BMW owners with sore backs!

A week past Friday I had a bad sciatica attack, so much so that on the Saturday I had to call the doctor out and she pumped me full of morphine and diazepam!  I was off work all last week.

My work involves close working with the chief pharmacists in Scotland and I was chatting to one just now about the pills and potions I’m still on – none of the above.  Got that sorted!

As a parting shot she said “You have a BMW, don’t you?  Its well known for BMW drivers to have back pain because of the seating position.”

My retort was to ask if she thought BMW drivers were a pain in the ass! She didn’t!!

Well its news to me about the sore BMW back syndrome!

Anyone else heard this?

No,never heard of that,and i have a z4 with the m-sport seats/and i had back pain before buying the z4,and sitting in/driving my z doesnt make my back ache at all mustv been something else,haha?

Rhys wrote: Our lass hated the BMW, she couldn't get comfortable and tbh I wasn't impressed with the seats in the compact. After a long drive my back used to ache like hell. I miss my BMW but not the comfort (or lack of it)

Funny that, I thought it was only me.

My E30 M3 is soooooo comfortable to drive  - like putting on an old pair of shoes, but the E36 325 is a different matter - I still can't get a really good driving position and often ache after a drive.

thepits wrote: but the E36 325 is a different matter - I still can't get a really good driving position and often ache after a drive.

I would agree with that.  We've had several e36's and the biggest downside is the seat comfort, haven't tried one with Sport seats for any useful length of time.  It is noticably better in the e46 and e39, especially the e39.  A long journey in that is like sitting in your fav armchair with a steering wheel!

My 330 had the leccy seats and that was great for fine adjusting for comfort because positions of base, backrest, height, etc. were almost infinitely variable rather than having discrete steps as the manual seats have.

Dergside wrote: My 330 had the leccy seats and that was great for fine adjusting for comfort because positions of base, backrest, height, etc. were almost infinitely variable rather than having discrete steps as the manual seats have.

I would agree with the leccie seats.  Both my E60s had electric seats as standard but the one I have now has the optional extra comfort seats fitted and what a difference.

I have lumbar control in 4 directions,  knee support, shoulder support, the seat back has an aditional pivot in it which can curl inwards to support your shoulders and it has adjustable side bolsters to give you side support when you are a) giving it the beans and b) when you are on a particularly twisty bit of road. 

And being electric comfort seats each of the above has infinite adjustment.  Thank god for the memory position as it takes an age to get comy then you can memorise the position.

If you are a lucky git and being in the position of speccing a new BMW make sure you spec comfort seats.....

Andrew

i agree with them being terrible for backache on long journeys, and never quite getting the right seating position (too close to the wheel or too far from the pedals) - i've had backache in my e36 with standard cloth seats, my e46 with sports electric leather seats, and in my e39 with sports manual leather seats

funnily enough, i've just bought a thing called a cg-lock partly to help with the pain and it definately improves your posture - it clips onto your seatbelt and locks the bottom lap part in so you cant move around, more of a problem in leather seats as you tend to slide down

i got mine from demon tweeks, which were the cheapest i found

http://www.cg-lock.co.uk - www.cg-lock.co.uk for more info (and no, i don't work for them, just a pleased customer)

thepits wrote: stephenperry wrote: - it clips onto your seatbelt and locks the bottom lap part in so you cant move around, more of a problem in leather seats as you tend to slide down not in an E30 M3 it isn't

how come?

Well my old e28 and both e34's have never given me back trouble.

I have done both short and long journeys in them and might the usual leg ache after 3 hours but nothing you'd not get in any car really due to being so still for ages.

I did mess about with the seating position a few times when I first got the e34 but once I got it right, it felt great.

I did see a clip on a motoring program a while ago and they had an otho...otherped.....ok, a damn back specialist! (am I thinking of a chiropractor?) who said if you are too upright, the weight of your head pushes on your spine and can compress the lower discs in your back. If you have it too far back you tend to strain your arms, neck and legs which can put more exertion on your back too.

The best position is with your knees at a 45 degree angle so you aren't hunched but also aren't stretching and your arms similar angle's too. Also your back should be about 15-20 degrees back from being upright so the seat takes most of the weight of your head.

Perhaps it's not getting the right position that causes it and it is maybe more difficult in a BMW?

Mike