the differences between the two, I don't know, but if your driver's outer bolster is a shredded as mine is, then even a misshapen one may be better. On the other hand, I prob wouldn't spend $200+ to try to make a passenger side fit when I could try to source some cushion material elsewhere, like a fabric store, to hack up and try first.

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moogle007
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by moogle007 »

Update: I found a photo of the driver's side foam, and it's visually clear how much more padding there is on the door side than the console side. The passenger side would be the inverse of this, and would require some reshaping to fit in what remains of my oem leather cover.

I found a local upholsterer who offered to remake the drivers side seat in vinyl for $450, without matching the baja color or style. That's not an issue, since I have nice seat covers, but again, that's a little... spendy, despite the probable good value.

I largely abandoned this project, and ended up ordering four different seat pads off of Amazon. I picked the one that gave me the longest drive without pain, and shoved it under my wet okole seat cover. It is... fine. I'd give it an 80% improvement over the worn seat feel, for like... $40.

Maybe one day I'll luck out on a driver's side foam, new old stock, but in the meantime, this is fine.

Cheers!
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kensei
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by kensei »

moogle007 wrote: Fri Nov 06, 2020 10:34 am I'd give it an 80% improvement over the worn seat feel, for like... $40.
Given the cost of the other options, I am in favor of your solution! [smilie=coolup.gif]
outboardr
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by outboardr »

Moogle, I'm in exact same predicament as you!
2005 Baja Turbo 5MT.
My drivers seat cushion is horrible.
I was contemplating the Wet Okole covers as they say there's 1/2" foam on the seating area, figuring that might make up for the cushion problem.

Can you show pics of your covers and the link to the pad you have found to be comfortable?
moogle007
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by moogle007 »

For sure, happy to help.

I kept two of the four I tried, one that my wife liked (passenger seat) and one that I thought was okay (driver seat).

Here's hers, which is an almost perfect fit for the seat covers:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PJ3QGX6/
Passenger Seat - Wet Okole cover with seat cushion installed.JPG
Passenger Seat - Wet Okole cover with seat cushion installed.JPG (2.01 MiB) Viewed 27939 times
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SQ1GYH9/
Drivers Seat - Wet Okole cover with seat cushion installed.JPG
Drivers Seat - Wet Okole cover with seat cushion installed.JPG (2.08 MiB) Viewed 27939 times
Here's the cute arm rest they give you, too:
Arm Rest - Wet Okole cover.JPG
Arm Rest - Wet Okole cover.JPG (2.06 MiB) Viewed 27939 times
Now, my update is that I still don't think this is all that comfortable. Also, the coccyx cutout from my seat cushion is starting to show a dent in the seat cover. Even worse, it's two inches of memory foam, so my head touches the headliner for the first five minutes of every drive, until the memory foam sinks down enough to give me some room.

The Wet Okole covers have a bit of cush, but not enough to be substantive. They are, however, perfect for my baja-as-a-surf-car use case, since I'm damp half the time I'm driving.

I've decided to pull a 2001-2004 Outback seat from a junkyard, and put the cover on that. I measured as best I can, and I think they are very close in size, so the Baja Wet Okole may fit both. I actually e-mailed them today, to see if they would consider comparing their Baja seat cover patterns to the Outback seat cover patterns, and they said yes! I should have the results tomorrow, which is incredible customer service, regardless of the results. Since I'll cover it, I don't care about replacement seat material, only that it's similarly powered and doesn't actively hurt me while I drive.

I'll update this thread when I figure this all out.

Cheers,

Moogle007
outboardr
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by outboardr »

Thanks for the update!
You chose light gray for your center Okole covers right?

My idea was similar to yours, get the covers in black/charcoal or black/carbon fiber.
Then use some of this foam, trimmed to fit the depressed foam, then cover over top.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Density-U ... 2749.l2649

Okole says 1/2" foam in the seat area, so I'm calling them to find out if it's medium or high density etc.

I have neoprene covers on my Elentra GT since new, I like the feel and waterproof nature of the covers.
moogle007
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by moogle007 »

I did choose "21 LIGHT GRAY" for the inside colour, you bet. I was trying to approximately retain the Baja seat color scheme. Wish they had an option for black head rests, that would have been even better. In theory, I could have had the Baja logo embroidered, too, that's an option if you have and can upload the image.
moogle007
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by moogle007 »

Update:

I installed a good condition leather seat from a 2003 LL Bean Outback. The Baja seat covers fit the same, so that’s a win.

I installed the seat belt and some trim from my Baja seat, because the Outback chair is brown. It’s 8 way powered, so the side trim is still brown (extra motor prevented Baja trim), but I’ll paint it black at some point. Motorized recline is nice.

I dissected my Baja driver seat, to understand why it sucks so much. Was surprised to find a thick metal wire is the source of the side bolster destruction. It sliced through the foam and seat cover, and that’s what I’d call a design flaw. On the topic of fitting a passenger cushion in the driver seat... no chance, that same wire is structural, and only on one size.
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Outback LL Bean edition leather seat
Outback LL Bean edition leather seat
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Destructive seat cushion wire
Destructive seat cushion wire
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LH drivers seat cushion
LH drivers seat cushion
C805BD7D-9F1D-4582-A2AA-E507E4D5FB33.jpeg (1.8 MiB) Viewed 25798 times
outboardr
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Re: Have you replaced the drivers' side seat bottom cushion?

Post by outboardr »

I wondered if there was a wire in the side bolster.
I found a solution to my problem too.
Found another Baja where the previous owner had reupholstered his seats.
Swapped them out last weekend.
Much better.
They have heater elements in the bottom and back, too.
I got those and the center console with the switches but haven't installed them yet.
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