Intrinsicate

Having just installed new seats, I was wondering if anyone has perfected a method of entering and leaving the car without bruising the side bolster.!
If I was younger and/or smaller, it might be less of a challenge!

ErnestSw

I'm a firm advocate of the "flop in, crawl out" method. Ditto on the younger and smaller.

John Struthers

Big Butt...Bad Knee's?
Try this...
1. Open door.
2. Place left hand in close proximity to top of 'A' pillar/corner of windshield, then,
place right hand where left hand is -this rotates upper body and hips a little-.
3.Reposition left hand/ get left hand ready to slide down or support you on door frame.
Right hand gets ready to slide down 'A' pillar.
4. As you slide (lightly) down lift right leg to clear door sill. When it comes down your right foot
should land on dead pedal. As your butt hits the seat, start to pivot to the right a little and bring
your left foot over and down toward the dead pedal as your right foot moves to the gas pedal area.
This works a lot better with a towel on the seat -less friction, easy on the leather, and easy to pivot your butt/hips.
Looks complicated in writing but is quite easy to do and very fluid.
Getting out is a different story. Your on your own.
I noticed all the ruined seat bolsters when I went looking for my first sHARk and swore I wouldn't
do that kind of damage.
Your butt/hips shouldn't even touch the bolster.

James-man

For years, I have used the same method for getting in. I have been hanging onto the exterior moulding by my fingertips to support my weight. Doesn't sound like much but it seems to do the trick.

James-man

Crawl out. How precisely described and true!

Intrinsicate

Getting in is the easier part, because gravity is working for you, not against you. I find it very to get out without using the bolster of the seat as a leverage point. I wonder how Steve McQueen did it?

Deb

OK, seat upgrade. If you don't remember this you're too damn young. Was it the Ford Fairlane that had, as an option, both front seats pivoted 90 degrees putting you in perfect position for entry and exit. What a great option that was!

ErnestSw

I'm for a sky hook.

GT Jackson

1. Open door
2. Face away from seat.
3. Put **** on seat.
4. Swing legs under wheel.
5. Close door.
6. Remember keys.
7. Reverse procedure.

mspiegle

that's my method. I make sure my seats are clean and slippery with armor-all leather cleaner so its easier to swing inside.

Parnelli Joneser

The rotating seats were a GM option for Pontiac Grand Am's or Buick Century, circa the early 70's. Impala and Cutlass, etc. Ford had some novel tilt steering ideas, like the slide away style in early '60's T-Birds. The coolest was the tilt-away column from the '67-68 Mustang and Cougar that tilted up and toward the center of the car to accommodate the driver. Other companies had similar, but it seemed really extreme in those Cougars. Looked like the steering was broke when tilted...

Ron_H

I do it GTJackson's way, but I also have a bolster "glove" which protects the bolster. It is sacrificial, made of vinyl matched to the interior of my car and cost a whopping $45 to have made. It has been installed for at least a year and a half with no signs of wear. It requires a whole 5 minutes to install and to remove; it is fastened with the plastic cover over the reclining mechanism and by a large welt along the inner edge which slips under the center cushion of the backrest and keeps the glove snug and in place. If I ever need another one, I will also make it so the plastic trim around the seatback release anchors it at the top. That way it would be even less visible than it is presently.

Garth S

I was about to title this "the Rear Entry Method" until I read Ron's intro saying "I do it GTJackson's way" - then somehow, it doesn't sound quite right ....
In any event, with two slight modifications, that is the method I employ: one can execute this style with the fluidity of a figure skater doing a triple axle { sic. 'axle' - link to automobile}.
At step 3, transfer weight to the right cheek while simultaneously rotating torso to place right palm on the passenger seat edge.
A slight lean to the right [ which must be mandatory anyway after electing the Republicans - again!] allows the right knee to flex and gain momentum whilst tracking a trajectory beneath the steering wheel.
One is now fully into step 4, and is 'home free'. The intent of this modification is that severe 'butt - twisting' pressure is reduced on the seat cushion - conserving it as nicely as the bolster.
Now for that new title ... maybe something with 'ingress' ....

Ron_H

Let me clarify: I am 6' tall. I will break my leg if I try to first place it into the footwell and then drop down into the seat because it would be wedged between the wheel and the seat. So, I face away from the seat with my back facing perpendicular to the line of travel of the car. I then plop my butt into the seat cushion still facing the same way. I then pull my legs into the car while I rotate my butt by grasping the wheel with my right hand and leaning into the car toward the passenger seat. I barely rub the bolster but I don't care because of the glove.

Of course it would be easier to enter/exit if, after every stop, I moved the seat back a bit and then re-set it when I re-entered.

gruffalo

my method it "stiff right leg".
1. open door
2. put you right leg in first, and aim for the thottle
3. as the right foot is at the throttle, your *** has already fallen into the seat
4. close door