Author Topic: Adding heated seats to an older car.  (Read 4094 times)

Offline m_fumich

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Adding heated seats to an older car.
« on: February 19, 2019, 04:10:11 PM »
It seems to me that adding heated seats to any car shouldn’t be that difficult. Shouldn’t I be able to cannibalize the necessary parts from the seats of a car with heated seats and add them to the original seats when they get reupholstered? Heated seats doesn’t sound like something that’s tied in to the ECM on newer cars. It should be a closed system. Is it that simple or am I missing something?


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lostmind

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Offline stokester

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Re: Adding heated seats to an older car.
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2019, 06:48:11 PM »
Keep in mind that depending on the age of your vehicle there may be a passenger presence sensor in the seat.  These sensors operate many different ways depending on the vehicle and year, some are electronic others have a pressure bag for example.  If this system is disabled it will illuminate the airbag light. 

So be careful if you are removing the OEM seat covers, there may even be an airbag.
Nick
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Offline m_fumich

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Re: Adding heated seats to an older car.
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2019, 07:06:58 PM »
https://www.amazon.com/Water-Carbon-Premium-Heated-Setting/dp/B00AKFISW2


That’s a great option and I will keep that in mind. However, I was hoping to build and upgrade this car with all OEM parts. One purpose is to demonstrate what COULD have been built. But since I don’t think there were any OEM Mazda heated seats in 1994, it wouldn’t have been possible to taken them from another model to put into a 323.


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Online john k

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Re: Adding heated seats to an older car.
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2019, 08:38:47 PM »
the ones I have worked on it amazed me how thin and almost fragile the oem units were.   Bear in mind they do fit the seat cushions well,  If moved to an entirely different foam base,  they could flex differently and break the tiny wires.  If  they show any discoloration,  may already been overheated. 

Offline m_fumich

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Re: Adding heated seats to an older car.
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2019, 08:53:50 PM »
the ones I have worked on it amazed me how thin and almost fragile the oem units were.   Bear in mind they do fit the seat cushions well,  If moved to an entirely different foam base,  they could flex differently and break the tiny wires.  If  they show any discoloration,  may already been overheated.

That’s good to know.


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