"I asked the dealer and Infiniti to make a small modification to the frame -- just bend out and move the control a half inch out. Wouldn't do though, as they are tampering with the structural integretity of a safety item."

I have read on at least one forum that a dealer did bend the metal frame outward just a 1/2 or so, and that guy said it made a huge difference for him. As far as the TSB, it is #03018 and they actually remove a part of the plastic seat control bracket and add the padding. In my case it helped some, but it is still far from ideal, especially considering the Cost and the Market Niche that Infiniti is seeking.

I agree with you in that I think the seat control bracket is pressing and possibly damaging the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve in some people. Do a search for that on Google, I think you will see what I mean.

http://uscneurosurgery.com/glossary/...us%20nerve.htm

It is also irritating to me when people ask if you didn't test drive the car, or are you huge. This problem doesn't affect many until they spend 45 minutes to an hour in the seat, and often not until the seat has broken in some. As far as size/weight, it has been documented that some large people have no problem with the seats and some small folks DO have the problem. The reverse is also true. What is more telling is that not ONE of these people has ever described having a similar problem in ANY OTHER car they have owned or driven! I know I certainly haven't and I have driven many different vehicles over my 28 years as a licensed driver. Not once have I had ANY seating problem in ANY other car!

It is simply a POOR design to have ANYTHING hard ANYWHERE on a SEATING SURFACE! Infiniti should have known better.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000401/2109_f2b.jpg

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by GeeSpot on 09/25/03 08:19 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Hey! I'm a newbie with a '04 DG Sedan. This site has been a wealth of information for me. I only wish I found it before picking up my G last Friday.
During the test drive the seat didn't bother me at all. But, then again I drove for a matter of ten minutes and who's gonna hit some hard twisties with a sales person in the car? Now that I have 300+ miles on the car I am really having problems with the seat.
I suffer from chronic sciatica and stopped carrying my wallet in my back pocket years ago. First my thigh started hurting so I dropped the front of the seat down and adjusted my seating position. By adjusting how I sat in the car I ended up sitting with my back not straight. Now when I drive I get the pains down my right leg. Now that I have the car what the hell can I do? Maybe the Rocaro seats, but I don't want to dump more $$$ into the car. I'm taking it in on Monday for the seat TSB and will ask them to bend out the frame a half inch. If that doesn't work I'm screwed. GeeSpot's right-it's a terrible design. I will post the results of the TSB.
BTW-I'm 6' and around 210.

 

I guess you have the coupe? The sedan seats are not
as nice as the coupe's. Certaintly not more comfortable.
The leather is a lower quality.

2003 Twilight Blue 5AT Sedan, sunroof,
Graphite Leather, splashguards,
GG/DB red 12 wire Hyper-grounding kit,
350Z intake duct, Stillen Hi-Flow Airbox

 

I can only tell you what I have read about aftermarket seats. One guy said Recaro had a fit but they do NOT make Infiniti brackets - so custom brackets were gonna add a LOT of $$$$ to the already expensive Recaros. Also, there are airbags inside the G35 seats that are hooked into the ECU system, so even if you get brackets and seats at $$$$ you will have to find someone who can figure out how to bypass the ECU or whatever controls the airbag saftey systems.

What MAY be a fix(but I'm chicken to try it first), is to remove the seat covers and unbolt and move the entire power seat control module to a new location - like mounting it on the hard plastic area on the lower seatfront. Possible problems include the length of the seat control wiring harness(is it long enough to do this?), pathway for the wiring(will it be clear of the mechanisms that move the seat?), what will the leather/seat look like on that side with the power controls removed, and possibly voiding the warranty on the power/heated seats.

Does some brave soul who has some mechanical and electronic ability want to try this? If you do, PLEASE, PLEASE take photos along the way and post them. If anyone else finds a good solution please post it here - BTW, I saw several Diamond Graphite sedans at the dealership today - They look great!

Thanks, GeeSpot

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by GeeSpot on 09/25/03 12:23 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Okay guys, here is where I am since I first posted this thread. I called Infiniti Consumer affairs again to file another complaint, I got the usual run around and three days later they responded, "We acknowledge the issue, but can not make any modifications due to the fact that they may affect the intended use". I argued, that the intended use of a seat is to sit in and be comfortable. The girl simply restated here scripted response and said I should contact the dealer to try to sell it at the retail level, as Infiniti will not buy back the car. So hitting this dead end I decided to take matters into my own hands and removed the seat from the car and the leather cover and padding from the chassis, used a Dremel tool to remove two sadistic metal brackets an rerouted the cable. I left the forward most bracket in place, bent outboard a little, this is the only point where the seat control is now connected. It made a major difference; I went for a 15 minute ride and immediately noticed a marked improvement. Since I still have pain from driving the car during the previous work week it will be a few days before I can confirm 100% that the issue is resolved. See the included pictures of the surgery, with before and after surgery results. You will notice some foam wrapped around the control brackets, that was part of the TSB what a joke. This process took about 2 hours

 

Here is the Picture



109954-Beforeafter.jpg

 

Excellent job Mark

The seat was also bothering me a lot, but since I either got used to it or the brackets broke off or something inside the seat.

Have to check it out like you did. Any more details youc an offer on the seat removal?

Gurgen

2003.0 G35S 5AT Aero/Sport
<font color=blue>TS ECU tuned for mods</font color=blue>
Injen CAI
Crawford Plenum
Crawford High-Flow Cats
Fujitsubo Y-pipe/22" Magnaflow Resonator
Eibach Pro Kit

 

Are you sure it is the seat? I'm 5'-10", 160# and the seats are good for several hours of freeway. The only improvement I would make to the seats is to use firmer padding in the seat cushion, al a VW and BMW. I did have to modify the foot rest as it was too far away to be comfortable. I prefer to have my left foot on the rest but it was causing me to stretch my leg and twist my spine. I made an aluminum foot rest extension that bolts to the top of the stock footrest. It effectively makes the rest 1-3/4"higher and closer to the center of the car. Much better! Now I can sit straight, my left knee no longer aches, and my lower back no longer hurts.

I have not had any discomfort due to the location of the seat adjustment switches and I have a wide rear.

Just a suggestion.

BTW, http://www.nismo.co.jp/ offers a sports seat for the V(G)35 which sure looks like a Recaro. I think the P/Ns are 8700R-RS050 and 8700L-RS050.


<font color=blue>Dan</font color=blue>

 

It was simple, remove the platic seat skirt with memory buttons, 4 anchor bolts, a few conectors and the seat comes out. Just be careful as the seat is fairly heavy and there are some sharp edges which scratched some of the platic panels on the cars interior as I removed the seat. I recommend that you protect the panels with old newspaper or blankets.

 

Thanks for the pics. I am now considering doing the same thing. Is there any problem working the seat controls now? Do they move around, or stay in place?

Mark
2003 G35s TB/Willow/Signal Mirrors/Tint/Ground
1997 Maxima

 

Yes the switches work fine. The only issue is that the switch bank is only attached at one point and loose at the other. But I believe the benefit of no pain will out weigh the aesthetic issue. I have tried to attach it with carpet tape but no luck so far. I am considering taking the seat out again and using some flat thin fastener to connect the switch bank to the inside of the leather seat cover. I am considering using a shoelace, I can knot it on both ends and it will be undetectable.

 

G35Mark,
Great post, and thanks for the documentation! I will do this ASAP! My right leg is killing me. Did it look possible to just bend the brackets out to move the switch bank out a 1/2"? Or create a new bracket with the stock bolt mounts which just moves the switch bank out? I'd like more than one bolt holding it on.

This car is the best in its class when you include value in the equation -- its just too bad they achieved value by not testing this seat outside Japan where everybody is not 5'5" and 130lbs with the same hip/thigh width.

 

And to be honest, the seat was the biggest reason that I'm going to be ordering a 325i. I *love* the extra power of the G35... really sweet and there is a *big* power gap to the 325i (which, however, is still quick enough to get me plenty of speeding tickets).

But the seat... I cannot stand it. And I have a seat that I have hated in my Ford Contour for 85K miles, so I do not want another one. Plus, the 325 sport seats fit me perfectly.

I considered the Recaro option, even though it would've been expensive. But it just didn't seem like a "turnkey" solution right now with the drawbacks another poster mentioned.

I hate for one thing to doom the G35 from my list, but with a seat, I cannot compromise. I'm glad some of you are finding solutions to the problem, but I'm not willing to "buy into" the problem which my butt already identified on test drives.

Too bad, because otherwise I liked the G. Maybe Infiniti can just pirate Toyota's supplier for the IS300 and use those front seats. They're not bad at all, and much better than the G's.

If you're in control, you're not driving fast enough -- Parnelli Jones

 

g35mark - excellent! What you have done yourself is what the "real" seat comfort TSB should have been from the begining!

You should consider sending your modification details to an Infiniti Engineer (possibly thru your Infiniti Service Department?). Maybe they will see the light and fix the crappy design choice they made in future G35s as well as release a new TSB.

Please keep us informed as to how you modifications holds up to the test of time :-)

2003.5 G35S/DesertPlatinum/Premium/SportTuned/Willow