Heated Seats - fitting an aftermarket kit - completed, and with feedback

[Robho]

If a 'permanent' live feed is supplied what stops you forgetting to switch the seats off when parked up and subsequently flattening the battery.  Might a relay driven by the ignition circuit and controlling a heavy duty battery feed be an option?
I have fitted heated seat elements to my 1932 Morris Minor open tourer - a**e like a toasted tea cake - brilliant!

[Robho]

yes, that's exactly the set up. thanks.

[Sol]

Cheers.

May I ask a further question since (unlike the Haynes manual, which describes two fuses) it seems that both the accessory socket and cigarette lighter are on the same fuse - its 20A. I dont have the fuse position with me but I checked mith my multimeter and with the 20A fuse removed both sockets are dead, and with it replaced both have 12V. There are two wires to the accessory socket pink live; and green/yellow earth. And three to the cigarette lighter.

Also, having found the tech spec of the seat pads its says each seat (not each pad, just for clarity) takes 3.4A, i.e. a total of 6.8A with both operating. (from what I recall from college, a long time ago to be fair: power = voltage x current... ie 90W = 12V x 7.5A.. ?)

In the wiring supplied there is a switched live to a relay with permanent live - each of which has a 10A inline fuse.

Whilst looking for a convenient solution - would it be feasible to take the power feed from the accessory socket, since it has a 20 A fuse, plus the protection of the inline 10A fuse.? (In terms of aadditional load, I cant think of any "accessory" I'd use beyond a TomTom)

Thanks for the help..

Yep if the accessory fuse is 20A, it's fine. I forgot the M59 had 2 X 12v sockets. The cig lighter shuts off with the ignition anyway so would be a better bet to ensure it goes off when you're not in the car. And correct, 90W is 7.5A so how can they be 90W each, must be 40.8 Watts each instead @ 3.4A, and 81.6W total? So, only 6.8A max draw.

Are these from China by any chance? (Wish / Alibaba / eBay)

[Robho]

Yep, I'm a bit perplexed by that too!

I chose these ones after reading an excellent review on another forum. Went to the manufacturer (Waeco) who no longer do them, but put me onto a distributor. Whilst waiting for them to respond, I searched "Waeco" on eBay and found the 40W/90W spec and ordered some. But when they arrived, they're not labelled "Waeco" (and here begins another tale).

I'll need to check once I get into the garage - I think they're German.

The quality does seem very good. My trimmer fitted the seat pads and he concurred.

The only issue is the "spec" (perhaps). So, given how far down track I am, it seems sensible to get them working and see if they're warm enough...hopefully so"!

I'll then feedback since I think this is potentially a very good upgrade for not-too-much cash.

[Sol]

Sounds good. If you have a clamp meter that can read DC Amps, it's worth hooking them up to a battery or charger and see what they actually draw, and see if they control their own temperature (need to have a thermocouple or a safety thermal cut-out) before sitting on them while driving, and potentially having problems. Are they CE marked?

I'd go back to the eBay auction you got them from, click the sellers name and check their business address. Chinese copy cat sellers often post in the local, badly translated language including German as they know we trust German suppliers in the UK.

Often, no safety criteria are followed with Chinese products. Heating elements that are not temperature controlled can get really hot, really quick.

[Robho]

Sounds good. If you have a clamp meter that can read DC Amps, it's worth hooking them up to a battery or charger and see what they actually draw, and see if they control their own temperature (need to have a thermocouple or a safety thermal cut-out) before sitting on them while driving, and potentially having problems. Are they CE marked?

I'd go back to the eBay auction you got them from, click the sellers name and check their business address. Chinese copy cat sellers often post in the local, badly translated language including German as they know we trust German suppliers in the UK.

Often, no safety criteria are followed with Chinese products. Heating elements that are not temperature controlled can get really hot, really quick.

All good tips, thanks. 

I dont have a clamp meter...but I'm feeling reassured having got the boxes out and the company name has been changed from Waeco to Dometic...and they are a significant international heating products company based in Germany with multiple international offices.

The boxes do state 40W/90W, which is at odds with the hand book's current ...which made me wonder!

I'll carry on with a little caution and feedback...

cheers

[Sol]

It maybe refers to using one or both seat sets?

[Robho]

Sounds good. If you have a clamp meter that can read DC Amps, it's worth hooking them up to a battery or charger and see what they actually draw, and see if they control their own temperature (need to have a thermocouple or a safety thermal cut-out) before sitting on them while driving, and potentially having problems. Are they CE marked?

I'd go back to the eBay auction you got them from, click the sellers name and check their business address. Chinese copy cat sellers often post in the local, badly translated language including German as they know we trust German suppliers in the UK.

Often, no safety criteria are followed with Chinese products. Heating elements that are not temperature controlled can get really hot, really quick.

All good tips, thanks. 

I dont have a clamp meter...but I'm feeling reassured having got the boxes out and the company name has been changed from Waeco to Dometic...and they are a significant international heating products company based in Germany with multiple international offices.

The boxes do state 40W/90W, which is at odds with the hand book's current ...which made me wonder!

I'll carry on with a little caution and feedback...

cheers

OK, all installed. Here's some feedback for anyone interested in undertaking this upgrade.

Pleased with the result. On the warm up setting (highest) on a -2 deg morning, today, I could feel decent warm through winter clothing after about 2 miles and 'toasty' soon after. 

The kit I bought is made by Dometic, the brand name is Waeco, from eBay. c. £120 for two seats. CE-approved and feels like decent quality. Quite straightforward (apart from one quirk, explained below)

I decided to take the seats out and give them to my local trimmer. If you are 'handy' there's no reason why you couldn't remove the seat coverings yourself. I have a damaged hand from a 'bike accident  - and don't have the grip/strength to pull the material. Prices will vary of course, but my trimmer charged £40+vat per seat, which I thought was fair for a quality job. Depending on your skills/confidence I would have thought 2-3 hours to DIY.

The most fiddly and time-consuming is the wiring. 

First you need to decide where you're going to locate the on/off switches.

I decided to fit the switches in the centre console to the rear of the gear lever. This may be where the OEM ones sit - there are two circular pieces on the underside which I used as a basis for mine. The result looks quite "OE".

Whilst the seats are out, getting access to the console is much better - taking it out of the car to cut the holes is a safer bet for a good quality result, IMHO. The switches each require a 20mm hole

There's an advantage to this location in that you can take the power feed from the accessory socket just in front of the gear lever. This is on a 20amp fuse, as mentioned in the thread, which is fine unless you are going to be running something with a very heavy drain in addition to the seats (note the kit has its own 10A inline fuse, too)

Also with the seats out you can lay out the wiring and tuck out of sight and secure, ready to connect to the underside of your seats, once re-installed.

The wiring is not complicated and the connectors provided only go 'one way'. But it is fiddly. 

I ran into a problem in that the wiring to the switches in my kit had 'lost' the stickers identifying which wire is which (there is an otherwise decent handbook and installation guide, but this bit is not covered). Compounded by the 'quirk' I mentioned above - there is an LED on the switch, which I don't think I'd be the only person to expect the LED to be on when the seats are switched on; and the LED off when the seats switched off? 

I wasted time sodding about to learn once tech support was open that this is not the case. The LED should be on when the heated seats are off...in order to help you locate the switch in the dark (!).  And, thus, when the seats are switch on, the LED is off. This being mentioned in the handbook would have saved a lot of cursing!

In summary, a worthwhile upgrade for winter use, especially if you have the diesel engine takes some time to warm up the interior.

Costs could be kept to c £120 if you are competent to DIY, and it could certainly be done in a weekend, more like a day if you were well-organised and focussed. 

Hope this helps...

[Gryffindor]

Well done; I think this is a very good write-up. maybe it could be put into the How To section?

[Robho]

Well done; I think this is a very good write-up. maybe it could be put into the How To section?

Cheers.

I did try to amend the thread title to at least say "completed, and with feedback" ...but couldn't see how to!