Why did MB put such lousy seats in the W124s
 

There is no lumbar support at all in the seats in the '94 wagon. So bad in fact that it caused Sciatic problems for me after one year of driving. I've bought lumbar suppport thingys and they help a little but my leg still goes numb and then throbs on long drives. Very uncomfortable. Recently I had the wagon in for repairs (duh) and I was given some POS Chevy Trailblazer as a loaner but what I noticed was no back pain at all. It had a lumbar adjustable support 'wheel' and was very comfortable.

I need help solving this problem. I don't want to give up the wagon but the seats are terrible and are causing me much pain. What are my options? I can't believe that the trailblazer was more comfortable than the wagon!

No problem my friend! AMG has a solution for you! Here is there there way for making up for Mercedes' lousy seats for the W124:

http://img29.exs.cx/img29/2772/seats1.jpg

http://img29.exs.cx/img29/3861/seats2.jpg

Or you could go all out and consider these:

http://img29.exs.cx/img29/921/ferrari3.jpg

Now that's what I call proper support!

These were for sale on Ebay recently:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7963995384

There are more....many more...and all are still cheaper than what I've been quoted for new leather covers for one of my cars.

It depends on whether you want to spend hundreds or thousands. For maybe $250 to $300 you can buy some nice sheepskins and some foam to go underneath. Foam comes in different densities and different thicknesses (1/4", 1/2" etc). You can laminate it with spray contact cement and attach it underneath the sheepskin with the same. You can carve it up with a kitchen carving knife into any shape you want - just a matter of how much time you want to spend on it. The biggest investment is the sheepskins - which I happen to like but not everyone does.

Do the sheepskin covers stain the leather over the years?

In defense of Mercedes, the W124s are great seats if they come in the original CLOTH upholstery. My previous 300TE came with standard cloth seats and by far have been the greatest seats I have ever sat in.

The cloth seats, I don't know why, are thickier, better upholstered and provide much better support than the lousy leather covered units that my E 320 T have.

Also, for back issues, Mercedes did offer an electric lower back cushion for the W124 front seats, which was an extra cost option at all markets except the U.S. It is similar to the one installed as standard on W140 models.

dtf

With amount of miles on your wagon I would definitely consider replacing at least the seat padding if not the seat springs.

Haasman

I would agree with Haasman. MB seats are usually considered very good but after many years and high mileage they will obviously suffer wear to padding and springs.

I find the seats (MB-Tex) in our '90 300TE to be extremely comfortable, even after 14 hour interstate journeys we often travel. The driver's seat does have the pneumatic orthopaedic option though which can be altered throughout the journey.

I find that getting the seat correctly adjusted is important. On the first long journey I travelled in my '90 190E Sportline, I initially found the seat uncomfortable. After continually fine tuning the adjustment, I found a position that was comfortable. Now after journeys of up to 8 or 10 hours in that car, I find the leather Sportline seat comfortable. With that car now showing 230,000km, I do notice the driver's seat has settled more than the passenger's seat. I have considered the possibility of switching the front seat cushions to even the wear. Does anyone know if that is possible on a W201 with manual seat adjustment (ie. without electric seat adjustment)? This is probably the topic for another thread.

I'm quite surprised by this comment. My 88 300E has leather seats. I don't know if they are any different than MBTex, but they are the BEST and most comfortable seats of any MB, or maybe any car I've ever owned. This includes my 210 that I bought in 96 and ordered with heated, orthopedic seats.

Not only are they extremely comfortable on long trips, but they have held up perfectly in the 278000 or so miles that it has traversed.

I wonder if maybe the seats are just not a good fit for your particular body size and shape?

Best of luck,

I think its all subject to the butt that sits in them......the most comfortible seats I have ever sat in are the leather seats of my '96 saturn.......they fit my body perfectly......problem is a seat can't fit everyone equally.......any seat is going to be uncomfortible to someone....while being the best thing since sliced bread to another.

Never happened to me.

I agree with Larry. My old 124 is one of the few cars I can drive that does NOT cause me back pain.

Hi Larry and guys, I think it could be a combination of my body size (6'1", ~170 lbs, thin) and 240,000+ miles on the seats. Can the passenger side be swapped over? I never let the wife in the car :D . I'm thinking about checking for the MB orthopaedic (sp?) seats to swap in as I plan on keeping this car a long time.

I just had the driver's seat out of my 260E yesterday. There are coil springs along the front & rear edges. Then there are the typical "couch" zig-zag springs, for lack of a better word, across the middle. These fold back in a sharp angle that goes down to the frame. At the fold is some pretty hard twist (torsion) as the angle changes. Three of mine had broken right in this twist. All were on the left side, so I sat with a list to port. I rolled up a piece of scrap outdoor carpet and stuffed it into where the angles should have held the seat up. I have the scratches to prove it. :wreck: I put a similar piece on the unbroken side and another roll across the front

While I was in there, I put a flat piece of carpet between the zig-zags and the horsehair padding.

Dramatic difference. Now, it feels good to sit on and I don't do the old "slide up hill" motion t when I get in the car.

My seats (all manual, no power) have a knob on the side of the back cusion, that makes them push up in the lumber area. On a positive note, I did find almost $2 in change under the seat. :D

my 124s seats are great. i get out the car with no problems after 6hrs in the seat.

must be your body preference.

I find the seats in my 1995 E320 firm yet comfortable. No back pain after hours of driving. Arm rests on both sides are also well positioned.