Retrofitting Heated seats

[LandyAndy]

Talking to my Bro today,he asked if I have heated chairs.No cant say I would ever use them I said.
He is looking for a FFRR/RRS/D3/D4 and will be looking for one with heated seats.
Asked him if he has gone soft.
He tells me he is using a Nissan Pathfinder at work at the moment with heated leather chairs.He also has a stuffed back,so has our sister,we blame mum for passing on genetic defects,we all disowened our father years ago,I say my dad was the postman,my bro says his was the milkman,sis says we are cruel:):):):):):):).Anyhow back on track,he tells me the heated chair works wonders on his back on the way to site to warm it up and also on the way back to the factory when its quite sore.Tells me he is able to go without pain killers.
SO,if I start looking for some heated HSE chairs for mine,I guess they will swap out,and plug into exsisting wiring??? I would also need the dash section with the switching.What about the rest of the chair functions,all plug and play???? Changing the CCF files too and then its all go????
Andrew

[Grentarc]

he tells me the heated chair works wonders on his back on the way to site to warm it up and also on the way back to the factory when its quite sore.Tells me he is able to go without pain killers.


Saab did some studies back in the 80's and discovered that majority of back pain was made a lot worse by sitting in a cold car seat, so since 1986 or so, every Saab came with heated seats - it is the one thing I really miss having on the D4.

I have been looking into it, and you need the seat heater control module (about AU$105 2nd hand on ebay UK) you need the new control panel (about AU$250 2nd hand ebay UK), CCF changes (Priceless) I haven't investigated the wiring side yet though. The relays and fuses are all in place though

[LandyAndy]

Saab did some studies back in the 80's and discovered that majority of back pain was made a lot worse by sitting in a cold car seat, so since 1986 or so, every Saab came with heated seats - it is the one thing I really miss having on the D4.

I have been looking into it, and you need the seat heater control module (about AU$105 2nd hand on ebay UK) you need the new control panel (about AU$250 2nd hand ebay UK), CCF changes (Priceless) I haven't investigated the wiring side yet though. The relays and fuses are all in place though

Cheers Justin.
My thoughts were to get a pair of HSE chairs so I get the armrests and power adjust.
Andrew

[Grentarc]

Cheers Justin.
My thoughts were to get a pair of HSE chairs so I get the armrests and power adjust.
Andrew

No Dramas, the power seats also require their control box, which seems to cost about the same as the heating control module. I have been thinking the same thing, finding some HSE seats and then the colour touch screen so I can have the 4x4 info. Just having a look through my CCF and the following categories

Heating and Ventilation
Auxiliary Fuel Burning Heater
Electric Windshield Defrost
Heated Rear Screen
Park Heater
PTC
Rear Climate Control System
Heated Seats
Seat Material
Smog Sensor
Hevac System Type
Climatic Seats Country
Front Climatic Seats (Heated and Cooled)
Rear Climatic Seats (Heated and Cooled)
Heated Rear Seats
I have already got the heated front screen fitted and enabled, I may as well go the whole Cold Climate pack....:cool:

[LandyAndy]

I would believe SAABs findings.
On our cold mornings,we get plenty at 0 and lower I hobble to the shower,spend way longer than I should in there with the water as hot as I can stand.
By time Im dressed for work no back pain:cool::cool::cool::cool::cool::cool:
Andrew

[Grentarc]

My wife had debilitating back pain for 2 years, and is now at a manageable level - she has been the biggest winner and loser with the D4 - The Saab became her car but driving the D4 hurts less due to seating position, the heated seats in the Saab are great for her back, but putting our son into the D4 means less bending and hurts less - if the D4 had heated seats I am sure she would definitely claim it as her own.

[sheerluck]

I agree 100% with the heated seats helping back pain. And I'm looking to do the install in my D3.

Won't get much use in summer though. Black leather seats in summer....

[Russrobe]

Heated seats are over rated i reckon. That heated steering wheel on a 2degree morning would be priceless. Extremeties first!

[sheerluck]

The thing is, my hands work just fine. It's that long bony bit between head and bum that's knackered. :D

[Basil135]

I was only told this week, that I should have ordered heated seats with the car when I purchased it. This is despite at the time of ordering, I was told to stop being so soft, and suck it up....

Oh, how things change now that SHE is driving MY D4 every day...:mad:

Anywho, this will be an interesting thread, and I shall be conducting investigations.

Either that, or speak to BMKal, and get his guy to make some pure wool seat covers... :angel: Cost would be about the same.

[BMKal]

According to SWMBO, I already have my own inbuilt seat warmer. ;)

Combine that with good quality sheepskin seat covers, and my back is doing very well thank you. :p:p:p

[TerryO]

Hi Andy,

Not many HSE's have heated seats as it was a expensive option, but if you can find some and they are not ridiculously expensive then I'd do it.

When we moved back to Nelson Bay from Goulburn I thought I would never use the heated seats again because it isn't anywhere near as cold but I have found this winter I have been and yes it is good for your back. The full electric captains chairs of a HSE are one of the things that really make the Disco a comfortable bit of kit.

[Chops]

I was only told this week, that I should have ordered heated seats with the car when I purchased it. This is despite at the time of ordering, I was told to stop being so soft, and suck it up....

Oh, how things change now that SHE is driving MY D4 every day...:mad:

Anywho, this will be an interesting thread, and I shall be conducting investigations.

Either that, or speak to BMKal, and get his guy to make some pure wool seat covers... :angel: Cost would be about the same.

My Mrs said the same thing,,, now she has heated seats in hers she complaining because mine won't have. :mad:

[BMKal]

My Mrs said the same thing,,, now she has heated seats in hers she complaining because mine won't have. :mad:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/07/898.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/73k6ottif/) :wasntme:

[Chops]

Ummm, no. I'd much rather smell the leather, hummmmm :D

[disco gazza]

Been looking at heated seats for my rangie.

Have the control panel for the dash,there's an extra connection that I have to work out.
The module under the seat is there,dont know whether its wired up yet.

I'll be watching this thread with interest.

cheers

[wbowner]

I got heated seats put in after I got the car. They were not LR but done by an independent guy.

Cost $500.

When we ordered the car we , I mean my wife, asked for heated seats but as it turned out they were not available on the model we ordered so to keep her happy I got it done.

Seem to work well.


Richard

[LandyAndy]

I got heated seats put in after I got the car. They were not LR but done by an independent guy.

Cost $500.

When we ordered the car we , I mean my wife, asked for heated seats but as it turned out they were not available on the model we ordered so to keep her happy I got it done.

Seem to work well.


Richard

Any more info Richard????
Cheers
Andrew

[wbowner]

Any more info Richard????
Cheers
Andrew
Andrew,
Not sure what else to tell you but I will dump as much as I can and will provide pics of the switches tomorrow if you like.

I am in Canberra and there is a guy who does this sort of thing. Our sales man recommended him. He did a very good job.

We got heaters put in just the front seats , which is normal.
There are 2 heat levels.

Both the seat and back are heated. My wife has heated seats in her Subaru and mine work nearly as good I think, I don't really use them but my wife does.

I am unsure what products were used but I will try and dig out the guys details tomorrow if you like. You could always call him and ask, hopefully he is still in business.

By the way I have a 2014 TDV6.


Richard

[Towcar]

Hi guys,

So have we discovered if doing the OEM retrofit is easy enough? Or is after market the way to go?

I am handy enough and have a new seat base to put in the driver's side.

Cheers

Jeremy

[veebs]

I've looked a little - it's not that easy...

From what I can tell, I need a new set of heater controls (LR070845 I think), to add the heater buttons to the dash, but not add buttons for things I don't have (like rear air, or heated windshield).

Then, you need to add the actual heater pads into the seats - bit of a task, lots of difficult pins and stables to undo/redo

Then there is a control unit, which i think is one for each seat

Using LRDirect as a guide, i'm coming up with:

Seat Back Pads = $137.98
Seat Cushion Pads = $485.02
Control Unit 1 = $154.20
Control Unit 2 = $57.91
Console buttons = $495.89
for a total parts cost of $1331
Plus delivery

This is, of course, assuming whatever cable is needed to plug the heat control units into exists already...

I've read this wasn't a cheap option from factory, and the total parts cost isn't significantly higher than what i would expect them to charge as an optional extra. Still not sure I can justify it though!

[veebs]

So 4 years on, I finally got around to this. The Perth winters are super cold, as you all know... haha.

The part list above is pretty close, you will need 2 heating pads per seat, plus a control unit (note, these are different for the left and right seats), the control unit link cables (very rare), and the ac control buttons.

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Installation isn't the easiest retrofit i've done, and not for the faint of heart...

The centre console buttons are the easiest - plug and play using an ebay unit. Just pay attention to the location of your eject button, as this changed in the facelift. The two aren't physically compatible (trust me on this)

179714

For the seats, its a little more involved.

Start by removing the seat - note you need to also undo the seatbelt anchor bolt, and may need to move the seat forward and back to reach all the bolts. The trim pieces at the back of the seats is the worst part.
Once unbolted, disconnect the battery (to avoid airbag issues), unplug the electrical connection at the bottom of the seat, and remove.

Flip the seat upside down, and there are 4 bolts to undo to remove the seat base. You will also need to remove the green occupancy sensor plug from the electrical housing on the passenger side. Various cables and plugs are attached to the metal base, so take your time here.

179715

Next, you're unclipping the plastic upholstery clips. Kind of push down and bring the top outward to remove from the metal base.

179716
179717
179718

You need to cut the hog ties deep in the valleys of the foam to remove the leather completely.

Next, stick on the heating element (adhesive backed)

179710

Time to reattach the leather, and there are special metal rings used to keep the leather tight on the seat base. Thankfully, I had installed a new fence aroud the property recently and had a metric tonne of these rings left, which worked perfectly

179711
179712

Putting the leather back on is the reverse of taking it off, and honestly, not as hard as I feared.

The seat back is easier - no hog ties to contend with, just unclip the bottom, and you can slide the heat pad right in. There are two little pull cords you can undo to make life easier

It's important to have an ergonomic work area for this...

179713

Then, plug everything in, including the control unit to the main wiring housing on the seat base and reinstall into the car. The car-side wiring is all in place already.

You will need an IID tool to enable the function in the CCF - easy done.

Cruising around with a toasty arse is absolutely lovely. Not a retrofit for everyone, but i certainly appreciate it.

[Arapiles]

Way beyond my skill levels.

It's been freezing here the last few weeks - there was ice on the car windscreens a couple of mornings ago - so I've been taking our CR-V everywhere because it has heated seats.

[veebs]

Looks harder than it is, honestly.

The irony is I had to move our other car out of the garage to make room to work. That car, a VW Tiguan, has heated seats already, so I wasn’t without options…!

I also love the cockpit look of more buttons and no ‘blanks’, but it does mean I now need to retrofit a heated windshield and front parking sensors haha

[Arapiles]

Looks harder than it is, honestly.

Yes, but it took me 5 hours to put a chook shed together last weekend.

[BradC]

Yes, but it took me 5 hours to put a chook shed together last weekend.

What tools could a chook possibly need that warrant a shed to put them in?

[Eric SDV6SE]

What tools could a chook possibly need that warrant a shed to put them in?

Beak sharpeners
Hens teeth toothbrush
Egg polishing equipment

The list goes on....

[veebs]

What tools could a chook possibly need that warrant a shed to put them in?

Somewhere to put her cock?

[BradC]

I now need to retrofit a heated windshield

We had one on the D1, and I have one on the D3. Not a fan.

Aside from the wires impeding GPS reception through the windscreen, the diffraction of oncoming headlights at night is pretty unpleasant when it's really dark.

[chuck]

I had a heated windscreen in the D5 it was fantastic.

No demister noise

But i do live 400m up in regional Victoria.

Most motor trimmers can retro fit heated seats with simple switchgear on the seat bases.

Cheers

[Arapiles]

What tools could a chook possibly need that warrant a shed to put them in?

I just think that it's important for them to have their own space to hang out and make things in.

[Hoges]

Be grateful you don't drive a late model BMW....
BMW Is Now Charging $18 Per Month for Heated Seats in Some Countries (https://www.businessinsider.com/bmw-subscription-features-heated-seats-steering-5-series-2022-7)

[DiscoJeffster]

Be grateful you don't drive a late model BMW....
BMW Is Now Charging $18 Per Month for Heated Seats in Some Countries (https://www.businessinsider.com/bmw-subscription-features-heated-seats-steering-5-series-2022-7)

Perfect. I’ll only subscribe for three months of the year