Heated Seat Swap

[CTX-SLPR]

Howdy,

The one option I really wanted that I didn't get on my new 2003 LS is heated seats. Winters in Ohio have taught me to love cars with them. How hard is it to add factory style heaters to my existing seats since they are in prestine shape or would existing heated seats be required due to the side airbags?

Thanks,

 

[macboy]

The '03 and up do not have ordinary heated seats with a simple heating element under the leather. They instead have ventilated seats with a blower fan, tubing throughout the seat, and an electro-thermal (peltier) device like those used in those mini-fridge/coolers. Due to this technology they can both heat and cool. The air is heated or cooled and circulated via tubing throughout the seat and through the perforated leather. I don't think it would be an easy retrofit. But you could get generic heating elements and have them installed in your seats and wired up to a switch somewhere.

 

[DeviLSh]

i was looking at an 05 the other day w/ cooled seats. How well do they work? I have heard on other cars that they're great. (sorry didnt mean to hijakc this thread)

 

[glanga]

I like them a lot. My girlfreind says they make you feel like you peed your pants. If it gets too hot or you have them on for a while then you don't even notice them. They cool down really quick though. Definentely a cute little luxury.

And you should just get a massage mat with a heater in it. Then your set.

 

[CTX-SLPR]

Ah... wonderful info. I guess that it would be a Premium only option then with the heated and cooled seats? Would Ford have been as kind as GM often is to have the harness inplace for adding this option without having them in the car already?

Out of curiousity, I wonder which would be more efficient, running just the vent and the cooled seats or the AC?

 

[glanga]

When my a/c is on there is a noticeable performance loss. none with the seats. i dont see why there would be one

 

[scjmc]

If you get the factory heating elements from the dealer for an 02 LS they are only like 18$ each and have a simple 2 wire connector.

 

[CTX-SLPR]

Where are the switches located? I've located a set of colour matched, lower mileage even heated seats at a wrecking yard sorta nearby so I'd like to start working on the fine details of the whole project.

Thanks,

 

[SoonerLS]

The control buttons for the climate-controlled seats are on the DATC control panel (between the ash tray and head unit). It looks like everything you need should be in the climate-controlled seat and the DATC control panel, as long as the wires are there in the connection between the seat and the harness in the floorpan.