03 FX 45 in Wausau, WI needs seat love and a good mod shop

Wausome

Wausome

Member
Car
03 FX 45
Name
Wausome
hello. I have an 03 FX 45 with 170k that I've driven for 4 years now. I live in mid-Wisconsin in Wausau. She's orange, and I believe it has every package you could get in 03. Do I like her? Oh yes.

Here's my lineage. 84 Mazda B2000, 82 Toyota Cressida Wagon (hells yeah, it was apricot), 02 Dodge Neon (ug), 82 SAAB, 89 Miata, 02 WRX bugeye blu Wagon, 92 Miata, 05 Mazda 3, 12 LEAF, 03 FX 45

I've decided the FX 45 is the best of all my prior cars together. It's a keeper. Now to get it to something perfect for me. Lots of ideas and things to do, but first, THE SEATS.

At 170k and as the third owner, the seats are BROKEN. Memory doesn't work, leather is torn or cracking and falling off in chunks. Seat-based airbags are firing errors, Gen1 controls are broken off and barely function, and frankly I find them just plain uncomfortable. I want WRX seats back. I want black slick simple awesome seats. Not a sofa, not a SPARCO.

1. Any ideas on these seats?
Are newer FX seats plug play?
Are other Infiniti seats compatible?
How about Maxima seats?
​
2. Anyone know how to find a good tuner shop near Wausau? Someplace Nissan hardcore? Stephens Point? Portage? MADISON? APPLETON?

Thanks, I love the forums already!
WAUSOME
 
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Welcome from Milwaukee. :)

You could always go the path of finding a parts car and just replace the entire seat assembly. I believe it's a fairly straight forward job. You just need to keep your eyes open for FXs in the area at either junk yards or pick a part lots. I've seen them pop up on craigslist or ebay before as well.
 
Almost lost me a third into your intro.. The plug and play seat issue with various other Nissan vehicles would be trial and error because many have not ventured into that territory. The community isn't as large as other platforms. You could make the reccaros fit, just need seat rails. Personally, I have looked into reupholstering the front seats with higher quality leather or getting some used g35 coupe seats to fit, but that idea is still on the back burner.

Welcome to the site and GL. It's a good car.
 
Welcome to :iS2:

Yup, not many ventured in replacing other Nissan, aftermarket seats, or 2nd FX (+09) seats into 1st Gen FX (-09). If you do go this route, we all would love to hear from you. One member comes to mind about seat is a member from Netherland, he has Audi seats in this 1st Gen FX45. I couldn't remember his name at the moment.
 
smijus said:
Welcome from Milwaukee. :)

You could always go the path of finding a parts car and just replace the entire seat assembly. I believe it's a fairly straight forward job. You just need to keep your eyes open for FXs in the area at either junk yards or pick a part lots. I've seen them pop up on craigslist or ebay before as well.
Click to expand...

Yes, if I really commit to the beast I'm sure I'll need a donor. Thing is, I really don't like the stock seats. At all.

But I don't know anything about seats after the 03 model. Are they better? Can I swap them? Are ANY FX seats compatible?
 
+06 FX seat is about the same as the -06. The +06 FX seat controls are on door panel instead.
 
WiND DANCE said:
Almost lost me a third into your intro.. The plug and play seat issue with various other Nissan vehicles would be trial and error because many have not ventured into that territory. The community isn't as large as other platforms. You could make the reccaros fit, just need seat rails. Personally, I have looked into reupholstering the front seats with higher quality leather or getting some used g35 coupe seats to fit, but that idea is still on the back burner.

Welcome to the site and GL. It's a good car.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I edited that intro down some. Way too much mental meandering. I nearly lost myself there.

It SEEMS like a really good car. Like my Gen1 Miata and Gen 1 WRX. Like it's just how the designers wanted it, warts and all. Both of those had over 250,000 miles on them and were running perfectly when I passed them along. I'm thinking the FX is good for at least twice that.

But I hate the seats.
 
la_fx35 said:
+06 FX seat is about the same as the -06.
Click to expand...
About the same how? ELectrically and mounting hardware-wise?

Cause surely someone came to their senses and moved the controls from the seat pan and back to the side of the seat. And future models have SOME lateral support bolsters, right? And do future versions have any adjustments for height on the passenger? Cause mine don't. Do you mean "they're swappable" or "all FX seats suck"? Chuckle.
 
Same in comfort level. Won't do you any good if you don't like the 03 seat.
 
Wausome said:
hello. I have an 03 FX 45 with 170k that I've driven for 4 years now. I live in mid-Wisconsin in Wausau. She's orange, and I believe it has every package you could get in 03. Do I like her? Oh yes.

Here's my lineage. 84 Mazda B2000, 82 Toyota Cressida Wagon (hells yeah, it was apricot), 02 Dodge Neon (ug), 82 SAAB, 89 Miata, 02 WRX bugeye blu Wagon, 92 Miata, 05 Mazda 3, 12 LEAF, 03 FX 45

I've decided the FX 45 is the best of all my prior cars together. It's a keeper. Now to get it to something perfect for me. Lots of ideas and things to do, but first, THE SEATS.

At 170k and as the third owner, the seats are BROKEN. Memory doesn't work, leather is torn or cracking and falling off in chunks. Seat-based airbags are firing errors, Gen1 controls are broken off and barely function, and frankly I find them just plain uncomfortable. I want WRX seats back. I want black slick simple awesome seats. Not a sofa, not a SPARCO.

1. Any ideas on these seats?
Are newer FX seats plug play?
Are other Infiniti seats compatible?
How about Maxima seats?
​
2. Anyone know how to find a good tuner shop near Wausau? Someplace Nissan hardcore? Stephens Point? Portage? MADISON? APPLETON?

Thanks, I love the forums already!
WAUSOME
Click to expand...
I would look at some seats from a same gen nissan z. They share basic platform so my guess is seats may work
 
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