It's ALMOST cold... Seat Heater thread

[iNeon]

You're telling me wire, a pair of fuses, two switches and two relays will cost me 130 bux?

The pads are installed in the seats-- I just have to wire them to power and switches.

[Jeremy5848]

Maybe $30 unless you spring for the timed relays. They would be expensive from the factory. At the junkyard they will just be "relays" at a couple of dollars apiece.

It would be a good idea to find out how much current each seat heater draws -- have an ammeter? Most VOMs have an amps mode that will do what you want.

If you can get a circuit diagram for the car that the seat heaters came out of, you can duplicate the circuit. I don't know if there is anything to regulate the current through the heaters or if they're either "ON" or "OFF." If the latter, a timed relay as was suggested would be a good idea. Push the button to heat the seat; if not enough, push it again. Can't forget and leave it on.

I have had heated handgrips on my BMW motorcycle for ages and also a heated vest. You can get them with all sorts of fancy thermostatic controllers but I find that simple is better. A switch under each handgrip switch assembly can be flicked by a finger tip. Left side controls the handgrips and right side the vest. Works great.

Jeremy

[Mistel]

I have heated seats in my 85 300td. I was looking at them recently and it looks like MB uses a sensor to shut off the heater when it gets to hot. I don't know this for sure but there was a plug for the pads in the seat then another plug that I assume is the sensor to shut it off, all on the same wire in series.

Peter

[iNeon]

They're in and warming my rear when I need it!

I got the switches/relays/wiring harnesses from a 500SEL at the pull a part. the one caveat being that Mercedes uses a separate plug for the backrest and the seat bottom, so I only needed one of the plugs since I'm using Volvo elements that use a single element for both.

Cost around $40.00 without counting mistakes and supplies bought and not used

Somewhere along the process of putting it togehter the lights for the rear dome light and the rear defrost stopped working-- durn it.

Anyone have an early 240D parts car? PM me if so-- I need some trim pieces.. going back to all black. I broke the upper switch panel reinstalling it all.

Here's a picture-- apologies for it being so bad!