So here's a weird one: I've had my 08 550i (with the sport package/20-way seats) since december 2010, and it's been absolutely wonderful. however, over this last christmas season we've done a good 2,000 miles worth of driving, and i've consistently noticed that my backrest seems extremely uncomfortable now.

At first I attributed it to the fact that i was wearing a jacket while driving, and then kind of didn't notice it, but gradually it's become the only thing I can think about now when i'm driving - the bottom of the backrest on the driver's seat is constantly pushing into my kidneys/making the curve in my back go further back at weird angles, and generally causing lower back pain. it's almost as if there is a huge lumbar jutting right into my kidneys, and i think it might be the cushioning.

i've tried everything to get rid of it - adjusting the seats and the lumbar from fully inflated to nothing at all, even driving without my wallet. the leather in the driver's seat is noticeable softer now than the passenger seat, so i wonder if it's just wear, but it's almost as if the padding just disappeared and now i have this uncomfortable seat poking me constantly in the lower back. it's making me angry now when i drive!

my wife said she noticed the same thing after i asked her, but the passenger side still feels great. we tried running our hands over each to see if there was a big difference, but it doesn't seem that way to the touch of the hand - only when you sit in it.

has anybody noticed or had experience with this? i wonder if the padding slipped from the upper back to bunch up in the lower?

any ideas on what it is (or if it's just in my head), or how it might be fixed? it's gotten to the point where, when i'm driving, if it's just to the corner gas station, i can only think about how uncomfortable the backrest is.

 

I've noticed the right side of the back rest is loose in whatever holds it to the seat bottom. The left side is tight. This means that the seat back is allowed to twist slightly so that the right side is more rearward than the left side. I haven't had a chance to dig in and see whats going on yet.