I would be interested to know whether any owners have suffered problems, whether just inability to get a comfortable driving position or indeed does anyone think they have suffered back/neck pains/stiffness from the Disco's seats?, as I have noticed that the seats are forcing drivers (& indeed passengers) to adopt a slouched or hunched up position.
This seems (at least on my HSE and I have yet to check whether other models are different) to be due to 2 factors:- (a) the lower lumbar shaping (even with adjustable lumbar support) causes the back to curve outwards rather than the correct posture of an "S" shape and (b) the headrest is fixed so as to force the head/neck forward (unlike in the D2, RR, RRS etc).
I have experimented by adding extra lumbar support (an old sweater!!) and sure enough the drivers position then conforms with the correct anatomical posture, but the headrest then physically forces the neck forward putting strains on the neck! It seems that it is therefore physically impossible to get a correct seating posture for the back/shoulders/neck.
Could anyone who has encountered problems, also detail the build date & model involved plus an indication of the height & build of the driver, to determine if this only affects certain models/builds (in case seat design was changed at any point?) or indeed certain driver sizes
I'm 5' 11'', 'average' build and have the same issues with the manual seat on my S. Can't normally get comfortable, lumbar support is next to useless and yes the headrest tends force me forward and down the seat so I often have to push myself back up again. Height adjustment on the manual seats only operates on the rear of the seat which is annoying too.The End
Last edited by Slimer on 14th Nov 2006 11:19 am. Edited 1 time in total
14th Nov 2006 10:04 am
mach1
Member Since: 24 Jun 2006
Location: SE London
Posts: 65
Interesting timing, I've just got off the phone to the osteopath.
I have a pre-existing back condition from an accident years ago so I suppose I've always been a bit careful. The old D2 seats were excellent, and I could literally drive all day and get out without any problems and on the face of it the D3's seats should be better because of the extra adjustment. Since I've had the D3 (just over a month) I've had 2 severe bouts of back pain which might be coincidence but it would be interesting to hear other people experiences.
Edited to add: I'm 6'4" and 15 stone if that makes any difference.
14th Nov 2006 10:32 am
Alex E Holy Bratwurst!
Member Since: 22 Mar 2006
Location: Club Tropicana (the drink's aren't free)
Posts: 869
i'm amused, i work with the guy who lead the team who designed the front seats for the D3, it took 6 of them over a year to design them!
he now designs oak frame houses under my supervision,
i'll just go and remind him he's an idiot.
I'm Powered by........Diesel
14th Nov 2006 11:10 am
PSC
Member Since: 01 May 2006
Location: Johannesburg
Posts: 255
Alex E wrote:
i'm amused, i work with the guy who lead the team who designed the front seats for the D3, it took 6 of them over a year to design them!
Ahh that explains a lot. Maybe they should stick to broth ...
Without being a "spoil sport" , could we keep this Thread on track please (Martin - can you delete non-relevant postings please?), as I think, especially bearing in mind Slimer & Mach1's responses that there is potentially a very serious issue here.
If indeed there were to be a design problem that causes potential medical/back problems, then LR/Ford may have their biggest/most expensive issue yet with this model as there could be substantial claims from anyone affected.
Thanks
14th Nov 2006 11:46 am
Pelyma
Member Since: 06 Jan 2005
Location: Patching, Sussex
Posts: 15496
Sorry but I find the HSE seats great, but I'm 5'4"DS3 TDV6 HSE - Silver with Alpaca (old one) Gone
DS3 TDV6 HSE- Silver with Alpaca (new one) Gone
D4 HSE Lux - Montalcino Red Gone
Porsche Cayenne V8 Diesel S
Should have said that although I think my S seats are poor I feel fine after a long journey. 6' tallZermatt silver 06 reg.
Gone but not forgotten !!!
14th Nov 2006 11:58 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72796
6ft tall & did 1050 miles in one day. Felt fine during and after that trip.
14th Nov 2006 12:14 pm
al cope
Member Since: 08 Nov 2005
Location: Oldbury, WM
Posts: 10299
Had my D3 for exactly a year now, and I still cant get comfy. Its an S model, and I've had the sinking drivers seat issue, to the point that I now dont bother trying to raise it. I'm 6'4", 17st, and I get pain from my right leg as I cant get the seat to pedal position correct. I dont get any issue from the headrest, but I always feel like I'm sliding down the seat. I've had the dealer look at it not long after purchase, and apart from checking seat mechanisms, nothing was/could be done. Dealer suggested escalation to LR, duly done, with no effect whatsoever.
Like you D2 seating position was perfect.
AlanVolvo XC90 B5 Plus Dark
Gone - MY18 D5 HSE - Corris on 22's with Black Pack
Now gone - MY16 D4 SE Tech, Loire Blue, Almond Leather, Privacy, plus some other goodies.
Old - MY12 D4 SDV6 XS Auto - Ipanema Sand with Almond Leather - Plus other niceties, and D4.com sticker
Older - D3 TDV6 XS Auto - Lugano Teal with Almond Leather, 20" Stormers, Shiny Tailpipes, DVD/TV - and obligatory D3 sticker
Ancient - D3 TDV6 S - Tonga with Ebony, 20" Stormers, satnav & DVD
14th Nov 2006 12:28 pm
nobbyclark
Member Since: 03 May 2005
Location: Perth, Scotland
Posts: 1268
Poor seat design was cited as one of the major gripes when the D3 came out, especially the manual seats.
I used to get a really sore neck after a couple of hours of driving my S, to the point where I dreaded doing a long trip. This never happened in my old TDi ES with electric, leather seats. I'm 6'3 and 14(ish) stone.
However, I now don't get any pains, despite spending up to 10 hours a day in the car sometimes. I suspect my body has adapted to the shape of the seat, which may not be a good thing in the long run.No longer a D3 owner but still subscribed to multiple threads!
14th Nov 2006 2:08 pm
Alex E Holy Bratwurst!
Member Since: 22 Mar 2006
Location: Club Tropicana (the drink's aren't free)
Posts: 869
when we drove back form morocco we only stopped for fuel and 1 breakfast, this was 37 hours and i felt fine, no pain at all, i'm sure the other boys would tell you the same as i didn't hear anyone complaining. although i forget things easily, what was this topic about anyway? I'm Powered by........Diesel
14th Nov 2006 2:12 pm
10forcash
Member Since: 09 Jun 2005
Location: Ubique
Posts: 16534
Second that (whatever it was ) no problems at all with the seats... maybe there's something wrong with mine?
14th Nov 2006 2:58 pm
Mossy
Member Since: 01 Jul 2005
Location: Hollyoaks, UK
Posts: 2682
No problems here and I'm pretty normal in most respects. Must admit, I did fiddle about a bit before finding a comfy position when first took delivery but have to say it's never caused me problems.D3 HSE V8...
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
