Swivel seats?
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Hi tcp, welcome to the Metris forums. It looks like you and I are first on the ground here.
To answer your question, I doubt Mercedes Vans will have that option available, at least from the beginning. One could always retrofit it later, although I'm sure the cost will be significant (I'd estimate $2k-$4k).
The Metris order guide was recently made available to dealers -- if someone could post the ordering guide for all of us, then we will know for sure.
To answer your question, I doubt Mercedes Vans will have that option available, at least from the beginning. One could always retrofit it later, although I'm sure the cost will be significant (I'd estimate $2k-$4k).
The Metris order guide was recently made available to dealers -- if someone could post the ordering guide for all of us, then we will know for sure.
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I'm not sure. None of the stock euro photos I went through showed the front passenger chair swivelled around. The first row of rear seating yes....
http://www.metrisforum.com/forum/393-interior-shelving/945-versatile-seating.html
http://www.netcarshow.com/mercedes-benz/2015-v-class/
http://www.metrisforum.com/forum/393-interior-shelving/945-versatile-seating.html
http://www.netcarshow.com/mercedes-benz/2015-v-class/
Rather than a V-Class or Vito feature, I believe the swivel seats are exclusive to the Marco Polo version. Here's a picture of a 2016 Marco Polo with the driver's swivel seat:
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Indeed and if they get into camping upfits at the dealer level it will be available. But NA dealers have typically shied away from that and left the responsibility to aftermarket companies. Maybe Winnebago will do one...Rather than a V-Class or Vito feature, I believe the swivel seats are exclusive to the Marco Polo version. Here's a picture of a 2016 Marco Polo with the driver's swivel seat:
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Looks like this thread was started before anyone had their vans yet. Has anyone been able to add swivel bases to their captains chairs at this point? I really want both of mine to have them. I saw swivel plates on the German Reimo site, but not sure if they are compatible with US-spec bases. They are also non TÜV-approved for some reason, if that really does make a difference in safety.
I was speaking with a local upfitter that works mainly on Sprinters. He speculated that the after marker swivel for Sprinter seats might work in a Metris....
Swivel Seat Base Installed in 2016 Metris
I ordered the 2007+ Sprinter swivel from swivelsrus.com. After drilling an additional 6 holes in this thing it is properly mounted on the driver's seat base of my 2016 Metris.
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Do I recommend this solution? Well, if you are over 5' 10" tall, you won't be very pleased with this because it adds 2.25" to the seat height. Other than that, it is a workable solution until the Metris-specific swivels are available in the U.S.
PROS
- After mods, it attaches securely and can do the job
- Wiring for seat can pass through the center of this swivel easily
- Aft-facing seat position stays in place well (though does not lock) and is pretty comfortable
CONS
- Expensive ($340 shipped)
- Fairly Heavy (20 lbs.)
- Adds too much to seat height
- Takes multiple hours and much patience to adapt to the Metris
- Swiveling 180 deg requires multiple steps/adjustments to seat position and can't be done from seated position
- Swivel action not very smooth
- No swivel position lock except for facing front
I can provide more details on the req'd mods for this thing if anyone is interested.
-Steve
I got tired of waiting for a Metris-specific swivel seat base to appear in the U.S. so I took a chance and ordered one designed for Sprinters, knowing it might need a few mods or that it might not work at all.
I ordered the 2007+ Sprinter swivel from swivelsrus.com. After drilling an additional 6 holes in this thing it is properly mounted on the driver's seat base of my 2016 Metris.
Do I recommend this solution? Well, if you are over 5' 10" tall, you won't be very pleased with this because it adds 2.25" to the seat height. Other than that, it is a workable solution until the Metris-specific swivels are available in the U.S.
PROS
- After mods, it attaches securely and can do the job
- Wiring for seat can pass through the center of this swivel easily
- Aft-facing seat position stays in place well (though does not lock) and is pretty comfortable
CONS
- Expensive ($340 shipped)
- Fairly Heavy (20 lbs.)
- Adds too much to seat height
- Takes multiple hours and much patience to adapt to the Metris
- Swiveling 180 deg requires multiple steps/adjustments to seat position and can't be done from seated position
- Swivel action not very smooth
- No swivel position lock except for facing front
I can provide more details on the req'd mods for this thing if anyone is interested.
-Steve
Here's a slightly better photo of the swivel seat adapter installed.
(For hi-res photo see here: https://flic.kr/p/TZoevQ)
![]()
(For hi-res photo see here: https://flic.kr/p/TZoevQ)
Thank you very much for the thorough rundown and the pictures Steve!
Wow, 2 1/2 inches high is a considerable amount. The European swivel seats all seem to add about 25 mm (1 inch). Which I believe is to comply with EU safety regulations.
Scopema, a French company, makes an offset swivel that is intriguing. Here is a link to their website, which is a bit underwhelming...... http://www.scopema.com/langGB/pdts_RIB.php#top
And their application chart for various models, including the Vito (W638, W639 and W447). http://www.scopema.com/produits/pdf/correspondance_GB-min.pdf
From the few European vendors that I have found that sell the Scopema seat swivels, it arrears to be $300 to $350 per seat for the driver and passenger seats.
I still have not been able to my hands, or eyes, on one of the Sprinter seat swivels....
Wow, 2 1/2 inches high is a considerable amount. The European swivel seats all seem to add about 25 mm (1 inch). Which I believe is to comply with EU safety regulations.
Scopema, a French company, makes an offset swivel that is intriguing. Here is a link to their website, which is a bit underwhelming...... http://www.scopema.com/langGB/pdts_RIB.php#top
And their application chart for various models, including the Vito (W638, W639 and W447). http://www.scopema.com/produits/pdf/correspondance_GB-min.pdf
From the few European vendors that I have found that sell the Scopema seat swivels, it arrears to be $300 to $350 per seat for the driver and passenger seats.
I still have not been able to my hands, or eyes, on one of the Sprinter seat swivels....
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Great Job! would love to see how you modified it. Anxious to do the same!I got tired of waiting for a Metris-specific swivel seat base to appear in the U.S. so I took a chance and ordered one designed for Sprinters, knowing it might need a few mods or that it might not work at all.
I ordered the 2007+ Sprinter swivel from swivelsrus.com. After drilling an additional 6 holes in this thing it is properly mounted on the driver's seat base of my 2016 Metris.
![]()
Do I recommend this solution? Well, if you are over 5' 10" tall, you won't be very pleased with this because it adds 2.25" to the seat height. Other than that, it is a workable solution until the Metris-specific swivels are available in the U.S.
PROS
- After mods, it attaches securely and can do the job
- Wiring for seat can pass through the center of this swivel easily
- Aft-facing seat position stays in place well (though does not lock) and is pretty comfortable
CONS
- Expensive ($340 shipped)
- Fairly Heavy (20 lbs.)
- Adds too much to seat height
- Takes multiple hours and much patience to adapt to the Metris
- Swiveling 180 deg requires multiple steps/adjustments to seat position and can't be done from seated position
- Swivel action not very smooth
- No swivel position lock except for facing front
I can provide more details on the req'd mods for this thing if anyone is interested.
-Steve
Yesterday I installed the RIB swivel plates in my van.
I chose the RIB swivel adapters over the Swivels R Us adapters for the following reasons:
1. While the adapters from Swivels R Us look stout there is no mention of crash testing. Most RIB swivels are TUV certified. The W447 swivels are not yet certified but certification testing is in progress.
2. The RIB adapter assembly is much thinner at 23mm.
3. The RIB adapters have an offset pivot point which is supposed to help with clearance of the doors and b-pillar when rotating.
4. The RIB adapter requires no modification to fit.
My observations:
* These things are heavy, each adapter weights in at 34lbs and is made from 5mm thick steel.
* Installation was very easy, if I hadn't been installing a second battery at the same time I could have done both seats in under 20 minutes.
* Even though the pivot is offset you have to slide the seat forward and back a bit to clear the b-pillar and steering wheel.
* The seats can't be rotated from a seated position, there is almost no clearance between the center console and the seat when rotating.
* The seats only lock in the forward facing position.
* There is very little play (rocking) of the seat after the adapters are installed.
Overall I am happy with the product.
I chose the RIB swivel adapters over the Swivels R Us adapters for the following reasons:
1. While the adapters from Swivels R Us look stout there is no mention of crash testing. Most RIB swivels are TUV certified. The W447 swivels are not yet certified but certification testing is in progress.
2. The RIB adapter assembly is much thinner at 23mm.
3. The RIB adapters have an offset pivot point which is supposed to help with clearance of the doors and b-pillar when rotating.
4. The RIB adapter requires no modification to fit.
My observations:
* These things are heavy, each adapter weights in at 34lbs and is made from 5mm thick steel.
* Installation was very easy, if I hadn't been installing a second battery at the same time I could have done both seats in under 20 minutes.
* Even though the pivot is offset you have to slide the seat forward and back a bit to clear the b-pillar and steering wheel.
* The seats can't be rotated from a seated position, there is almost no clearance between the center console and the seat when rotating.
* The seats only lock in the forward facing position.
* There is very little play (rocking) of the seat after the adapters are installed.
Overall I am happy with the product.
Attachments
You need to remove the 4 bolts holding the seat rails to the seat base. You'll need an external star socket size E-12 for these bolts.
There were no instructions but I don't think instructions were required. Release handle face the center and the label side faces up. There is just enough of a gap between the adapter plate and the seat base to run the air bag sense cables under the adapter and up through the pivot hole.
I ordered the swivels from http://www.v-klasse-presser.de/shop/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=576
Not the most reputable looking web store but it was the only one I could find that would ship direct. I don't speak German and had to rely on Google Translate which added an additional layer of sketchiness. The store's shipping estimator quoted €60 for shipping but the next day I received an email saying shipping would actually be €100 and asked if I could pay the €40 difference which I did. I made the payments using PayPal. The package was delivered to DHL right away but it took 3 weeks for the package to get to the US, clear customs and be transferred over to USPS.
There were no instructions but I don't think instructions were required. Release handle face the center and the label side faces up. There is just enough of a gap between the adapter plate and the seat base to run the air bag sense cables under the adapter and up through the pivot hole.
I ordered the swivels from http://www.v-klasse-presser.de/shop/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=576
Not the most reputable looking web store but it was the only one I could find that would ship direct. I don't speak German and had to rely on Google Translate which added an additional layer of sketchiness. The store's shipping estimator quoted €60 for shipping but the next day I received an email saying shipping would actually be €100 and asked if I could pay the €40 difference which I did. I made the payments using PayPal. The package was delivered to DHL right away but it took 3 weeks for the package to get to the US, clear customs and be transferred over to USPS.
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65 Posts
I got in touch with a French vendor http://www.ludospace.com of of the seat swivels CBT021D2 et CBT021G2 That's Right (D) & Left (G)
Shipping to Canada was quoted at 145 € each - on top of the price of the swivels, so the German price is reasonable.
I see those German units only raise seat height by 23 mm ? That's pretty good!
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Shipping to Canada was quoted at 145 € each - on top of the price of the swivels, so the German price is reasonable.
I see those German units only raise seat height by 23 mm ? That's pretty good!
__________________________________
@braddo, nice write-up!
Could you or someone else provide us some detailed insight about all swivel plates from EU? such as
- FASP
- RIB
- Sportscraft
Do you know if FASP & Sportscraft still make them for W447?
- The heavy weight of RIB is mainly because it uses the material itself to provide the strength rather than the design and structure (FASP is better in this area, which is only ~10kg rather than ~15kg in weight as the other two do)
- Wobbling is because of the design (of that support is in the center) (I believe Sportscraft should be the best in this area, and FASP is not far behind)
Besides, eurocampers.com carries some EU/domestic models for VW T* and Sprinter: http://www.eurocampers.com/search.asp?keyword=swivel&search=GO
Could you or someone else provide us some detailed insight about all swivel plates from EU? such as
- FASP
- RIB
- Sportscraft
Do you know if FASP & Sportscraft still make them for W447?
- The heavy weight of RIB is mainly because it uses the material itself to provide the strength rather than the design and structure (FASP is better in this area, which is only ~10kg rather than ~15kg in weight as the other two do)
- Wobbling is because of the design (of that support is in the center) (I believe Sportscraft should be the best in this area, and FASP is not far behind)
Besides, eurocampers.com carries some EU/domestic models for VW T* and Sprinter: http://www.eurocampers.com/search.asp?keyword=swivel&search=GO
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