lumbar support - bar seems to lack much padding?

[tomp]

Hi all,

Just receive my MS on Friday, and super excited!! It's an amazing car, a true game changer. We took it on a short road trip this weekend (~2-2.5hr driving time both Sat and Sun).

I found that the lumbar support rod seemed poorly padded and I felt like I was leaning against a metal rod wrapped in a thin padding. Have others had this experience?

Any suggestions on what to do?

Thanks!

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Hmmm, no I haven't felt like that at all, and I've had mine for a long time now. Maybe a mistake in the seat construction line and someone forgot a pad? If you've got a service center or showroom nearby, maybe go give another car a quick sit to compare.

 

[jerry33]

I've never felt that either in almost 20K miles. EarlyAdopter is right, go get the seat checked.

 

[stevezzzz]

I've got my lumbar support adjusted fully forward and it seems adequately padded: I never give it a second thought and I have 23K miles in the driver's seat of my S.

 

[tomp]

THanks very much everyone. I'll ask and sit in another car to compare.

 

[rogbmw]

THanks very much everyone. I'll ask and sit in another car to compare.

Remember, you can move the support up and down as well as in and out. This does make a difference. 11.5K miles on mile and love it.

 

[tomp]

Yeah, I was experimenting with the settings, including up/down. I basically found I had to have it all or most of the way recessed as otherwise I felt like I had a bar in my back.

Remember, you can move the support up and down as well as in and out. This does make a difference. 11.5K miles on mile and love it.

 

[Twoeagle]

Could it be the new and improved seats are different? Produced from mid february afaik?

 

[darthvdr]

No issues here and I'm a little heavy set.

 

[jerry33]

Could it be the new and improved seats are different? Produced from mid february afaik?

My car was produced Feb 2013 and no problem with the lumbar support.

 

[landover]

My car was produced Feb 2013 and no problem with the lumbar support.

They just change the seats early this year, 2014. I hope mine does not come like this.

 

[yobigd20]

I have DESPISED the lumbar support in my MS. Built March `13 and it REALLY HURTs on my back. I confirm that yes it feels very hard. I don't know how anyone can use it. I have it recessed as far as possible to minimize the pain from it. The seats are still uncomfortable though in general but yes the lumbar is definitely the worst I've seen in any car. If the lumbar is extended in any way in any position, its enough to set my back out of whack and in pain for a good day or two and it hurts to move or even get in and out of bed. This isn't me joking or exaggerating or being sarcastic like I am usually either. I genuinely hate the lumbar support and very much dislike the comfort of the seating.

 

[matbl]

They just change the seats early this year, 2014. I hope mine does not come like this.

Huh? In what way?

 

[J1mbo]

Elon stated last year that the seats are being changed. Something about the original cushion being too firm. You sit deeper into the new seats. He mentioned retrofit availability eventually. Wouldn't have thought that affected the lumbar tho?

 

[SBerg]

Car built 8/13 and no problems here. Yobig has performance seats, would that make any difference?

 

[Gizmotoy]

Huh? In what way?

If true, none that are easily noticeable. I have one 2013 seat and one 2014 seat due to a bad rattle/squeak in my driver's seat, and had no idea there was a difference. May explain why I had a long wait for the replacement, though, if they were in the middle of revising them.

 

[tomp]

So I went and sat in a couple of other cars, and the service center checked out my seat. The other seats felt similar to mine, and the technicians didn't note anything abnormal with my seat. I concluded that I just need to find the right settings for the seat for me.
Thanks!

 

[NickM]

Like others in this thread, I find the lumbar support in my new MS to be fairly uncomfortable on most settings. My back often feels painful and sore for a while after I take a longer trip, and I find myself constantly adjusting the settings to try and make it feel better. I have some prior back issues, although nothing major, but that could be related. However my last car was an old cheap subcompact that had no real lumbar support in the seat at all, and yet that actually seemed pretty comfortable to me. If I set the MS lumbar all the way back so it doesn't stick out too much, then it's okay...ish.

That said, there is hope! I watched the video for the last shareholder meeting and Elon actually mentioned something about this. I don't recall his exact words or where it was in the video, but he mentioned something about there still being room for improvement in seat comfort, and he said something about the lumbar support being too far forward. Perhaps they will offer some sort of adjustment or retrofit in the future. I'm hoping they make it cheap or free, because the seats right now are definitely a problem for me. Everything else in the car is fantastic, so it's disappointing to have such a glaring flaw like this. I thought it might just be me, but finding others with the same problem (especially other people who also just got their car in the last few months) seems worrying :frown:

 

[tomp]

I eventually found a position that is pretty good. I would not say it is optimal, but I can't really complain. It did take a good bit of fiddling. The downside of all the adjustments is that it takes longer to get them all just right!!

 

[NickM]

I eventually found a position that is pretty good. I would not say it is optimal, but I can't really complain. It did take a good bit of fiddling. The downside of all the adjustments is that it takes longer to get them all just right!!

Good to hear. I'll keep fiddling with it and maybe I'll get used to it. Did you end up setting the lumbar all the way back? This might lend credence to the idea that the lumbar pushes out too far forward in the current seats.