Heated Seats

[Disca]

So it appears on the journey to work this morning my nice toasty seat decided to stop achieving the nice toasty heat it normally does and instead manages a lower heat.

Basically feels like the higher setting only reaches the lower setting heat now, I confirmed this by sitting in my car like a fool for 10 minutes when I got home, but in the passenger seat enjoying its heat.

Any easy things to check before I assume it needs new heating elements and send it off to an Indy?

 

[NZ00Z3]

Are you aware that the high heat setting only runs on high for a preset time, then it drops back to low heat?

Pull the head unit and reach down to pop out the switch.

Test the switch inputs and outputs with a voltmeter guided by a wiring diagram.

 

[Disca]

I am indeed aware, and normally hit the high button again after it drops down. Just wasn't getting to the normal temps this evening.
Hmm that sounds beyond my abilities for the moment, and tools!
Maybe I shall get a friend to do that first.

 

[Brian H]

Have you knelt on the seats at all recently? The looms within the seats have been know to braek

 

[Disca]

Nope no kneeling has been done on the seats as far as I can remember!

I would have thought though if the wiring broke there would be no heating up of the seat at all?

 

[Brian H]

You could swap the switches from left to right to rule this out, it is then down to the seat if it stays the same.

 

[Disca]

Good plan

 

[Disca]

So the seat is out, we found the expected split wire and soldered back together however still unable to get a complete circuit when tested with those nice electrical test tools.

Any ideas?

 

[Low Rider]

@Sean d replaced his Zeds seat elements I believe

 

[Disca]

Ok so we put it all back and it seems to work while driving home... are they weight sensitive?

 

[Disca]

Does seem to work now, but I have a hot spot that hurts so replacement is definitely on the cards next if I want working seats again!
Do the MSport seats have back heaters as well as base ones? I thought they did however only the base is getting hot on mine at present and when we had the bottom off I couldn't see any suggestion of a back bit, although I also seem to remember it getting my back rather warm when it used to work!

 

[Sean d]

Does seem to work now, but I have a hot spot that hurts so replacement is definitely on the cards next if I want working seats again!
Do the MSport seats have back heaters as well as base ones? I thought they did however only the base is getting hot on mine at present and when we had the bottom off I couldn't see any suggestion of a back bit, although I also seem to remember it getting my back rather warm when it used to work!

Yes they do have back rest heaters all the way up to your shoulders, I did the same as you and did the solder repair but still not working, @Antm72 put some after market pads in his I believe

 

[Antm72]

Yeah i used an after market carbon fibre heating pad.
The pads are honeycomb in structure so you can cut them to any shape and cut holes in them etc.
As they are honeycomb the circuit is always retained making them versatile to retrofit.
Works very well in the base of my drivers seat.

 

[Sean d]

Yeah i used an after market carbon fibre heating pad.
The pads are honeycomb in structure so you can cut them to any shape and cut holes in them etc.
As they are honeycomb the circuit is always retained making them versatile to retrofit.
Works very well in the base of my drivers seat.

Where did you get them from mate

 

[Disca]

Aye where from, and do they work with the OEM two stage switch?

 

[Sean d]

Just found them
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-seat-...805638?hash=item2a3d951046:g:73EAAOxyhS9TguNW

 

[Antm72]

Beat me to it @Sean d ...Ebay and yeah works fine with the bmw stuff .They are just 2 wire fed pads so i cut the connections off and then made them off to the standard bmw wiring.

 

[Antm72]

Mine where similar to that Sean but the pad was one continuous mesh no gaps.

 

[Disca]

Very tempting considering BMW want somewhere in the region of £150 for the bottom pad alone...
How are they heat wise?
@Antm72 if you have a minute could you dig out the exact ones you used? would rather buy tried and tested if I am going aftermarket!

 

[Antm72]

It was a long time ago i brought the kit it was to repair a seat in a ford focus i had and it worked fine in that application too.
I brought a kit for one seat it wasn't expensive £15ish with the switch and the loom.
Search ebay for heated seat kits you can see the different types the full mesh ones i used you can buy for 14.95 delivered other kits are more expensive but the stuff looks the same...