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Since i've done the Onboard computer and Cruise control i decided to start my next project of installing the factory heated seat elements into my car :mischeif:
Parts needed are as follows,
- Seat heater elements, seat back and base,
- Wiring looms, one is for power with two relays, and the other for connecting the switches and connecting to instrument illumination,
- Dash Switches x2,
Seat install,
The seat heaters i got came from an avant so they were a different part number, i can only assume because the avant seats don’t fold forward. From memory the Coupe elements were almost twice the price of the avant seat elements. I can tell you for sure the avant elements work perfectly in a coupe seat.
Taking the seat apart is fairly easy, when you remove the two plastic trims on each side there is a clip that holds the seat onto its pivot point. Unclip those and the back part of the seat separates from the base.
Lie the back part face down so you are looking at the back of the seat where the map holder is. Down the very bottom there are two screws to remove, and then with a flat head screwdriver prise the edge of the material away from the plastic centre and it will pop out, it’s just a force fit to the back part. Once you have done that on each side the back panel will lift out. There are four tabs that the material is held on with at the bottom, prise them back and release the material. Turn the seat over and the middle part of the seat backrest will lift up. The backrest consists of a hard back layer, a half inch layer of foam, and then the cloth cover wrapped around it and stapled onto the hard backing part. The cloth is sewn onto the foam part so you have to place the heater element between the foam and hard backing layer. Using a long ruler you can slide the heater element down the back part of the seat back into position, route the cable out the side of the seat nearest the centre of the car and re-assemble the reverse of above.
The seat base it a little more tricky, when you have the base upside down start from the back and unclip the black trim piece of carpet, on each side you will see a wire hooked around the seat frame, this is what keeps the bottom cover tight onto the seat. Unhook the wire each side to release the tension. There is also four metal tabs on each side where the seat cover is hooked over, bend them back and release the cover material. If you then turn the seat over you can pull the cover up off the base and it will come away in your hand with the foam base attached.
The foam base has two metal rods running through it that the top cover clips onto with hog rings. Have a look at the back edge of the material and you will see there is a metal rod sewn into the top cover that hooks onto the metal rods in the foam with three hog rings, snip them off and you can slide your hand in between the cover and seat foam. This is small section just under you backside. Same as above slide the heater element in between the cover cloth and foam with the aid of a ruler, then using new hog rings crimp the metal rods to each other again. The foam base already has a hole running through it for the cable, push that through and leave it sticking out the bottom of the seat, then re-assemble is reverse of removal in true Haynes manual style
When you have the seat together again you need to connect the wires from the backrest heater to the plug on the bottom heater. If the seat heaters came out of another car the wire will have been cut in order to get it out.
Wiring Loom install: Note do this BEFORE you put the seats back in. BTDT
The entire loom is self contained, I started by removing the centre console around the handbrake and routed each cable under the carpet and out under the seat where the seat mount is, then working forwards I removed the centre console around the gearlever and routed the entire loom up the back of the aux gauges and out above the drivers feet. At this stage you can refit the centre console bits and put the seats back in.
The loom consists of the following,
Two grey plugs = Each seat connector
Yellow plug = connect to smaller loom for switches
Two relay sockets = with relays to turn power on/off to the elements
30amp fuse and holder = it’s a fuse
Spade connector with fat red wire = main power to system, 30amp switched
Earth cable = eye type
Small loom consists of,
Yellow plug = connect to main loom
Two back plugs = plug into each switch
Small earth cable = eye type too
Yellow/black cable with spade connector = connect to instrument illumination.
Route the small loom up to the switches and connect them together, then plug the yellow plug into the main loom, the other two cables get routed above the driver feet to the aux relay panel under the dash with the main loom.
At this stage all you have to do is plug the remaining connections in under the dash.
-Two Relay sockets, these clip onto the side of the aux relay panel under the dash, nice and tidy.
-Earth cables, large one on main loom, and small one from switch loom connect onto the common earth point above the bonnet release. There both an eye type connecter that slide over the stud and get held on with a 10mm nut.
-Instrument illumination, on the aux fuse board there is a big yellow connector that takes 9 spade connections, there all wired together and only get power when the key is in the ignition, you guessed it this is the common instrument light circuit that’s lights up all the switches when the ignition is on, just plug the yellow/black wire in and the switches light up with everything else. (There was some talk about finding this for wiring in stereos a while back, now you know it’s a big yellow connector with lots of free ports ;-)
-Fuse and holder, this clips onto the front edge of the fusebox under the bonnet, if you look at the cover position 23 was for heated seats on my car, clip it in that position for the stock look ;-)
- Big red main power cable, on the bottom side of the fuse box there is a big spade connection free, this is the 30amp switched rail on the fusebox, only gives out power when the key is in the ignition. Plug it in and away you go.
Easy peasy plug and play and it all looks 100% stock, you would never know it was added into the car, I’m chuffed as it heats my backside in about 30secs in the morning
I have plenty of pics from fitting the elements into the seats, if anybody is lost just ask and I’ll try and post a few up.
Hog rings and pliers can be bought cheaply on ebay by the way -> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Hog-Ring-P...QQcmdZViewItem
You could probably bend the old rings and re-use them but for a few quid you might as well do it properly.
Parts needed are as follows,
- Seat heater elements, seat back and base,
- Wiring looms, one is for power with two relays, and the other for connecting the switches and connecting to instrument illumination,
- Dash Switches x2,
Seat install,
The seat heaters i got came from an avant so they were a different part number, i can only assume because the avant seats don’t fold forward. From memory the Coupe elements were almost twice the price of the avant seat elements. I can tell you for sure the avant elements work perfectly in a coupe seat.
Taking the seat apart is fairly easy, when you remove the two plastic trims on each side there is a clip that holds the seat onto its pivot point. Unclip those and the back part of the seat separates from the base.
Lie the back part face down so you are looking at the back of the seat where the map holder is. Down the very bottom there are two screws to remove, and then with a flat head screwdriver prise the edge of the material away from the plastic centre and it will pop out, it’s just a force fit to the back part. Once you have done that on each side the back panel will lift out. There are four tabs that the material is held on with at the bottom, prise them back and release the material. Turn the seat over and the middle part of the seat backrest will lift up. The backrest consists of a hard back layer, a half inch layer of foam, and then the cloth cover wrapped around it and stapled onto the hard backing part. The cloth is sewn onto the foam part so you have to place the heater element between the foam and hard backing layer. Using a long ruler you can slide the heater element down the back part of the seat back into position, route the cable out the side of the seat nearest the centre of the car and re-assemble the reverse of above.
The seat base it a little more tricky, when you have the base upside down start from the back and unclip the black trim piece of carpet, on each side you will see a wire hooked around the seat frame, this is what keeps the bottom cover tight onto the seat. Unhook the wire each side to release the tension. There is also four metal tabs on each side where the seat cover is hooked over, bend them back and release the cover material. If you then turn the seat over you can pull the cover up off the base and it will come away in your hand with the foam base attached.
The foam base has two metal rods running through it that the top cover clips onto with hog rings. Have a look at the back edge of the material and you will see there is a metal rod sewn into the top cover that hooks onto the metal rods in the foam with three hog rings, snip them off and you can slide your hand in between the cover and seat foam. This is small section just under you backside. Same as above slide the heater element in between the cover cloth and foam with the aid of a ruler, then using new hog rings crimp the metal rods to each other again. The foam base already has a hole running through it for the cable, push that through and leave it sticking out the bottom of the seat, then re-assemble is reverse of removal in true Haynes manual style
When you have the seat together again you need to connect the wires from the backrest heater to the plug on the bottom heater. If the seat heaters came out of another car the wire will have been cut in order to get it out.
Wiring Loom install: Note do this BEFORE you put the seats back in. BTDT
The entire loom is self contained, I started by removing the centre console around the handbrake and routed each cable under the carpet and out under the seat where the seat mount is, then working forwards I removed the centre console around the gearlever and routed the entire loom up the back of the aux gauges and out above the drivers feet. At this stage you can refit the centre console bits and put the seats back in.
The loom consists of the following,
Two grey plugs = Each seat connector
Yellow plug = connect to smaller loom for switches
Two relay sockets = with relays to turn power on/off to the elements
30amp fuse and holder = it’s a fuse
Spade connector with fat red wire = main power to system, 30amp switched
Earth cable = eye type
Small loom consists of,
Yellow plug = connect to main loom
Two back plugs = plug into each switch
Small earth cable = eye type too
Yellow/black cable with spade connector = connect to instrument illumination.
Route the small loom up to the switches and connect them together, then plug the yellow plug into the main loom, the other two cables get routed above the driver feet to the aux relay panel under the dash with the main loom.
At this stage all you have to do is plug the remaining connections in under the dash.
-Two Relay sockets, these clip onto the side of the aux relay panel under the dash, nice and tidy.
-Earth cables, large one on main loom, and small one from switch loom connect onto the common earth point above the bonnet release. There both an eye type connecter that slide over the stud and get held on with a 10mm nut.
-Instrument illumination, on the aux fuse board there is a big yellow connector that takes 9 spade connections, there all wired together and only get power when the key is in the ignition, you guessed it this is the common instrument light circuit that’s lights up all the switches when the ignition is on, just plug the yellow/black wire in and the switches light up with everything else. (There was some talk about finding this for wiring in stereos a while back, now you know it’s a big yellow connector with lots of free ports ;-)
-Fuse and holder, this clips onto the front edge of the fusebox under the bonnet, if you look at the cover position 23 was for heated seats on my car, clip it in that position for the stock look ;-)
- Big red main power cable, on the bottom side of the fuse box there is a big spade connection free, this is the 30amp switched rail on the fusebox, only gives out power when the key is in the ignition. Plug it in and away you go.
Easy peasy plug and play and it all looks 100% stock, you would never know it was added into the car, I’m chuffed as it heats my backside in about 30secs in the morning
I have plenty of pics from fitting the elements into the seats, if anybody is lost just ask and I’ll try and post a few up.
Hog rings and pliers can be bought cheaply on ebay by the way -> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Hog-Ring-P...QQcmdZViewItem
You could probably bend the old rings and re-use them but for a few quid you might as well do it properly.
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