I'd love to add heated seats to the Panda, provided all of the challenges of adding them are worth it for the result.

There are a few types of kits online, some sold even by reputable Land Rover specialists etc. So I'm assuming they're safe and sell in big enough numbers, and as some have guarantees then they should be of decent quality.

I can imagine this involves the following challenges:

- Wiring them in safely with the battery or to another wire.
- Hiding the wires
- Removing the front seats
- Stripping back the upholstery a bit
- Refitting
- Hiding wires
- Drilling holes for the switches
- Trying to not f*ck anything up in the process


Has anyone on here successfully tried it and lived to tell the tale?

I would sincerely adore this feature on cold winters (and summers mornings) and assuming it won't run my battery flat I'd be willing to put reasonable effort in to try and add heated seats.

Thanks

Is the UK really THAT cold?

Fit a block heater and plug in an hour before you use the car. Save petrol and saves wear & tear on the engine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coolant-B...916341?hash=item35d215e2b5:g:KwwAAMXQC-tS~HtX

A second heater pad under the sump to warm the oil is also worthwhile.

Failing that google "heated seat covers for cars"

The hardest part is pulling the seats apart to fit them and put it all back together again keeping the tension in the seat covers.

You'll need to wire them to an ignition live otherwise they will kill your battery quickly when the car is not running.

For a panda you will need to get a set with small enough heat pads to fit as land rovers have big big seats and use very large pads remember the pad will need to fit between the stitching and patterns of the seat upholstery.

Make sure you leave enough wire between the seat and the car floor so that the seat can be moved without pulling the wires.

You will also need to route the wiring under the carpet in such a way that they won't get damaged by the seats being put back in on top of them or by people's feet squashing or damaging them under the carpet, so best to route them around the edges and up under the dash.

Depending on how much power the seat heaters use you may be able to tap into an existing wire but more likely you'll need to tap into the battery and install an ignition relay

You will need a relay because there wont be an ignition controlled source with enough capacity to cope. Run the wires with the seat pressure/seatbelt sensors.

TBH a block heater (like the one on eBay) looks easier to fit, probably no more money saves petrol and engine wear.

DaveMcT said:

Is the UK really THAT cold?

Fit a block heater and plug in an hour before you use the car. Save petrol and saves wear & tear on the engine.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Coolant-B...916341?hash=item35d215e2b5:g:KwwAAMXQC-tS~HtX

A second heater pad under the sump to warm the oil is also worthwhile.

Failing that google "heated seat covers for cars"

Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused.

He's asked about retrofitting seatwarmers...for the seats. You've recommended he fit a block warmer for a few hundred pounds, that requires a mains supply be fitted for around an hour before he wants to drive anywhere.


Is that not like asking for a sandwich, then getting a recommendation that you home cook a lobster?

I had heated seats in both my Volvo and Porsche, and they were fantastic. It was minus 4 degrees Centigrade this morning, and they would have been a godsend, but lack of leather in the Panda does reduce the cold a little.


To the OP - I think a few people have retrofitted them to Multiplas on here, might be worth a search/post.

Okay well I'm confident now from this FiatForum'er we can do the wiring with the kit as the relays and fuses and switches all seem to be pre-setup.


What we're concerned about now, is stripping down the seat fabric to slot the pads inside and put it back together correctly.

Can amateurs do this adequately?!

many a cars burnt out due to seat warmers/ wiring /switching
if fitted by manufacturer i love em
i wouldn't recommend a retrofit
just buy some huggy warmer seat covers

I did mine 4 years ago wouldnt be without them are the business on winter days it not simple to do but not rocket science either

https://www.fiatforum.com/panda/315679-heated-seats-how-2-a.html

chuff said:

I'm a bit confused.

He's asked about retrofitting seatwarmers...for the seats. You've recommended he fit a block warmer for a few hundred pounds, that requires a mains supply be fitted for around an hour before he wants to drive anywhere.


Is that not like asking for a sandwich, then getting a recommendation that you home cook a lobster?

I had heated seats in both my Volvo and Porsche, and they were fantastic. It was minus 4 degrees Centigrade this morning, and they would have been a godsend, but lack of leather in the Panda does reduce the cold a little.


To the OP - I think a few people have retrofitted them to Multiplas on here, might be worth a search/post.

Click to expand...

Check out the prices.
Heated seat elements £20 to £50 per seat if you can get the right size plus upholstery work. The suggested block heater was £100 pus an extension lead - hardly breaking the bank. It also improves mpg which can't be bad.

If you can find seats to fit complete with heaters then fair enough but they are likely to cost hundreds.
Heres one. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Seat-Fiat...376158?hash=item3cfef3011e:g:T30AAOSwu4BVrfwr

If you want the cheap and nasty end of the scale. This will get warm until the elements break. It clearly fits the seat very well. Oh yes!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Luxury-He...344824?hash=item5d6c71a1b8:g:wiIAAOSwT5tWJO49

On the other hand why not man up and buy a coat?

There we go OP..

Much easier solution is to apparently go out an hour earlier before you want to go anywhere, plug the car in (provided you have a driveway), and then suffer with higher electricity bills instead of using the 'free' electric your car makes.

Brought to you by Heath Robinson seat warmers ltd

Or just drive like a loony.
That'll get you hot where it matters.

Or get you into hot water!

A nice guy on here said if he could find a kit he bought years ago but didn't fit, he'd send it to me for the cost of the postage.

So if he does that I'll definitely be fitting them.

Is it a stupid idea to picture cutting a slice (bottom of backrest/rear most edge of the flat seat base) and slide in the heating elements and stitch them back up?

Just avoids messing up the seats and would also allow for a way of removing them should I ever have a need to.

Seat fabric is on its last legs these days anyway :-( it's got cotton balls all over them and they lift up out of shape when you get off the seat

chuff said:

There we go OP..

Much easier solution is to apparently go out an hour earlier before you want to go anywhere, plug the car in (provided you have a driveway), and then suffer with higher electricity bills instead of using the 'free' electric your car makes.

Brought to you by Heath Robinson seat warmers ltd

Click to expand...

Electricity will cost 2p compared to all the petrol used by a cold engine. But as everyone in UK seems to think shorts and T shirts are winter wear, the only answer is an electric blanket for the car seat.

Puurlease!

Still trying to rail road the conversation onto engine heaters ??

Anyway, you can buy heated seat set ups from eBay for not a lot of money and they are all fairly good quality.

A properly installed setup with appropriate fuses is not going to cause a fire, lots of scare mongering going on

AndyRKett said:

Still trying to rail road the conversation onto engine heaters ??

Anyway, you can buy heated seat set ups from eBay for not a lot of money and they are all fairly good quality.

A properly installed setup with appropriate fuses is not going to cause a fire, lots of scare mongering going on

Click to expand...

Indeed.

It's too warm in the UK for heated seats (a common factory item on most luxury brands), but apparently we all need to start fitting a block heater, like you'd get on a Lada.


I loved having heated seats, especially the ones in the Volvo. I imagine a certain poster wouldn't even have an electric blanket - it's far easier to run a water bed off a combi boiler. Probably....:yum:

In UK, nobody NEEDS heated seats and nobody NEEDs a block heater.

The latter was suggested because it makes the car nice and warm for those who think T shirts and shorts are adequate garments for January, with the ADDED benefit of reducing engine wear and improving fuel consumption.

Get a grip folks.

DaveMcT said:

In UK, nobody NEEDS heated seats and nobody NEEDs a block heater.

The latter was suggested because it makes the car nice and warm for those who think T shirts and shorts are adequate garments for January, with the ADDED benefit of reducing engine wear and improving fuel consumption.

Get a grip folks.

Click to expand...

I beg to differ - some of us with back or shoulder injuries (from myopic Vauxhall drivers writing off a previous car) need heated seats in the winter to prevent back pain. I do not drive in just a t-shirt in January and I do have a grip, thank-you very much...

In answer to the OP... I fitted a pair of seat heaters to our Panda, bought from e-bay. An afternoon's work - dismantle seats, remove covers, fit heater elements, wire in using relays supplied in kit, recover / reassemble seats, test... Lovely ! Highly recommended...

JR45 said:

I beg to differ - some of us with back or shoulder injuries (from myopic Vauxhall drivers writing off a previous car) need heated seats in the winter to prevent back pain. I do not drive in just a t-shirt in January and I do have a grip, thank-you very much...

Click to expand...

I find them very soothing for my back pain winter and summer, yep I drive around in the hot summer sun with the roof down wearing sun cream and the air con blowing in my face..... with the seat heaters on.

I appreciate EVERYONE's suggestions on the topic and opinions on the Heated Seats. Thank you for getting back to me.

I wouldn't act like I need[/I them but it'd be a nice 1) DIY project, 2) absurd but luxury feature and 3) keep away the demon notion of ever selling my car!

A guy on here is sending me a kit so if / when that happens I'll be reading through this thread when it comes to installing them!

I will need to get some universal - though I hate them - seat covers first and possibly fit them over the existing fabric as nobody has said it'd be easy so I'm best avoiding it.

Thanks Fiat Forum! :worship:

I make my living sorting out people's back pain.

Get the fundamental reason sorted and back pain will go away. For those with old injuries or who just put up with mechanical back pain for too long, then it's fair to say that symptomatic fixes will help. But having all joints moving at their best will reduce pain and increase anyone's physical performance.

There was a time when I needed a really good car seat to be able to drive any distance at all (L5 disc prolapse, probably triggered by poor lumbar and pelvic mobility). Vauxhaul seats were impossible to sit in. Audi Sports seats were great. I suspect the Panda seats would not have met my needs at the time.

The guy who sorted me out was so good that I went and did the training to do the same for other people.