Man, I hate that feeling of defeat - definitely been there before.

If you're up for it, you could get a used seat from a junkyard (usually around $200), and put your seat cushions on it. The how-to of taking the seat apart is attached.

Although the body slam method worked on mine, I did notice when I was taking the seats apart for another reason, the result of the slam in my case was it actually bent the frame of the seat to re-align the ratcheting mechanism!

 

I did this maneuver by mistake once before out of "banging around" in sheer frustration. My driver's side got stuck 2/3 down at the beach. Ugh. Let me say how uncomfortable (and unsafe) that is. BUT reading thread and remembering the CRACK sound made me feel a bit better. I did more of a rocking motion as it felt like I was going to lift the seat off the floor. You can "feel" it though. Thanks all! No service appt for me!

 

So...the fiance didn't like the position the passenger seat was in (it would only recline just past vertical) so I've been screwing around with this seat for a half hour at a time off and on for weeks - let me tell those of you who haven't tried - getting a 6'3" 235 body into a position to be able to look all the way under the passenger seat of an R53 with a flashlight from the floor of the back seat looking forward gave me tremendous (and tremendously unwanted) insight into how those 11 year old chinese contortionists spend their days. And getting hands under there while your head is still in a position to see what your hands are doing? Well - just try it sometime. I felt disturbingly like that creepy thing from The Grudge

I'm a uniquely tenacious guy, but frustration finally got the better of me (and to be totally honest I ran out of "it might be this" ideas) so I came in, found this thread, considered it permission to use my 235 lbs in a whole new way, and voila - my seat now works perfectly. Who knew?

I love you guys. Seriously. I do

 

Full force technique!!
My wife's mini driver's got stucket, my cousing sat down stated jumping and BOOOMM, magic crack. It works!

 

I just bought an 05 MCS r52 with the passenger seat at 3/4 reclined. I followed the seat fix thread and sitting in it, pulled the inboard lever and gave a pretty steady push. Mild pop, no change. I repeated, slightly louder pop and PRESTO! Seat functions as it should! I was about the open it up, but now I am the hero of the house. Thanks, all.

 

I was very skeptical, but the brute force approach worked!

 

thankyouthankyouthankyou...


I was just about ready to call a stealership in the morning for my R53 John Cooper Works, until I read the previous posts. My 5'4" stature could not put out enough force to fully "break" my 3/4 reclined driver's seat but with the help of my Dad I covered my eyes as he fully snapped the seat all the way back while lifting up on the lever and the seat is perfect. I do not have additional tips but I am officially sold on this solution for any one that is experiencing this issue!

 

Body slam method worked for me! At that point, I thought I had nothing to lose - either spend some money fixing or replacing the driver's side seat, or slam it.

Funny thing, though. When I was setting the seat up for a slam, as I was kneeling down outside the car with my head still inside, the seat sprang up and smacked me in the head. So I said "NOW I'm-a fix this mother****er!" and slammed it down. Thereafter, the seat behaved properly.

 

I read all of the replies to fix my Mini seat stuck in a 3/4 reclined position. Opted to skip the manufacturer method altogether and proceed to the brute force method. Worked like a charm!!

 

This technique still works.

Though to be fair I only pressed hard once with my back sitting in the seat while holding the in-board seat release up.

The passenger seat has been in the semi-reclined position for nearly a year. Fine for me but not my wife on the rare occasions when she is not driving.

Finally got tired of every shop saying the whole seat would have to be disassembled and looked it up on here.

She is very happy to have it working again as this means she will have more room to add another couple of pairs of shoes behind the seat to the other three pairs she has back there already....

After I washed and waxed/treated it, (Try Klassic for an unbeatable mirror finish that lasts six months)

I had her repeat this morning: 'A car is not a closet'.


Good to go.

Many thanks to all those who have gone before into the technical wilderness and brought back these jewels of knowledge.

jj, geneva, switzerland
2002 MSC, 84,000 miles/135,000kilometers

 

Hi Guys just had to sign up just to say thank you. I got into my wife's mini the other day and afterwards she said the seat would not recline, I fiddled with it over the course of the next week without success and then resorted to the internerd and found this link, whoever was the first person to try this method successfully is beyond brave, I tried it today and 1st push a slight click 2nd push a louder crack and the seat collapsed into the back. After a bottom clenching moment I tried the seat and Hey Presto, she's working again ..... Guys Thank you from the bottom of my wallet.

 

Thanks for the unconventional fix . It worked wonderful ! Now my back wont hurt from the gangster lean...

 

Thanks guys! I was really bummed. I thought for sure this was going to be another expensive fix. I got in the passenger seat, held both levers down and slammed it like I was really horny. It took about three good shots before I got the crack. How it works perfect!

 

Who knew?! It works... and I was more than a little skeptical to be honest.

So to recap my experience for fixing the PASSENGER incremental recline on my 2005 Mini S which was stuck in full recline...

Sitting in the driver's side front seat I pulled up on the passenger recline lever (located on the side of the seat close to the central console) while my 240lb b/f abruptly threw his full weight back on the passenger seat in such a way that he was pushing down and slightly forward (I tried it myself doing both activities but think I didn't have enough weight or was encumbered by pulling up on the lever myself as well at the same time).. We did this about 4 times with him centring his weight in various positions before it actually worked so stick with it. Working perfectly again now!

Wow, I am still feeling pretty smug about a) finding the solution on NAM in the first place and then b) actually making it work... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the great people on here who share these solutions and save the rest of us mucho dinero at the garage!

Now I just have to fix the passenger seat forward/back mechanism which is currently stuck in fully pushed back mode.... it happened after the initial problem with the recliner... some more searching on NAM should help.... if not, I can live with it for now.. the recline issue I could not!

Did I say THANKS already?!!

 

Yep! Worked!! Yes, a little scary to have to be so forceful but now the wife is complaining less... priceless.
Thanks everyone!