Many automotive enthusiasts recognize Recaro for their high-quality, performance-oriented car seats. Renowned for superior support and comfort, Recaro seats are often found in sports cars and are a popular upgrade for those seeking enhanced driving experience. Beyond vehicles, the ergonomic design of Recaro seats makes them desirable even for office use. This article details a personal project focused on restoring the functionality of a Recaro Car Seat that found a second life as an office chair, specifically addressing a common issue: a broken tilt adjustment knob.
Recently, I acquired a Recaro office chair at a bargain price. For those unfamiliar, a Recaro office chair is essentially a Recaro car seat mounted on a rolling office chair base. This particular seat was upholstered in an eye-catching orange spectrum fabric, strikingly similar to the Recaro seats in my classic 2002 BMW, affectionately nicknamed Bertha. While not in pristine condition, the office chair seat was a significant improvement over Bertha’s worn-out original seats.
Initially, the plan was to detach the office chair base and install the Recaro seat directly into Bertha. However, the orange spectrum fabric unexpectedly complemented my dining room/office décor so well that it seemed destined to remain as a unique piece of furniture. And truthfully, at $250 for a genuine Recaro seat, even in office chair form, it was a steal – though I wouldn’t have considered spending that much on a regular office chair.
Despite my satisfaction with the purchase, one detail nagged at me: the missing tilt-adjustment knob. In its place was a broken plastic stub, awkwardly secured with a 10mm bolt. The surrounding plastic trim was also absent, but as someone who values function over form, the trim wasn’t a concern. However, an adjustable tilt is essential, even for an office chair.
My first instinct was to source a replacement knob from McMaster-Carr, a go-to supplier for mechanical components. McMaster-Carr’s website is a treasure trove of detailed specifications and reference materials. A search for “comfort-grip through-hole knobs” seemed like a promising starting point.
To specify the correct knob, I needed to determine the hole size and thread type. After removing the 10mm bolt and the remnants of the broken knob, the problem became clear. The shaft for the knob wasn’t a simple cylinder; it had a unique squared-off shape.
This design, preventing slippage, is logical for a seat adjustment knob. However, McMaster-Carr’s catalog, and broader online searches for “square-sided shaft knobs” or “flat-sided shaft knobs,” yielded results with keyways or single flat sides, but not the specific dual flat-sided profile required. Measurements of approximately 1/2-inch for the round part and 3/8-inch for the flat section didn’t lead to a quick solution either. Even if these were standard dimensions, searching with terms like “shaft” or “knob” and those measurements didn’t produce the right part.
Further investigation revealed that the original Recaro knob is a two-part assembly. The inner piece, featuring the squared-off hole, has been discontinued for years. The outer knob then snaps onto this inner piece. Fortunately, Dave Varco of Aardvarc Racing, a specialist in vintage BMW Recaro seats, offers a 3D-printed reproduction of the elusive inner piece for $35 (plus shipping) through eBay and his website. Interestingly, parts diagrams illustrate various knob designs for both circular and squared shafts. Although my office chair seat wasn’t explicitly from a BMW, it appeared to use the same Recaro components.
With a source for the inner piece identified, I turned my attention to finding the outer knob. The BMW part number, 52 10 1 875 826, is still available, albeit at around $30 from dealerships. While a complete, albeit somewhat costly, solution was within reach, the prospect of spending roughly $80 for a two-piece knob set for a budget Recaro office chair triggered my frugal instincts. For those who appreciate a good deal, there’s a reluctance to diminish the value by adding non-bargain priced components to restore full functionality – especially an $80 knob.
Exploring alternative options, I browsed online marketplaces for seat knobs and stumbled upon a promising candidate:
Volkswagen part 191881671, intended for a Mk2 Corrado (Febi part 15950), appeared to be a one-piece knob with the necessary square-sided hole. Further research indicated connections to both Volkswagen and Recaro, suggesting the knob was designed for a Recaro seat originally fitted in the Corrado.
Numerous vendors on eBay and Amazon offered these knobs, mostly located in Eastern Europe, but at very reasonable prices. Opting for a listing with a real product photograph and Febi packaging, I purchased a knob for $9.65 including shipping from Latvia.
Weeks later, the knob arrived. Its appearance strongly suggested it was the correct part. I immediately pressed it onto the seat shaft.
The fit was snug, initially suggesting success.
However, upon removal, closer inspection revealed that the square hole in the knob was slightly smaller than the seat shaft. The tight fit was due to plastic deformation. For its current purpose as an office chair with infrequent adjustments, this solution is adequate. A quick hardware store trip for a suitable Allen-head bolt for the small hole would further secure it. However, for in-car use with frequent adjustments and vibrations, this might not be durable enough.
This Recaro seat knob episode could be seen as another example of being penny-wise and pound-foolish, potentially necessitating buying the correct part later. However, given the low cost and the immediate resolution for the office chair application, it feels more like a practical, cost-effective fix.
Ultimately, while I wouldn’t spend $259.64 for an office chair with adjustable tilt, restoring the Recaro car seat’s functionality for under $10 feels like a win.
—Rob Siegel
