Installing VS30 (2019 - Current) seats in an NCV3 (2007 - 2018) Sprinter along with Apline Mechanism Swivels.
I recently scored two brand new take out front seats from a 2022 VS30 Sprinter for $100 each with a plan to install them in my 2017 VS30. The seats came complete with air bags but the wiring harness had been cut so it could be re-used on the Scheelmann seats they were installing to replace the factory seats with. I will cut and re-use the wiring harness from my NCV3 seats on install.
Why the Upgrade? My wife and I actually find the stock NCV3 seats to be quite comfortable and I can easily spend 10hr plus days in the saddle while on road trips. With that said there are a couple improvements I like in the VS30 seats. I've spent a fair amount of time in my fathers 2022 Revel and really like the seats. The VS30 seats are slightly softer and plush than the NCV3 seats and the built in electric/air lumbar support feels really good on my back (I use a lumbar pillow on my NCV3 seat). The VS30 seats are more adjustable than the NCV3 seats allowing you to tilt the front and even slide the front out if needed. Another huge improvement for me is how they changed the sliding mechanism. On the NCV3 seats the slider release is a metal bar on the front underside of the seat that digs into my calf as we drive, on the VS30 seats the release is located off to the side allowing me to tuck my leg back comfortably under the seat without rubbing my leg on anything....perfect! I also like that the leatherette is smooth on the entire seat without the textured insert found on the NCV3 seats making it a lot easier to wipe down and clean.
Note: The mounting holes in the seat base are spread farther apart on the VS30 Seats than the NCV3 seats. This will require you to build/fabricate an adapter to bolt the seats onto the bases or buy a seat swivel/adapter to make them fit. I planned on adding swivels so i ordered the Alpine Mechanism seat swivels for my install. The Alpine swivels are set up for both the NCV3 & VS30 mounting locations and acts as a perfect seat adapter when swapping seats. I chose the Alpine units as I feel they are the highest quality, they don't rock around once installed, super easy to actuate and they only raise the seat height by 1/2". Another difference between the two seats that you will have to deal with is the seat belt anchor attachment point. On the NCV3 seats the seat belts are anchored/bolted onto the seat itself, on the VS30's the belt in anchored into the B-pillar instead of the seat. If you pop the side covers off the VS30 seats there is a mounting location still in place for the belt anchor but it doesn't quite line up perfectly with the alignment tabs on the NCV3 belt anchor. It could be modified to work but the Alpine Swivel comes with adapter brackets for this exact purpose making this a non-issue.
Here's a pic showing the VS30 seat on the left with the NCV3 seat on the right.
This photo shows the different mount spacing between the two seats.
Here I'm cutting the harness off the NCV3 seat to re-use on the VS30 seats.
My non-heated NCV3 seats have two wires each. The VS30 seats have 5 wires each. One extra ground that goes to the seat frame (Brown/white) and a pwr/ground wire for the lumbar air pump motor (Red/Brown).
Connecting the passenger side air bag.
Passenger seat plugged into the van for a test. Started the van and No SRS Air Bag Lights.....Perfect!
I used an SAE plug for the Lumbar Air Pump Connection.
Lumbar wiring connected at the Aux fuse panel with labeled terminals.
Wiring harness is wrapped in cloth wire loom tape.
Braided loom added for extra abrasion resistance.
Mounting the Alpine Mechanism Swivel. The swivel bolts to the base and the seat bolts to the swivel. You can see the two sets of mounting holes for either the NCV3 seat or the VS30 seats.
Here I'm transferring over the original seat belt latches onto the VS30 seats.
Here's the 90 Deg adapter that attaches the seat belt to the seat base...allowing the seat to swivel.
Seat wiring runs up through the middle of the swivel
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