Bolt Front Seats Recall Media Campaign

[iletric]

Cost is little over 900 for 2 seats. It took almost 2 days. I called a random place in Petaluma (north of Marin is usually cheaper than Marin) and they said 500 per seat, so I knew I was in the ballpark with Teeters.

Here is the address:

https://www.yellowpages.com/novato-ca/mip/teeters-schacht-1756169?sem=tas%3Dgoogle%26headingcode%3D8000222%26utm_type%3Dg%26utm_medium%3Dc%26utm_account%3DDSA-Automotive+MIP+2%26utm_campaign%3D8218217637-All+Auto+Glass+%26+Upholstery+By+Teeters+%26+Schacht%26utm_adgroup%3Dyp_1756169-Automobile+Seat+Covers,+Tops+%26+Upholstery%26utm_kw%3Dyp_1756169%26utm_matchtype%3Dbroad+match%26ad_level%3Dhigh

Daughter picked up the car and is loving it. And she is only 22, so if she can tell the difference I should too. I hope to take pics and publish them while the subject is hot. I can't believe GM gave me no other option than to blow that kind of money.

 

[astroboy]

what do you think about the fact that it's a lease? i suppose what GMAC does not know won't hurt them. i figured that you could get dinged for 'modifying' the car, even though this is clearly a fix...

 

[flamaest]

Thanks for the info. GM should either pay for this or give us better seats.

I can't justify spending 900 bucks on a NEW car which has ~700 miles on it, to fix something which should not have to be fixed. GM should refund you at least some of that money.

 

[iletric]

Lease agent reviewing the car will have no idea seats have been modified.
As far as justification, one has two options: hating it every day or do something about it. My philosophy in life is the latter option.

So, without further ado... Drumroll please...



Man at work.





The final visual test.





After. Notice the before--after rise against the right bolster. It's almost gone!





Before. Oh, that sunken feeling.





After. The lower back extra inch is barely visible, but my back knows better.





Before.




FInal thoughts:

It's not an elegant solution, but it is a functional one. Be prepared for a few days of smelling foam glue.

It seems to me the driver seat fill is a bit higher than the passenger one, so I have to talk to the boss about that. Wife also feels it's too high on the forward side of the seat than before. She is 5'4", around 100 lbs, hence the difference. I'm taller and heavier, so it's fine for me.

I recommend to look for a high-end shop that SPECIALIZES in this. The price should be comparable. I chose the shop out of convenience and I like the owner. They did my windshield recently.

And the last thought. Rebuilding foam is not an exact science and you may not end up with a factory quality look. This is a fix, to be sure, to get us through 33 month with this car. It's the last time for me leasing an American vehicle. I've had the Dodge pleasure before, and the little Spark EV.

Great EVs will be out in 3 years with plentiful choices to pick through. By then the Bolt monopoly will be just an EV history footnote. I am saying this because beside the disaster seats there are other things I don't like about the car I described in detail elsewhere on the site.

PS: GM made a $9.4 billion profit in 2016
No comment.

 

[sgt1372]

Cost is little over 900 for 2 seats. It took almost 2 days. I called a random place in Petaluma (north of Marin is usually cheaper than Marin) and they said 500 per seat, so I knew I was in the ballpark with Teeters.

Wow! You REALLY didn't like the seats.

I've been meaning to recover the seats in my MR2 but its 15 yrs old (not brand new) and the seats feel fine; just a bit worn over time.

Got a quote from an East Bay shop of about $600 for just the driver's seat, which is the only one that needs replacing, but the original fabric for the insert is hard to find and they couldn't promise a match, which means that I'd then have to do both to get them to match. That didn't include any reshaping either; just a stock replacement.

May check out Tweeters when the time comes.

 

[astroboy]

yeah i think if they get $450 for just the drivers' seat i would probably do this. a little far from the east bay but its probably worth it if you're happy with the quality of the work.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Someone is going to come up with a $25 fix involving Fix A Flat or something similar, a needle-nozzle, and a plastic repair kit. I still think GM wanted to limit the appeal of this car.

 

[boltage]

After. Notice the before--after rise against the right bolster. It's almost gone!



Before. Oh, that sunken feeling.

Basically, looks like you converted the seats from sporty to non-sporty.

 

[iletric]

Basically, looks like you converted the seats from sporty to non-sporty.

Respectfully disagree.
Disaster to comfortable.

 

[mbepic]

5'10" male here (195 lbs). My Bolt is ordered and I did 4 test drives and sat on several more Bolts in the last 2 months -- mostly Premiers but a few LTs as well.

The first several that I sat in or test drove were definitely VERY painful! These were all Premiers, since that's what I wanted to order. One of the last Bolts I sat in was an LT and that seat was much firmer and probably the most comfortable of all others that I tried ... but far from perfect. The very last Premier I test drove had seats that were better than the first few, but still barely passable.

I am somewhat concerned what the quality of the seat in the one I will get will be. The seat is by no means going to be the highlight for the Bolt ... but if it is acceptable, I will be okay. However, if it turns out to be terrible, will definitely provide the feedback to the dealer as well as to GM customer service.

Yup, this is my position too; should get my Bolt EV first week of May and slightly concerned about the seats that will be in that Premier model. The seat I sat in at the Detroit Auto Show seemed fine; I don't consider the seat the highlight of the Bolt either but it could become the lowlight, if I experience similar problems that some have experienced. For some reason I'm pretty confident that there won't be a problem but my dealer will hear about it, if that's not the case............then we haggle!

Now that the Bolt is into bigger production numbers, I think it important to publicize the last 5 digits of your VIN because if there is a modification to these seats at some point, improvement may be found in later numbers. I know the VIN number does include Sonics on the line but that shouldn't matter with an over-all comparison...........my VIN will be 56421, built about 2 weeks ago.

 

[mbepic]

After. Notice the before--after rise against the right bolster. It's almost gone!



Before. Oh, that sunken feeling.

Basically, looks like you converted the seats from sporty to non-sporty.

Wow, I would not like that; some folks pay extra for competition seats that feel more sporty and have high bolsters that keep you from sliding around sideways; I experienced that in a PT Cruiser and didn't like that compared to my Corvette where you get planted and don't have to worry about drifting side to side.

This post convinces me that some folks are so particular that they may never be happy with whatever style seats there in and the icing on the cake was that there were other things he didn't like about the BOLT EV, why get one, even if it is a lease?

 

[flamaest]

This post convinces me that some folks are so particular that they may never be happy

Uhh, NO, the seats just suck.

 

[user 1034]

I really like the seats. Oh well.

 

[SeanNelson]

After. Notice the before--after rise against the right bolster. It's almost gone!

Wow, I would not like that; some folks pay extra for competition seats that feel more sporty and have high bolsters that keep you from sliding around sideways; I experienced that in a PT Cruiser and didn't like that compared to my Corvette where you get planted and don't have to worry about drifting side to side.

The issue in the Bolt is that because the center part of the seat is low you can feel the fore-aft rails on the sides. Imagine a lawn chair:

Now imagine that the two rails on each side are only about 16 inches apart. If the middle of the seat is too low and your hips are too wide, you end up feeling those rails through the bolsters. Raising the middle of the seat eliminates that problem.

 

[jmatero]

My problem isn't really with seat comfort while driving. The big problem for me is getting out of the seat... there seems to be no way to exit the driver's seat without my thigh hitting that hard plastic seat-edge. It's damn painful. Anyone else?

 

[mbepic]

Wow, I would not like that; some folks pay extra for competition seats that feel more sporty and have high bolsters that keep you from sliding around sideways; I experienced that in a PT Cruiser and didn't like that compared to my Corvette where you get planted and don't have to worry about drifting side to side.

The issue in the Bolt is that because the center part of the seat is low you can feel the fore-aft rails on the sides. Imagine a lawn chair:

Now imagine that the two rails on each side are only about 16 inches apart. If the middle of the seat is too low and your hips are too wide, you end up feeling those rails through the bolsters. Raising the middle of the seat eliminates that problem.

I agree that could be a problem for SOME folks; I really don't expect that to be a problem for me as I am 5.9", 167lbs with 32waist.
Don't have a wide bum, so I would expect to sit right down in that so-called hollow and have boltster cushion on either side. Now feeling the plastic frame as you slide out might be another issue. Thanks for that lawn chair example.

 

[michael]

I'm trying to understand the problem a little better. Are the fore-aft rails you're describing at the extreme edge of the seat, or are they somewhat inboard?

In other words, if one's hips are within the margin of the seat would they be immune to this problem? Or is the problem well inside the margins of the seat??

 

[iletric]

my VIN will be 56421, built about 2 weeks ago.

Don't want to burst your bubble, but your seat will be the same as the "early" that is 3-5 months ago production seats.

They would have to produce new manufacturing molds and perhaps even change the type of foam they blow into them for the seat to be any different. That is not in the cards. It's too much to ask for of a 100-year old grandma GM. As I said, unless people are dying, nothing will make them do it, not even limited bad publicity.

Try to sit in LT first to feel how bad the seats are, then try your Premier leathers, which are better. As an aside, I would NEVER lease the LT I test-drove. Those seats were not doable by a long stretch. They were insanely bad. Someone screwed up, period.

 

[boltage]

Wow, I would not like that; some folks pay extra for competition seats that feel more sporty and have high bolsters that keep you from sliding around sideways; I experienced that in a PT Cruiser and didn't like that compared to my Corvette where you get planted and don't have to worry about drifting side to side.

The issue in the Bolt is that because the center part of the seat is low you can feel the fore-aft rails on the sides. Imagine a lawn chair:

Now imagine that the two rails on each side are only about 16 inches apart. If the middle of the seat is too low and your hips are too wide, you end up feeling those rails through the bolsters. Raising the middle of the seat eliminates that problem.

I did not write the quote with the PT Cruiser and Corvette reference.

A better analogous example would be the Ford Fiesta ST optional Recaro seat:

This seat is very much made for sporty driving, with the middle of the seat lower than the large side bolsters. Since the Fiesta is a narrow car, the seats are relatively narrow to fit in it. Those who fit in the seats and like sporty driving are likely to like the seats. Those who are too wide to fit between the bolsters will probably complain a lot. However, this seat is an option on the Fiesta ST; presumably the non-Recaro seats have smaller softer bolsters to accommodate wider people (the Fiesta non-ST seats have smaller softer bolsters and are less sporty than they may look at first glance).

Now, it is probably a mistake from a sales perspective for the standard seat to be a relatively narrow sporty seat, even though some people find that desirable, since people wider than the seat will not find it comfortable.

 

[boltage]

I agree that could be a problem for SOME folks; I really don't expect that to be a problem for me as I am 5.9", 167lbs with 32waist.
Don't have a wide bum, so I would expect to sit right down in that so-called hollow and have boltster cushion on either side. Now feeling the plastic frame as you slide out might be another issue. Thanks for that lawn chair example.

You are more likely to find the large firm side bolsters to be a non-problem (or desirable if you like sporty driving) than those who are wider and do not fit between them.