Anatomy of the Xantia "Ergo" seat backrest support thingies

[octinum]

The donor Xantia is now gone, and mine is almost back on the road now. As the donor's seats were in very bad shape anyway, I took the chance to take a look at (and of course, remove) the seat mechanisms.



The black things on the backrest are the two lumbar support air chambers. The one on the side bolster is also a chamber. The pouch to the lower right corner houses a single compressor and what I believe a valve body, which directs the air supplied by the compressor to the three hoses (red, green, black). One hose (IIRC red) inflates the upper chamber, one inflates the lower one, and the third inflates the side bolsters. So no separate "pumps" involved. Any adjustment on the supports activates the compressor and the relevant valve, which allows separate adjustment of lower and upper back supports, as well as side bolsters.

I'm not sure if Series 2 has the side bolsters (maybe Activa does?) because I think Series 2 comes with side airbags, which might have made side bolsters impossible to integrate. This is a Series 1. Series 1 owners die like real men. In style and comfort.

[mickthemaverick]

Useful info thanks

[Stickyfinger]

Activa s.1 seats have the side bladders, the leather/seams are also a different pattern to the Exclusives.....I think the later s.2 seats just had extra padding due to the Airbags as you say (they may even be the same as the s.2 Exclusives)

[ekjdm14]

Every day a school day! I didn't even know the X1 seats had 3-way air, Black being a lowly LX came with manual cloth which we replaced with X2 leathers (still in manly-death configuration though since there's nowhere to connect the side 'bags)

So you're telling me I could be even more comfortable whilst taking all day to get somewhere?

[Stickyfinger]

3 way air on the Mk1 Exclusives....4-way air on the Mk1 Activa...the sides (bolster) of the seat (squab) also adjust on a Mk1 Activa electric leather seats...and the leather is a different shape as well. They are also heated (if it works)

[octinum]

Wait, what is the 4th adjustment? Seat base sides?

3 way air on the Mk1 Exclusives....4-way air on the Mk1 Activa...the sides (bolster) of the seat (squab) also adjust on a Mk1 Activa electric leather seats...and the leather is a different shape as well. They are also heated (if it works)

@ekjdm14 I'm pretty sure that Black rides much better than mine, given our respective backgrounds (you as the expert, me as the rookie), so you might hardly need seats.

Every day a school day! I didn't even know the X1 seats had 3-way air, Black being a lowly LX came with manual cloth which we replaced with X2 leathers (still in manly-death configuration though since there's nowhere to connect the side 'bags)

So you're telling me I could be even more comfortable whilst taking all day to get somewhere?

[ekjdm14]

You flatter me sir! Far from an expert, my lot. Just an average redneck who took a liking to a very "sedate" model of a very comfortable and most excellent car. I think you may be correct on the ride of our baby though, since I believe the 4 corner spheres are from a hydractive car & Black is a basic hpn system (read-: softer and wallowier/underdamped than it ought to be) but personally I like it that way.

I think what Alasdair is saying is yes, the X1 Activa seats even had air bladders in the base. Kinda makes sense though, if there's any car in the world where one would want tailored buttock-clamping force it'd be the Activa! I'm sure the leathers in Black have heating elements in them too. Not that they're wired in/have continuity through the heater any more but maybe I'll look into that as we're due a real winter after the summer we've had.

[Stickyfinger]

Wait, what is the 4th adjustment? Seat base sides?

Yes, if you ever go round a corner in an ACTIVA you would understand why it is a good thing

[Stickyfinger]

Activa s.1 seats