Volkswagen Repair: 96 Cabriolet replacement seats, wolfsburg germany, metric sockets

Question
Someone has a set of seats available from a 94 passat glx...How do I know if these will fit my 96 cabrio. Or for that matter what model & years seats will fit my 96 cabrio?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Todd;
1996, through 2002 Cabriolet seats will fit, as far as the physical "fit" is concerned.  I don't know if there are any "interchange" guides available for this type of operation.  I also do not know, off hand, when the "side air bags" were introduced into the Cabriolet model.  Were they in your 1996?  I think they were in the 2002.  Has the seat back angle adjustment broken?  If that is the reason for you to change the seat(s) out, you might, and I emphasize MIGHT, be able to do as well from a money standpoint by just buying the upper seat back frame, brand new at your local Volkswagen dealer, and replacing just that/those parts.  It's kind of gnarly repair, and you run the risk of cutting, or scraping your fingers, and knuckles, but once complete the repair will be what was designed to actually go into your car.  Does your car have seat heaters?  The electrical connections under the seats changed during the model run for the Cabriolet.  I might be mistaken, but I seem to recall that there was also a change in the seatbelt latch wiring under the seat, too.  Like insulation colors changed, and numbers of wires as well, but can't remember all of the specifics.  I would not recommend trying to use 1994 Passat GLX seats in your application without doing some further investigation.  I don't think the 2 cars were even built in the same manufacturing facilities.  Passats were all built in 1 of 2 places...Emden, Germany, or Mosel, Germany.  Your car was built in Wolfsburg, Germany.  The electrical conductor terminations could be different not just because of the model difference, but more likely because of the different "Final Assembly" locations...
Todd, if you are somewhat mechanical, and have a modest selection of metric sockets, and wrenches, and several different styles of screwdrivers, and pliers, I would highly recommend simply replacing that "seat frame, with adjuster."  Price out the part, and see if it's close.  Then you make the call, you know your skills.  I just would hesitate to use parts designed for not only another model, but especially a different year, from the mid-90's when changes were being made in the air bag systems, and the seat belt retractor systems as well.  There were even "pyrotechnic" seat belt retractors initiated during these years, and if they get the wrong signal, at the wrong time you could get a broken collar bone just trying to get 12 pack of "Mountain Dew."  Sorry to go on for so long, but I didn't want to just say, no, and leave you with the impression that I was just a "Hard-A--."  Thank you for your patience, in reading through this, and I hope I make some sense.  It would be a shame to spend money on something that would not work, or worse yet, work...sort of...but cause injury to you, or someone you care about.
Good luck, Todd.