Retrofit 7 seats into 5 seat Puma

[BilboBoggles]

I want a new PUMA, and I want it in an exact and special order colour. I have an existing PUMA - and will trade it in on the new one. BUT I need 7 seats or it won't work for my family (although perhaps that's not a bad thing....)

My current Puma is a 7 seater and has the rear set of seats. The NEW PUMA in the colour I want is a 5 seater.

The dealer has offered to swap the rear load seats from the 7 seater into the 5 seater. Is that possible? Are the rear load seats a bolt in option? Are there any weird chassis or body changes that make this an unpractical option?

[ATH]

I had the two rear seats in my 2010 Puma but chucked them out and flogged them for next to nothing just to get rid of them. There is strengthening of the floor where they bolted through plus seat belts will have to be fitted.
Be aware they are a 2000 buck extra on a new vehicle so no doubt the stealer will not be cheap if they instal your existing seats in a new one.
AlanH.

[BilboBoggles]

Yeah agree - I wanted to special order with 7 seats, but it's a limited edition and apparently you can't.

Thing is though that they are offering to reuse the rear seats from my trade in and swap them over. I wondered if the 5 seat models had that strengthening in any way -I know there is some extra bar work from the chassis up to the rear seat box on the 7 seats I was hoping that would still be in a 5 seater.

[dullbird]

you also need to look in to the compliance plate as the 5 seater will have a plate on it that states its a 5 seater...

people seem to take seats in and out willy nilly without much thought to the compliance of the vehicle.

[BilboBoggles]

Good point on the compliance plate. Unless it's factory fitted then the dealer would have to get it engineered and therefore I'm not going to be happy with that..... so looks like No Sale on the new defender... Not sure why you can't just order a Nara Bronze 7 seater... But they don't want my money it would seem.

[jimb]

Bilbo,

I am about to fit the 3rd row seats in the back of a 5 seater. Where is the extra reinforcement?

I have discovered it doesn't need an engineers certificate but will need to change the compliance plate. If the seats are original for the vehicle, which is the case for a defender 110, then they do not require an certificate. If you were to fit the exmoor trim seats they would require a certificate as they are not original.

This is what Trimuph Spares has led me to believe.

I wish there was a 7 seater up here in Mackay I could check out to see where the reinforcement is and where exactly from the rear the original seats sit.

[BilboBoggles]

I now have the 5 seater, well technically its still at the panel beater after some turd drove into it and did a runner...

The holes that the seats bolted to are all there. But I do remember a strengthening bar that bolted to the rear x member and ran to the wheel arches, and a small square black plate in the wheelbox. That seemed to be the same part that formed the base of the rear roll cage on a US defender. But that part is not on my 5 seater.

[Rick Fischer]

A dealer will use the proper kit and should also c/w seat belts and mounting; so not a compliance problem. Using the OEM kit should also provide a compliance decal or alternatively the dealer will provide appropriate certification from LR.

Cheers

RF