[Jim90046]

Hello 2 addicts, many of us with 2 series convertibles hate the rear seat headrest as they are locked in place and block a lot of the rear view. I know many have actually taken them out and purchased the 5/8 plugs to cap the rod ports.
I did something else. I finally found a set of 2 series coupe rear headrest on eBay. The measurements are identical to the convertible so they fit.
So after the learning curve of getting the stock (USA) headrest out I modified the coupe headrest by cutting off 3 inches off each rod and they slid right in to place.
One thing I would recommend, but you don't have to do it drill a hole towards the bottom of the rod and rod housing and use a bolt with a lock washer to lock them in place. Otherwise a thief could pull them out.
I am very happy with the look and the added visibility.

[freakystyly]

As long as it doesn't interfere with the rollover protection. Not sure how common rollovers are anymore...

I always thought you vert guys had those foldable ones.

[60_Driver]

That’s interesting. My young kids are the only rear seat passengers in my car. I hate the rear visibility with the top up and stock rear headrests. I may look into this.

[Jim90046]

I don't know who started that rumor of the headrest being incorporated into the rollover protection. The rear headrest are not connected to the roll over protection. So do not be concerned about this.
If any members are interested in converting their rear headrest, I'll be happy to guide you through the process. Jim

[BlueberryPie]

Looks great! I did the plugs not knowing about this possibility, but will keep my eyes open for some used coupe headrests now.

How much clearance is there from the back of these headrests to the roll-over protection area? That may have been what the comment above was about - it looks like these go back further than the stock headrests, but that may just be the angle of the pictures.

[Jim90046]

Hi Blueberry, even in the down position I don't believe this woul interfere with the deployment of the rollbars. In the event that you did have rear passengers, when you put the headrest in the up position they have as much clearance as the stock headrest. The headrest lock in position.

[jzeiler4]

Clearly it is over the edge of the roll over mechanism. If BMW was OK with the coupe headrests why did they make different ones for the F23?

[Nickies]

Originally Posted by jzeiler4

Clearly it is over the edge of the roll over mechanism. If BMW was OK with the coupe headrests why did they make different ones for the F23?

I agree with you. This is a modification that can cause a serious safety issue.

[Oltimer]

Originally Posted by Jim90046

I don't know who started that rumor of the headrest being incorporated into the rollover protection. The rear headrest are not connected to the roll over protection. So do not be concerned about this.
If any members are interested in converting their rear headrest, I'll be happy to guide you through the process. Jim

I don't think its a rumour exactly, I think it comes from the e46 vert where the rear headrest played a the major part of the rollover protection as it pops up if the car rolls and reaches certain point! but making the headrests a little higher as in the 2 series this makes the pop up system unnecessary.

[Jim90046]

I had said they are over, but when they are in the up position they clear as much as the stock headrest. So to be clear, in the event that you have rear seat passengers, you can flip the headrest up. When you do this they clear the rollbar covers as much as the stock overs do. Furthermore the headrest lock into place.
If anyone needs me to post a picture of the headrest in the up position I will be more than happy to do that.
I'm not here to debate the safety of the rollbar system being compromised by removing the stock headrest. I know it's technically illegal not to have them and this is why I didn't go the remove and plug with the 5/8 cover. I have researched my particular BMW and have found no literature pertaining to headrest being part of the rollover protection. Headrest are required as in the event of a collision they keep your head from snapping back, and possibly being injured by deploying rollbars. The mod I've made will do just that when in the up position.
This is my 8th convertible BMW and I've researched any mod I've ever made.
If you look at my other mod on my 2012 135i you'll see it came with rear headrest you could not push all the way down. I modified one of the rods as there was a plug to keep you from doing just that. Not the European model, just the USA model. One of my best friends is the fleet manager at a well known BMW dealerdhip in my hometown. He told me that the USA has stricter safety guidelines that obviously their European counterparts don't agree with. Hence the reason you can't remove your rear headrest and in Europe they can, and they adjust.
So in closing, use your own judgement. If you believe this is unsafe, then don't do it. As for me I am an engineer (not automotive) but I have a keen sense of how things work. I see no reason you can not put in these headrest and not have the same level of safety as with the stock headrest, as long as you lock them into the up position with rear passengers.

[Kernel Kurtz]

I don't have a vert and have no skin in the game, but I think the question is whether they will interfere with rollbar deployment when you don't have rear seat passengers, because the roll bars are not just to protect them.

Myself, I'd probably do what I do with my coupe, where I find even the folded headrests reduce rear visibility. I take them off and put them in the trunk, and on the rare occasion I have a back seat passenger I put them back. Obviously if you carry passengers often this will be a hassle. I rarely do so it works for me.

[Jim90046]

Yes, that would be nice, but as you know the US version has headrest that are locked into place. The only thing I did was turn my backseat into the European model.
I always disliked them. I have been looking for a solution since I purchased the car 4 years ago. I usually lease a BMW every three years. When BMW decided to discontinue the convertible 2, I was scrambling to find a replacement. I test drove a Audi A5 and the new BMW 4 series convertible. I didn't like either. I like smaller cars living in Los Angeles. So I thought about it and said, Im going to purchase the one I have. It was a great decision.
No this is not the fastest BMW I've ever owned, but it's my favorite. I have had a 135i, M2, and many 3 series. I love this 230i. The bonus is living so close to my employment I only have 26000 miles on it.
I think I will post close up pictures of the headrest in the down position and the up position. Cheers!

[Jim90046]

This is images of the headrest mod down, and up.

[freakystyly]

The headrests are on a hinge anyways, so the bar system shouldn't be interfered with very much. It would just push them in the up position rather quickly. Which could be uncomfortable for a rear passenger beyond the actual flipping of the car... It's a useful mod though, visibility sucks sometimes with those huge headrests. I take it for granted with them being always folded down.

Either way, drive safe out there and I hope you'll never see those bars.

[Kernel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by Jim90046

Yes, that would be nice, but as you know the US version has headrest that are locked into place.

How did you manage to swap them then?

The only thing I did was turn my backseat into the European model.

Fair enough, if that is the case probably no big deal. I'd guess the rollbars will just snap the lock on the headrest folding mechanism if they deploy. It does not need to be very strong as it is not really a load bearing part.

[Jim90046]

Here's the thing, if I had a rear passenger I would lock the headrest in the up position.

Changing them out is easy when you master the learning curve.

1. After opening your top take off the wind deflector if you have it on your car.
2. Lower the back seat to expose the headrest housings.
3.With a pry bar or large blade screwdriver start at the top left and gently start prying the cover off. Do it in increments, left the left side a little, then the right. When the cover pops off the bottom has a tongue that slides into a slot in the carpet.
4. This is the hardest part of the process. You will see a set of ports on both rods on each side. You need to push up under the plastic tabs.You might need help. I pulled it off alone.Once you have the plastic sleeves spread, give the headrest a good tug and they should come out fairly easy. Now you're home free!
5. If you're replacing the stock headrest with the coupe headrest like I did, the only thing you need to do is use a metal saw or better yet a tubing cutter to take off about 3 inches of each rod. There is a tension spring towards the top of the rod housing that will keep them snug.
6.This is optional. To prevent a thief from just pulling the headrest out I drilled a hole on one rod of each headrest. Than I installed a small bolt through the rod and locked it with a lock washer and of course do this before putting the covers back on.

That's it! If you choose to do the mod I hope these instructions made it easier for you. ✌️

[Kernel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by Jim90046

=
6.This is optional. To prevent a thief from just pulling the headrest out I drilled a hole on one rod of each headrest. Than I installed a small bolt through the rod and locked it with a lock washer and of course do this before putting the covers back on.

Thanks, I guess that is the key. If you want to be able to completely install and uninstall them quickly like I do, then there is probably no easy way around making them more vulnerable to theft, which fortunately for me is probably a bigger problem on a vert than a coupe.

Cheers.

[jzeiler4]

FWIW the headrests in my 2021 F23 were easy to pull right out and reinsert if I have a passenger. Looks cleaner without anything back there. The E46 rollover protection went THROUGH the headrests on the verts and they were not removable. I had one. But you are probably OK as the bars would push up the folded over head rests anyway.

[Nickies]

Originally Posted by jzeiler4

FWIW the headrests in my 2021 F23 were easy to pull right out and reinsert if I have a passenger. Looks cleaner without anything back there. The E46 rollover protection went THROUGH the headrests on the verts and they were not removable. I had one. But you are probably OK as the bars would push up the folded over head rests anyway.

In the event of a collision, no insurance company would cover damage and SERIOUS injuries because this is a mod not approved by OEM. Period.

[Jim90046]

Well I'm glad you're so adamant about the law pertaining to mods but you're wrong! You only have to make your insurance provider aware of the mod, and for interior mods there are only a few exceptions that will raise your insurance rates. Rear headrest are not one of them.

I called my insurance company today. My adjuster told me that headrest are mandatory for front seats only, but if your car came with rear headrest we recommend you keep them on. I sent pictures of my modification. I was told these are fine and they're properly installed. He also said this is really a non-issue with us as you have roll over protection, which is a big plus as far as insurance rates go for a convertible.

So in closing very few modifications will get your auto insurance concealed, but you should make them aware of the modification which I did. There is no problem with my mod.

[jzeiler4]

From the manual.

[harma24]

It looks like there's only one way to resolve this debate. Jim, I'd suggest you go roll your convertible with the headrests folded to see if the rollover protection still works. But we need a volunteer with an unmodified convertible to roll their car as well for comparison's sake. Any takers?



I've never seen the rollover protection deploy. I suspect it wouldn't be an issue and it would just force a folded headrest into the upright position. But it's also possible that it could come out with such force that in tears into the headrest before flipping it up, interfering with the deployment.