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1 Series Lumbar Support Retro Fit

37K views 40 replies 28 participants last post by  matty0752 
#1 ·
I have had lumbar support on a few cars and personally I do think its a worthwhile addition to any car, especially if you get out aching after a longish drive. This isn't a complete cure to the soft seat backs in the M-sport seats, as the seats wire frame is still pretty soft. However it helps to add another level of support to make the seat feel more firm in the lower back area and a worthwhile mod imo. I don't know if all 1 Series have the same seat backs or configuration for removal, so just in case this is for a 2010 E87 M sport seats.

My last car didn't have it so I bought this from Corbeau " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and pinched it back out of the car before i sold it. :wink:

All you need is 1 lumbar support.
Some trim removal tools and pliers.
Cable ties.

See pics below.

Corbeau Lumbar support



The seat back is held in with 2x3cm long plastic trim studs/pins at the base which are very secure. So i used trim tools and pliers.





Once you remove the Studs/pins the hard seat backs pull down and away. Again this requires a little force to pull away at the mid point, and then the seat back simply slides down to allow the upper retaining tabs to come free from the seat back. So away at the base, pull away in the middle with some force, then slide it down to clear the 2 large top tabs.



You can see the pipe work for the side bolsters which are operated via the seat switch.



On the right I unclipped a portion of the seat liner so I could neatly thread the lumbar bag into place behind the wire supportive frame. I loosely cable tied the support into place so it can move and expand..







Cable ties in place and finally clipped the liner back in place. The hard seat back fitting is reverse of what you did at the start. I didn't break the 3cm studs but they aren't exspensive from BMW i'm sure/hope...





Finished and lumbar support neatly in the gap by the driver. JD
 
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#28 ·
Legjt said:
I had one of these but it just never worked quite right for my back. I only used it for about a month and took it out. Having a clear out so I'm now selling it. It's as good as new. It cost me £45.60 in total inc packaging when I bought it but I'll take £30 and ship it to you for free.

I've advertised on eBay here:

Thanks
Sam
Do you still have this for sale I could be interested
 
#32 ·
Have lumbar suppport on the RR Evo and it is something I would spec. It's like the aussies say you never miss your water until you haven't got it.
 
#33 ·
Just picked up my new M140 Shadow Edition - I went for a stock car in the end which was fully loaded, am loving the car so far but I am starting to miss not having lumbar support. It would have been a no brainer option if I was ordering from new...so can someone clarify what the retrofit options are for a 1 series with electric / heated seats? The original post here is 5 years ago and the part is no longer available. I have seen other posts talking about various parts (expensive!) to install the OEM version.....is that the best option? Thanks all.
 
#35 ·
riccie_120i said:
Sounds and seems simple really? they all inflate at the same time?

Any views on this approach?
What happens if they inflate with different pressures? You could end up with a fully inflated lumbar and basically zero bolster inflation? Or vice versa?

And if you lent on the lumbar, wouldn't the air just rush into the bolsters??
 
#36 ·
marco_polo said:
riccie_120i said:
Sounds and seems simple really? they all inflate at the same time?

Any views on this approach?
What happens if they inflate with different pressures? You could end up with a fully inflated lumbar and basically zero bolster inflation? Or vice versa?

And if you lent on the lumbar, wouldn't the air just rush into the bolsters??
that's the kind of input I am looking for. But then again, if I lean on the right side bolster the air doesnt rush through to the left..
Agree, not having ability to set them independently might cause comfort issues..
 
#37 ·
riccie_120i said:
I am toying with the idea of trying some thing like this. Because I already have the side bolsters fitted with the air pump, I am thinking could I take the Corbeau lumbar support and tap the pump into this and run both off the same pump?

Sounds and seems simple really? they all inflate at the same time?

Any views on this approach?
I've just put lumbar support in mine today. I've taken a fair few photos whilst doing it to replace the broken links here so you'll have something to look at. I used a similar product to your link only it was a three chamber rather than single. I don't think the extra hassle of plumbing in to the pump is worth it unless you've got different people driving it all the time.
I got the hand pump and cable tied it up out of the way under the seat, set the inflation I wanted and that's that.
Shouldn't need to mess with it really and if I do it's a two second job to pump it up.
The difference it's made is tremendous by the way. I only really noticed the lack of support in the seat after driving 5 hours back from London, but it took way less to realise how comfortable they can be.
 
#38 ·
The oem electric lumbar kit i retro fitted in my 130 is one of best mods ive done especially on long trips, i tend to just leave it with lower bag quite well inflated which gives much improved lower back support, on long journeys its nice to alter it slightly which helps stop back pain ive suffered without the lumbar on previous 1series, was a lucky find on ebay mine which was a complete kit for bth seats including all bags, pump, wiring and switches etc:D
 
#39 ·
Just found this thread whilst doing a search.
I just wanted to share the lumber mod I did for my f30 with comfort seats. I used air wedges from amazon instead of the one listed in the thread. £10.99 for two. I had to buy a metre length of 8mm silicon pipe as the provided pipe is only 10cm.

Seat with back removed


The air wedges I purchased from Amazon

The air wedges fitted

The air wedges inflated

The air pumps pipes were secured with zip ties. I've left the lower pipe zip ties with long tags for easy identification.
I've used it for a few days and it seems very comfortable. It's surprising how little air is required to make a difference which is why it's much better than a foam support.
It's a really easy mod that can make a difference to comfort on long journeys.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#40 ·
Another quick update to the lumbar mod. I ordered the same single cell support as everyone else on this thread and fixed that as the lower back support. I also used a plastic file as suggested by others to protect the lumbar pad.
Instead of wasting the the air wedges, I've used those as bolster supports so in-effect making my own sport seat from a comfort seat. See photos.


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