T5 and T6 seat differences?

[Deleted member 3443]

Weird thing to want to do, I know.
I live in South Africa, and they seem to have very little stock here. I have almost found the spec new vehicle I want at a dealer in Joburg, but it has the rigid and fairly unadjustable version of the driver's seat. Ordering a different vehicle with the seat I actually want will mean waiting at least 5 months for delivery from Germany.
However, my current vehicle, a 2006 2.5L T5, already has nice seats.
I am considering buying the new vehicle, swapping over the front row of both vehicles, then selling the old one with the newer (shittier) seats.
Can anyone confirm one way or the other whether the mount holes/etc are exactly the same, between the two models please? I have asked the dealer but he is unsure and doesn't seem to have access to that information, puzzlingly.
Thanks in advance

 

[Pauly]

I don't see a problem with that but think you may need to swap the bases along with the seats so just thinking about handbrake.
Hopefully @BognorMotors could confirm ?

 

[BognorMotors]

Yes, they should swap over no problem as complete seats. Remember the newer seats have slightly different cushion, and material shapes, so I don’t think you will be able to swap the covers over, without it showing.

 

[rod_vw]

Seat swivels are advertised as fitting T5 & T6 so if they are interchangeable they must fit to the same bolt holes in both cases therefore so should the seats. Just a bit of basic logic? Hope it works for you.

I have interchanged swivels between a 2016 T6 and a 2013 T5 without problem.

Rod

 

[WhitePearl]

Morning all T6 experts. We have just bought a nearly new T6 Cali Beach. We want to keep the seats in good nic so bought some 'new skin' style covers. The fit for 3 seat bench and single rear seats worked fine, but fitting the front captains chairs was another matter! The covers not only had the wrong head rest covers, but the main body of the chair is so tight it's extremely difficult to get it on and off. Not only that but the Velcro at the bottom won't make contact.
So, can anyone tell me if the shape and size of the T5 front chairs was changed in 2015, when the T6 came out??? Cheers muchly

 

[PJfamilyguy]

Have you gone back to the company that supplied them ? Sorry if that’s too obvious

 

[WhitePearl]

Have you gone back to the company that supplied them ? Sorry if that’s too obvious

Yes have been emailing them. They are claiming we haven't fitted them correctly. Funny how we fitted all the others without a problem! I had heard the seat design was changed in 2014, so just wanted some clarification as to whether this was true, so that I have more knowledge when next dealing with the supplier!

 

[grombo]

i believe that the headrest size changed in 2014

 

[carlg]

@Polzeylad ,didn't you have problems with you front seat covers ?

 

[former member]

@Polzeylad ,didn't you have problems with you front seat covers ?

Yep; headrests are much bigger on a T6 but it's possibly Cali only. Now got VW covers which are great.

 

[DaveBos]

Yey @Polzeylad is back posting

 

[BognorMotors]

The seats between the T5 and T6 are slightly different, as you’ve found out. It took VW a year to introduce a re-designed seat cover that fits. They are only subtle difference, but its very noticeable when fitting the previous generation cover. They need to be correct.

 

[Deleted member 3443]

Thanks for all replies, much appreciated. I don't have swivel seats, just forward facing ones. But they are comfy and leather, and I will be happy to install them in the new vehicle (the new vehicle will have standard material seats, so i'll put them in the older vehicle. And I am not using any covers on any of the seats). @rod_vw and @BognorMotors does your advice still hold true with this type of seat please?

I have seen a photo of the new seats now, sent by the dealer, from above and behind the handbrake position looking down. The gap between the newer seats appears to be narrower than that of my current T5 seats... Would that just be a case of the soft materials protruding further from the metal base in t6 than t5 seats? If it's just the soft materials fine, but if the base is wider it won't fit.

I need to be 100% sure before I go ahead and buy the new one...

 

[rod_vw]

I would assume that the picture above is of a vehicle with a twin passenger's seat. Note that the left seat is of a completely different construction to the driver's.

My inclusion of comments about a seat swivel were made because the seat swivel bolts to the seat box using the original VW seat mounting bolt positions and likewise the seat attaches to the upper part of the swivel again using the original mounting holes. If you look at all of the adverts for seat swivels there is no difference between T5 & T6 of any year so I can but assume all versions of seat fitment have been the same. As always with VW never be certain umtil you have proved it yourself!

Rod

 

[Deleted member 3443]

ahh ok that explains things - it must be the passenger bench, which he will swap out for a single seat if the sale goes ahead.

So you're confident that my T5 non swivel single seats WILL fit the mount points of the T6, and I can swap both front seats of the two cars? All non swivel, single seats.

here's pic of my T5 ones from same angle

 

[Ed Webb]

I've got a single passenger seat base from a t5 in my t6 with a t6 seat on top no issues at all.

 

[rod_vw]

I've been a VW owner for nearly fifty years and even now will not admit to being 'sure' of anything relating to their products. But I would be happy to assume what I have said is correct if the vehicle were mine.

Owning a seventy one year old VW convinces me that there is always something new to learn.

Rod

 

[Deleted member 3443]

Thanks a mil

 

[Pauly]

Just remember if swapping a double to single you are going to end up with four unused fixing holes through your existing flooring

 

[WhitePearl]

Thanks guys for the info. We were trying out some covers from 'seatcovers.de' in Germany. We hoped they wouldn't be cheap Chinese covers, and that being from Germany they should know the vw vans well! Looks like they will be coming off and going back!
Who do you rate for new skin style covers? I hear Inka have moved production to china and the quality isn't that great now