To those of you who HATE the front seat headrests... Rejoice!

[bvz]

For I have found a solution.


Turns out that a VW headrest from a 2004 Jetta Wagon fits our cars! (Please read the warning at the end of this message before installing though).

It may well be that many other VW headrests will fit as well, but this just happens to be the one I had access to. I pulled the rear seat headrest from a coworker's 2004 VW Jetta Wagon and installed it into the driver's side seat of my car. With three notable exceptions, it fits perfectly! On top of that, it is smaller and IT IS TILT ADJUSTABLE!

The three exceptions are:

1) It does not click into place height-wise. So that may in fact be a show stopper for some. It might be for me as well. I am going to do some more research to see if I can make it work so it locks into place height wise (or maybe even do a stem transplant from my current headrests).

2) The stems are too long (i.e. it won't actually slide all the way down into the seat). I will be buying one and cutting the stems off with a hacksaw (a 2 minute job) to match the length of the stems on my Chevy.

and here is the WARNING:

3) If you just shove it into your car (the way I did), you will find that it does not come back out !!! I am going to have to remove my seat foam tonight and figure out why it is locked in there.



But, this is kinda huge for me. I HATE that !@#$% headrest and the thought that I can swing by a junkyard and buy two black leather VW headrests from such an old model (i.e. not too expensive I hope) and cut them down and just shove them into my car makes we almost weep with joy. Maybe you too, eh?

 

[bvz]

Incidentally, any posts on how to remove the seat cover and foam on the driver's side? Or any pictures of a "raw" seat frame from a Sonic? I have to try to figure out what is keeping that VW headrest locked in there.

 

[Sailurman]

Just goes to show that you should never "Just Stick It In There"!!! The results can be lifelong and even deadly!!!

 

[Blue hedgehog]

Just goes to show that you should never "Just Stick It In There"!!! The results can be lifelong and even deadly!!!

You should always bag it 1st

 

[bvz]

At least I didn't show up at the emergency room with a hamster stuck... well, you get the idea.

 

[Blue hedgehog]

At least I didn't show up at the emergency room with a hamster stuck... well, you get the idea.

ARMAGEDON!!!

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cTrOb8zyrZk

 

[ahtoxa]

I didn't realize that people hated their headrests.

Of course, one needs to be careful with just swapping headrests. I bet that if push came to shove, an accident occurred where a neck injury was major, if someone dug deep enough into it, they might raise questions about the potentially compromised safety of the 'swapped' headrest, because seating geometry is no longer as designed and the combo is probably not DOT approved.

Whatever, I may be really going on a limb here, but I figure a new headrest isn't really worth it. It's one part of the interior that probably gets the least usage.

 

[bvz]

You actually make a very good point.

That said, I'm still going to do the swap. For me it is a safety improvement to get the new headrests. The current ones push my head forward while driving to such an extent that it causes me physical pain in my back. I sit very upright, but since the headrests are at a fixed angle, they can only properly work if you happen to have the seats set to be a fair bit more reclined. Otherwise they are actually canted forward at a significant angle. Also, I'm pretty tall (6', 3") and that only adds to the problem.

Ultimately, the angle and position of the headrests is such that I quickly find myself with significant back and shoulder pain when driving (I knew this going in because the sonic I had as a rental did this to me immediately as well - I just liked the rest of the car enough to figure that I'd solve the issue somehow). Currently I have the headrests turned around backwards with a bunch of towels saran wrapped to them to bring it back forward enough to provide me protection. But this isn't as precise as an adjustable headrest and it looks terrible. Ultimately the only reason our cars don't have adjustable headrests is cost, and the compromise that Chevy made to have a safe headrest for most people actually doesn't work for many of us (and me in particular).

So I think you mage a very good point and under normal circumstances I'd think twice about doing this swap, but really I don't see any other option.

 

[ChrisJ]

May be a really really dumb question but.
I always thought it was a device for preventing whiplash, not a headrest? As in it's there to prevent your head from going too far back, but not there to use on a daily basis?

I've never seen a car with something I could use as a headrest for driving.

 

[Nimda]

Come on, Chris. You don't like doing your daily driving with your head pressed flat against the headrest like you're about take off in a space shuttle?

 

[ahtoxa]

May be a really really dumb question but.
I always thought it was a device for preventing whiplash, not a headrest? As in it's there to prevent your head from going too far back, but not there to use on a daily basis?

I've never seen a car with something I could use as a headrest for driving.

The proper term for it is 'head restraint'. And yes, it's to prevent or reduce over-extension and whiplash of the neck.

 

[ChrisJ]

Come on, Chris. You don't like doing your daily driving with your head pressed flat against the headrest like you're about take off in a space shuttle?

The proper term for it is 'head restraint'. And yes, it's to prevent or reduce over-extension and whiplash of the neck.

Can't say I do Nimda.

 

[PlayCrackTheSky]

I'm 6'3" as well and my head never rests on it or even comes in contact with the headrest. I believe it has nothing to do with height and it is only related to seat position...mainly the seat back/recliner angle. The manual height adjustment will likely correlate to the amount you can recline the back and still have an adequate view. That being said, I drive with my steering wheel all the way up, manual height adjusted near the upper limit, and my seat back reclined at about a 130 degree angle (in relation to the cush).

There are several things that come into play here. It's all personal preference...and my combination works for me.

 

[bvz]

Yeah, there are plenty of people for whom the seats and headrests work perfectly. Unfortunately the lack of adjustability for the headrests prevent me from being one of them. I know I'm not alone and that's why I was so excited to find this alternative.

Once I have managed to procure a set and properly modify them for my car, I'll post pics and instructions.

 

[bvz]

May be a really really dumb question but.
I always thought it was a device for preventing whiplash, not a headrest? As in it's there to prevent your head from going too far back, but not there to use on a daily basis?

I've never seen a car with something I could use as a headrest for driving.

That's entirely correct... and also the problem. The way the headrests are right now I have no choice but to "use" them on a constant basis because they intrude into the "air space" that is occupied by my head.

 

[Preloader]

 

[bvz]

Ok... a fair bit of time has passed, but here are images as requested:

First, a crappy image of how the headrests looked before. The image is so blurry because of the intense pain I am in every time I even THINK about sitting in that crappy seat with the headrest constantly jabbing me in the back of the head like a schoolyard bully pestering me from behind in math class.

Next, VW headrests (from a 2005 VW Passat/Jetta/Golf). This works quite well, though by default the metal legs are too long (i.e. it won't sit all the way down in the seats). Note how the image isn't blurry anymore - all that negative energy from the evil headrests has been excised from the car.

Next, taking the headrests to the shop and cutting off the excess length. This picture is blurry again because, well, I apparently suck at remembering to bring a decent camera with me. Incidentally, while I used a band saw to cut the posts, it probably would have been easier and faster to just do it with a hacksaw. Seriously, it wasn't all that complicated. Certainly nothing like I make it look like here.

Finally, the headrest installed in the way 6 million years of evolution decreed it should be. The bully is gone and instead it is like the homecoming queen is sitting behind me and gently stroking my neck. (The picture is a little blurry now for other, more satisfying reasons).

Now if only I could do something about that damn seat and the complete lack of lumbar support.

 

[Luv2xlr8]

We're you able to take them out? I remember you saying before you got it in but weren't able to take them out at one point.

 

[bvz]

Oh, yeah. They came out. It was the rear headrests from the VW that got stuck and getting them out just involved yanking on them. The front headrests from the VW don't get stuck.

 

[Luv2xlr8]

Hmmm, thanks. I see that a couple of scrap yards around here online have some that I will look at tomorrow. Hope they have a grey cloth because I don't have leather on mine and 99-05 headrests are the ones that will fit.