Member Since: 06 Nov 2016
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 45
Second row seats in 2013 commercial
Is there an advantage to fitting folding bench style seats as opposed to standard second row seats as removed from a non commercial.
Standard seats have more folding flexibility and at £1000 ish for a row of 3 xs spec the prices seems equivalent
Any advice from those having fitted?
12th Aug 2018 10:23 am
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10365
If you are a tall chap I would go for the 60/40 split. Although I'm not familiar with the commercial
12th Aug 2018 11:47 am
Erea
Member Since: 19 Mar 2012
Location: Munster
Posts: 1509
I could be very wrong here, but is there something about when fitting second row seats to a commercial in the UK that you are not supposed to use genuine seats? Hence the use of bench seats.
12th Aug 2018 5:58 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72787
And second hand genuine seats should be way less than £1,000 on fleabay. ISTR I sold pristine middle & rear seats, with covers, for just over £300.
12th Aug 2018 6:00 pm
Pete K
Member Since: 15 Jan 2016
Location: GL
Posts: 10365
Even brought the seats back did you?
12th Aug 2018 6:21 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72787
No, they were already out and stored at home. Luckily. Made sure I brought the load deck back though, now installed in the D4, whose seats are now stored for when I chop her. Hopefully.
12th Aug 2018 6:28 pm
chugga90
Member Since: 13 Aug 2014
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 434
I believe the issue is VAT.
If you have reclaimed the vat, you are supposed to fit one of the conversion type seats.
There is also the road fund license issue.
A friend has the conversion type seat, which is not comfortable.
One of mine has genuine Land Rover seats, very nice and comfortable.
Getting the fixings put in my special vehicles is a hateful task!
Prices do vary, I think your suggested figure is top end of the budget.Discovery commercial tdv6 auto 2013
Volkswagen t6 lwb Kombi dsg 4motion 2018
Volkswagen t5.1 lwb single cab tipper 2013
Discovery commercial sdv6 auto 2014 gone and not really missed.
Range Rover Tdv8 gone
Freelander 2 I6 very sadly gone
VW t5 Dsg gone and missed
12th Aug 2018 7:08 pm
Trebro
Member Since: 06 Nov 2016
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 45
[quote="chugga90"]
A friend has the conversion type seat, which is not comfortable.
One of mine has genuine Land Rover seats, very nice and comfortable.
Getting the fixings put in my special vehicles is a hateful task!
its the practical issue of fixing them in that concerns me most. is it fairly straightforward or as suspected a pig of a job to do?
13th Aug 2018 9:47 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72787
For genuine seats, aren’t the holes for the seats already there? There’s no difference between the commercial body shell and normal one. Unless they’ve gunked them up. Should just need the latching bar (no idea re proper name) as below.
Click image to enlarge
13th Aug 2018 9:52 am
chugga90
Member Since: 13 Aug 2014
Location: Buckinghamshire
Posts: 434
Yes all the threaded holes are there.
However to get the relevant status to be a commercial the holes have a bolt which only allows driving it one way. In!
To remove you either need to cut a slot in the head and use a chisel and spanner to remove, weld a nut on the head and unbolt, drift them out with chisel and hammer. Not had any luck with holes in head and using stud removal tool!
Achieve able but not much fun.
Took me two and a half hours to shift most of them last Friday evening.
Good luck.Discovery commercial tdv6 auto 2013
Volkswagen t6 lwb Kombi dsg 4motion 2018
Volkswagen t5.1 lwb single cab tipper 2013
Discovery commercial sdv6 auto 2014 gone and not really missed.
Range Rover Tdv8 gone
Freelander 2 I6 very sadly gone
VW t5 Dsg gone and missed
13th Aug 2018 5:23 pm
Trebro
Member Since: 06 Nov 2016
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 45
thanks chugga
couldn't just be simple could it?
13th Aug 2018 6:50 pm
cobby
Member Since: 05 Aug 2018
Location: Oxfordshire
Posts: 226
Is there not an insurance issue here as well ?
13th Aug 2018 9:06 pm
LiftedDisco
Member Since: 10 Jun 2010
Location: Towcester
Posts: 997
Oh my sainted Aunt...
Here we go again - a Commercial has significant VAT benefits, along with BIK rates if used as a company car and reverse engineering the vehicle to be ‘almost JLR spec’ opens the floodgates to suggestions of tax avoidance and so on...
Bench seats, as you describe them, are typically provided as part of an approved N1 conversion - much the same as we have our crew vans converted for occasional use... we get a full certificate of conformance which is then passed to our Insurers to keep everything legal and above board.
As for comfort, the seats in the D4 (and now in the D5) are intended for occasional use only and are perfectly acceptable on that basis - equally, we have done the 1,000 miles across France and into the Pyrenees without any complaints from the rear seats...D4 Commercial - 65 Plate, 2016MY
D5 Commercial - Handed back when I left that job…
D4 Commercial (2014MY) - gone
D4 Commercial SDV6 - Baltic Blue (also gone)
D1 300TDi... 2" lift, HD bumpers (both), detachable tow hitch, 9,500lb winch, 235/85/16 muds and plenty of other toys (gone to make way for the next toy...)
Smiles per Mile - Tornado Motorsports caged Evo 3... 100" Defender look-alike, with Range Rover running gear - all fully IVA'd and registered!
13th Aug 2018 9:41 pm
Trebro
Member Since: 06 Nov 2016
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 45
i don't think the type of rear seat has any implication on VAT. I appreciate it may affect company car tax and road tax.
I have a 2014 d4 hse which is a pool vehicle within my company, this i bought secondhand, claimed the vat back (as did obviously the first owner). i also run 130 and 110 double cabs all with second row seats, Its not the number of seats that matter, its the use of the vehicle. JLR dealers often have d4's for sale with a vat element included in the screen price.
14th Aug 2018 3:51 pm
LiftedDisco
Member Since: 10 Jun 2010
Location: Towcester
Posts: 997
There’s a vast difference - a Discovery Commercial leaves the factory as a N1 category vehicle with no seats and the VAT benefits attached to this style of vehicle - a 110 or 130 Double Cab will have seats fitted in the factory and yet is still deemed to be a commercial owing to carrying capacity with the seats (and cab) in place and therefore there is no conflict in using the factory fitted seats.
Adding seats to a Discovery Commercial walks a fine line of acceptability - using the after-market seats (if using Atlantech seats, they also come with a Certificate of N1 Compliance) keeps within the spirit of the VAT-refundable commercial status whereas using car seats smacks of re-engineering the original car...
Sorry to disagree...D4 Commercial - 65 Plate, 2016MY
D5 Commercial - Handed back when I left that job…
D4 Commercial (2014MY) - gone
D4 Commercial SDV6 - Baltic Blue (also gone)
D1 300TDi... 2" lift, HD bumpers (both), detachable tow hitch, 9,500lb winch, 235/85/16 muds and plenty of other toys (gone to make way for the next toy...)
Smiles per Mile - Tornado Motorsports caged Evo 3... 100" Defender look-alike, with Range Rover running gear - all fully IVA'd and registered!
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