crossing over to the other side

[Hotrod356]

No im not changing my sexual orientation,political views or trading my boxster. But I am about to take my silver wonder to the East coast from my Home in Oregon via southern California. With summer tires, 150k, and my 90lbs Chocolate lab what could go wrong right? I do have a question which seems kind of odd and dumb at the same time. Since my Dog is making this pilgrimage,(I know, what am I thinking) Im pulling the passenger seat out and shipping it back east. I remember when I did my waterpump some years ago and took the seat out there was mention of possible deployment of the airbag when seat is removed? Is there any truth to this or is my imagination and bad memory getting the best of me?

Also if you guys were going to ship a seat cross country who would you send thru?

Thanks for any input in advance.

[RaisedOnPorsches]

One question and one comment:

Why not just put a blanket over the passenger's seat? Maybe wrap a packing crate blanket around the seat and tape the blanket to itself so everything is secure. Fido's butt will appreciate it.

Second, if you do ship the seat, I've head that wardrobe boxes work well. Again pack some blankets around the seat inside the box.

Good luck!

[silver-S]

If your airbag does deploy, with or without the seat installed, what will it do to your dog? I think I would look into getting airbag defeat switch before taking my pooch along.

[jb92563]

Don't forget to put a Bonnet on Chocolates head and some sunglasses so you can drive in the HOV lanes in CA.

[Parrot356]

If you are shipping the seat I would look into Greyhound. I have two seats coming from the east coast and it was about $85 for each seat. Looked into UPS and other options and the price was sky high ($500+)

[j.fro]

My Bassett ( his name is Turbo) rides in my 996 all the time. I've got a service cover for the front seat that works great, and then I cover everything else with blankets like a Bedoiun tent. I've got a towel that I throw down over the door sills for entry/exit. So far, no scratches or other unclean able damage. I love having him as a passenger!!

[eicheldp]

You might want to look into these.

Canine Covers

Not affiliated in any way.

[Polaris]

I hope you aren't leaving the left coast permanently. Why in the world would anybody want to leave Oregon, especially Astoria?

[2003S]

It's Fred! (that's a Smokey & the Bandit reference for all you whippersnappers)

Originally Posted by j.fro

My Bassett ( his name is Turbo) rides in my 996 all the time. I've got a service cover for the front seat that works great, and then I cover everything else with blankets like a Bedoiun tent. I've got a towel that I throw down over the door sills for entry/exit. So far, no scratches or other unclean able damage. I love having him as a passenger!!

[Hotrod356]

Hey Thanks for all the great replys. Turbo looks like one cool hound. I wish I had a back seat. Charley and I are just going back east for 6 or 7 months for work, and by taking the seat out Im thinking it will really give her some more space. Ive got Mom taking a break from quilting and making a custom padded low profile bed. We do road trips all the time. But this is a big one. Thanks Parrot356 for the greyhound advice and raisedonporsches for the garment box idea.
I just looked in my Bently shop manual and no mention about airbag deployment, but Im going to look into turning it off.

Thanks again everyone..

[RandallNeighbour]

Hotrod, I think the worst thing that can happen if you remove the seat and unplug the seatbelt wiring will be an airbag warning light will come on and you'll have to live with it until you put the seat back in.

I'm betting that someone smarter than me can tell you how to jump the wires to fool the computer into thinking the seatbelt is latched and keep you from having to look at an airbag warning lamp the entire trip!

Great idea, btw. Your big dog will love the passenger footwell and seat area without a seat in it.

[ChrisZang]

Pete,

I made myself a switch which plugs into the connector under the passenger seat which switches the airbag on/off. You still need someone with a PIWIS to activate that.
You have my e-mail address, e-mail me if you want it, it's your's for free.

To avoid the airbag warning when you take the passenger seat out, you need to keep the seatbelt receptacle plugged in. It's a minor pain in the ass to remove it from the seat but it can be done.

Disconnect the battery before unplugging the receptacle (aka taking the seat out) and wait 15 minutes after reconnecting it before you connect the battery again.

[Perfectlap]

I weep for these dogs dressed up in ridiculous holiday costumes.
But this is worse...

Originally Posted by jb92563

Don't forget to put a Bonnet on Chocolates head and some sunglasses so you can drive in the HOV lanes in CA.

[RaisedOnPorsches]

Here is a post from another forum that might prove useful here:

A lot of people here have inquired as to the best and cheapest way to ship seats. Seats can be shipped to most locations in the US for between $200.-300. Depending on distance. For example I just shipped a pair from NJ to Fl for about $200 with packing material.

By yourself two of the tall U Haul wardrobe boxes and position the seat backs as low as you can and still fit the width of the box. The lower the better as you want to fold in the top of the box to make it as short as possible.

Avoid going over 40" tall as the prices jump significantly. Pack the seats well within the box and tape them up good with packing tape.

Now go out to Fedex Freight and fill a price quote form by providing the dimensions of your boxes. They are 24x21xthe height you got to. Just use 55lbs for each box weight. That is about right for most power seats. You will see in a minute that weight here is irrelevant as they are going to calculate a much higher dimensional weight anyhow.

Complete and print a label and affix to your boxes. You can also schedule a pickup online as well.