Have I got heated seats?

[peterbredde]

I'be been driving a 2002 Galant V6 Elegance for 5 years now (my baby), and while cleaning under the drivers seat yesterday I pulled up a flap that revealed a couple of disengaged electric plugs. On closer inspection I also noticed that there is a cable housing that runs up into the seat itself.

I suspect that the necessary gubbins for heated seats are already installed in the seats and that if the original buyer had selected heated seats as an option, the factory, or dealer, would have connected the whole lot up (probably needing some other cables) and put in some switches.

Do you think I'm wrong? If I'm right, does anybody have an experience of installing as a retro fit? I suspect it mught be more bother than it's worth. Could a good auto electrician sort this out for me? Any recommendations?

Oh, and can it be done without it looking like a rubbish after-thought?

Edited by peterbredde on Sunday 17th October 08:39

Edited by peterbredde on Sunday 17th October 08:47

[Strangely Brown]

If you don;t have switches for heated seats then what you have found is most like the wiring for the seat belt warning light?

[peterbredde]

Strangely Brown said:

If you don;t have switches for heated seats then what you have found is most like the wiring for the seat belt warning light?

Thanks for the reply - there is no seat belt warning light, nor are there on any uk galants to my knowledge. Could be intended for the US market though I suppose. There are quite a few hefty looking plugs though. Cheers

[Jakg]

Often the loom may be there (or at least, it is on early Rover 75's) as it doesn't cost much to put it in - they just then add the switch and heating element when required, as they are the "expensive" bits.

[BrewsterBear]

It's likely to be the occupancy sensor for the airbags and/or the trigger for the seatbelt pre-tensioners.

[Dab of oppo]

Plug them in and see what happens - if you get a Christmas tree dashboard (lots of multi coloured pretty lights) then it could be airbag / seatbelts / pre tensioners as already said, if not get in a decent auto eletrician to trace the loom and you MAY just be in luck!

[kambites]

Don't Haynes manuals tell you what each colour means on the wiring loom?

[randomwalk]

if you feel a slight warm spot as you drive you may have heated seats.... then again you may not...

[Timberwolf]

Very common for manufacturers to use the same basic loom across several trim levels. I used to have an Omega in relatively basic specification - you'd often find wires and plugs taped up out of the way where they corresponded to a piece of equipment you'd find on a CDX or something.

As to seats they may have everything in - economies of scale mean it's sometimes cheaper to fit the seat heater electrics to every seat if the majority of the cars will have them anyway.

The main awkwardness is whether it's a "drop in the switch and connect the wires" job, or whether the interior control module is one of those ones that's smart enough to store which optional equipment the car does and doesn't have. In that case you need a dealer's diagnostic equipment to enable it - which they're not always happy about doing.

[jsg612]

No airbags in the side of the seats are there?

[peterbredde]

Thanks guys for all your help. I think I'll just carry on as though I'd never spotted them. It would be nice to have them, but I've never craved them before, and I don't want to risk screwing up what is a mint interior.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

Try pissing yourself whilst you are driving along. It will then feel like you have heated seats albeit only for about 10 seconds. However, if you subsequently get electrocuted then you do actually have heated seats.

HTH

[peterbredde]

Rocksteadyeddie said:

Try pissing yourself whilst you are driving along. It will then feel like you have heated seats albeit only for about 10 seconds. However, if you subsequently get electrocuted then you do actually have heated seats.

HTH

Ok. Will you lend me a pair of jeans?

[Rocksteadyeddie]

peterbredde said:

Rocksteadyeddie said:

Try pissing yourself whilst you are driving along. It will then feel like you have heated seats albeit only for about 10 seconds. However, if you subsequently get electrocuted then you do actually have heated seats.

HTH

Ok. Will you lend me a pair of jeans?

Of course. They are size 32. Don't worry about the stains around the crotch. They are mainly dry.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

1) Seat Occupancy sensor (for airbag/seatbelt)
2) wiring for firing seatbelt pre-tensioner (tube under one side of seat)
3) Some other sensor?
4) Electrically adjustable seat?
5) Airbag in side of seat?

[runboy]

Sort of related to the OP, I read somewhere that Audi/BMW or suchlike are looking to build cars with a lot of stuff already built in, such as seat warmers, and you buy the car with them activated or not. If you want to "upgrade" later you buy a code to tap into the onboard computer which activates the seat warmers. Suppose from a build cost/complexity issue it is cheaper this way.

[dave_s13]

My Volvo V70 drivers side heated seat doesn't work

I bought the car when it was warm and never thought to check. The leather gives you a bit of thermal shock 1st thing in the morning so I'd like to get it working. The button lights up when you press it, Just no subsequent feeling of wetting your pants.

[d3m0n]

I have the same problem with my Mondeo, drivers side s nice and warm BUT the passenger side is still cold and the switch lights up. I would assume that this would mean that there is a break somewhere between the switch and the seat?

[Chiswickboy]

dave_s13 said:

My Volvo V70 drivers side heated seat doesn't work

I bought the car when it was warm and never thought to check. The leather gives you a bit of thermal shock 1st thing in the morning so I'd like to get it working. The button lights up when you press it, Just no subsequent feeling of wetting your pants.

Heated seats are over rated IMHO.

With leather seats they are cold until you get in and turn the ignition on and then switch the seat heater switch on. You still get the cold shock when you get in in winter - and in the summer sun you definitely don't want to wear short shorts!