Retrofitting heated seats?

Hello everyone,

It's related to electricity, but it seems too minor for the motor forum to ask about .

"Has anyone here had experience with retrofitting seat heaters? Is it even possible to do this using genuine VW/Audi parts, or are you reliant on third-party suppliers?"

It would be best if you could simply buy the necessary parts, such as original switches, a bunch of cables (which you can also find elsewhere), and mats that you can somehow attach to the seats.

Is that possible, or does it require completely different seats? Because if so, it wouldn't be worth the effort...

Currently, I'm using one of those add-on cushions for the cigarette lighter, but it's quite fiddly. However, it works pretty well in short trips with my TDI in this cold weather. So, I'd like to replace it with something more proper.

Does anyone have any experience or advice on this?

Best regards,

Jan.

hi jan6k

I got custom-fit seat covers from ATU and also added heating pads from Waeco (bought on eBay)!

You can certainly disassemble your seat and install heating pads there, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially with sports seats, because it turns into a lot of work (many clips, etc.).

My recommendation: get the seat covers and cushions from Waeco!

you can find it at:
I am sorry, but I cannot access external websites or specific files online, including the one you provided from waeco.de. Therefore, I'm unable to translate the content of that page into English.
(the white ones that can be retrofitted/added later)

Bye.


merlin

Hi Jan,

I also retrofitted heated seats into my car. They're from Conrad (I think they're made by Waeco) and are called 'Magic Heat.' I have sports seats, which were a bit fiddly to disassemble, but it was doable.
I would definitely recommend these mats. They cost 199 Deutschmarks back then, but they were worth it. I'm now using them for my second winter, and they are a great product (especially until the car finally warms up). I've never had any problems with them.

The important thing is that you can 'detach' your seats.
On that occasion, I had unfortunately put the cushion covers directly into the washing machine...

You could just buy the mats and switches directly from Seat (although I think the switch might cost more than the heating system itself).

Best regards,
David.

Hi everyone,

Yes, the switch costs 60 euros.

The seats themselves are "standard VW seats," meaning they are NOT sports seats, which probably makes disassembling them easier than it would be with sports seats.

The only remaining problem is the current cold weather... it's not ideal for working outside. And when it gets warmer, I won't have the motivation. I'll take a look at that, especially regarding the mats, because I actually don't want anything to put on top; even my current Bauhaus heating pad is too cumbersome.

Best regards,

Jan.

Imagine putting a space heater in your car or letting the engine idle .
No, that's really not pleasant in this cold weather...

By the way, the mats are self-adhesive, which means you remove the cover, stick the mats onto the foam, and then put the cover back on.

Subject: Switches: I took the switches from two computer power supplies. Everything fit perfectly into a blanking plate: 2 switches + 2 LEDs, and it looks quite neat.

I'm just saying, it's the Waeco Magic Heat!

The only thing that was really bad was the seat disassembly.
That's why I chose custom-made seat covers from...
Diana is determined (sports seat)! Looks great!
It heats up pretty well!

merlin

Hello,

While my car was being repaired after the accident, I had a loaner vehicle, an A6 (due to needing a tow hitch), which had adjustable seat heaters. It was really nice; with the current temperatures, I'm really missing the heated seats.

DocSnydor wrote:

By the way, the mats are self-adhesive, meaning you remove the cover, stick the mats onto the foam, and then put the cover back on...

The question is, can you remove the seat cover without damaging it, and then put it back on smoothly and wrinkle-free?
If so, I would also install heated seats.

Best regards, Rainer.

I'm just familiar with it from my B4 seats (which are also found in the Golf 3, Polo 6N, etc.).

These are GT seats. In my case, I don't see any difference compared to before; they are wrinkle-free and taut.
But Merlin is right, it was quite a mess.
You don't have to cut anything, break anything off, or anything like that.

DocSnydor wrote:

However, you don't have to cut anything, break anything, or do anything similar.

Sounds good! I was afraid we'd have to unpick seams and then sew them back up. Does anyone know how the original works?
Are the stepless controllers used in the A6, for example, connected to a PWM current source? In other words, is there a separate, affordable control unit available for them (I can't check myself at the moment)?
I still have two blanking plugs available in my center console.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,

I'm also considering adding heated seats.
I have the seats from a G3 GTI-TDI; according to the Volkswagen brochure, they are supposed to be sports seats. Has anyone had experience with removing the seat covers without damaging them?

Hi everyone,

There, I seem to have stirred something up with my question .

I fiddled around under the seat with my fingers today and it felt like there might be something to loosen or release there, and then you could just pull down the cover – is that right?

Are there perhaps any pictures online showing the disassembly of such seats?

Because if you have a general idea of what you're getting into, it might not be so bad after all.

Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to get power? With 45 or 60 watts per seat, that's up to 10 amps, so it's not something you can just tap into anywhere; it needs a proper and powerful power supply.

I'm not sure if a regulator is needed... according to the Waeco description, these devices have a "temperature guard," so nothing should overheat, and if it does get too warm, you can just turn it off... or you can simply use the two settings that the device offers.

The seat switch costs 60 euros, and it might do more than just turn on and off.

I just checked my Dutch manual (the German one is in the car, and it's too cold to go out there), and according to that, this thing is adjustable. It might even include the electronics already, because otherwise, for the original Seat seat heater, all you get besides the mats, cables, and mounting parts is a relay.

Best regards,

Jan.

Sounds good! I was afraid we'd have to unpick seams and then sew them back up. Does anyone know how the original works?
Are the stepless controllers used in the A6, for example, connected to a PWM current source? In other words, is there a separate, affordable control unit available for them (which I can't check myself at the moment)?
I still have two blanking plugs available in my center console.



I can only say this from my Octavia. Well... PWM would be correct... if you take 40 seconds as the cycle time .

No, there's a temperature sensor in the seat. The 'control unit' is just a relay with a simple OP circuit. The regulator is simply a potentiometer. The rest is beginner-level stuff.

take a look at the relay here
It's for both seats, but it's also available individually.

I replaced the resistors that were marked in yellow because the whole thing wasn't getting hot enough. It bends the potentiometer slightly .

Ah, lucky me, the schematic diagram is on my laptop.
R5 is the painted .
The sensor reads 7k3 at approximately 22 degrees.
'At the output of the amplifier, a relay is connected via a transistor. I didn't include that part in my design.'

CU Gremlin

Cool, I never even thought of the idea with the temperature sensor .
Even if the original part is expensive, two temperature-controlled relays from Conrad are not!
If I had the time, that would be a nice activity during the holidays... but for now, I have to install self-leveling compound in the bathroom.

hi,

'I repaired the seat heater in my Golf IV because it burned out. To do this, you need to remove the seat cover and then attach the heating elements – they're very thin and have an adhesive side that you stick onto the foam padding of the seat. You won't even notice them.'
I have Recaro seats installed, and the heating pad for the lower part, which is the seat cushion itself, doesn't cover the backrest. It already cost me around 60 euros.
It would definitely be the most elegant solution for you, but only if you have to buy all the parts from the original manufacturer for both seats, which can be quite expensive.
If you want a photo of the disassembled seat (it's a lot of work), I can send you some pictures.

Hello Rainer!

Die Sitzbezüge sind mit einem angetackerten Kunststoffrand versehen, welche dann an der Unterkante des Sitzes eingehängt werden. Die sind dann relativ einfach heraus zu ziehen. Die Sitzlehnen sind entweder auch mit diesem Kunststoff "Keter", ich glaube so heißt das Ding, eingehängt oder auf Blechhäkchen aufgestochen, die bei der Fertigung dann umgebogen werden. Also die Häkchen zuerst aufbiegen und den Stoff vorsichtig herunterziehen. Die verwendeten Materialien sind sehr stabil, ein einreißen der Löcher und Ecknähte ist aber trotzdem möglich. Die Sitzflächen und Lehnenflächen sind dann meist mit durch Laschen geführten Drähten ( Sind die von außen zu sehenden Nähte in den Vertiefungen des Sitzes) auf den Sitz gespannt. Diese dicUnfortunately, I cannot translate that phrase because it is incomplete. It appears to be cut off mid-sentence. Please provide the full sentence for an accurate translation.er leicht aushängen oder durch Aufbiegen der Enden dann heraus ziehen. An der Lehnen Oberseite gehören jetzt nur mehr die Führungen der Nackenstützen entfernt. Nur mehr ist gut, die halten nämlich oft wie Sau. Dazu empfiehlt es sich, erst einmal alle Arbeiten an der Lehne vorher zu machen die möglich sind, damit man dann in den Sitz hinein greifen kann um die Arretierungen der Führungen besser zu fassen zu bekommen. Die sind meist in eine Querverstrebung der Lehne gesteckt. IIf everything has gone according to plan, there should be a seat frame with foam inserts remaining.

Have fun assembling it, best regards, Peter.

Ich habe in meinen Sitzen auch die Heizung von Waeco drin. Als Sitze habe ich die GT-Sitze. Die Heizung funktioniert prima. Ist relativ schnell warm und auch sehr warm. Ich würde statt des Ein/Aus Schalters die serienmäßigen Rädchen der Sitzheizung zum stufenlosen verstellen wünschen. Leider habe ich diesbezüglich keine Ahnung wie man die originalen Schalter an die Waeco anpasst, da diese eine auch Elektronik beinhalten. Wer dIf she has an idea, she can share it.

The installation is relatively easy and takes about 1-1.5 hours per seat. Nothing needs to be cut, and it's very easy to reassemble it so that it looks like it did before. The most difficult part is unclipping and clipping back the metal supports in the seat cushion (there are 3, which secure the fabric to the foam cushion), as they are very tight and everything feels a bit wobbly. But it can be done. It's best to do this with two people.