I know this may sound like a stupid question but..

In a Land Rover I owned the heated seat pads were already installed in the seats even though there were no switches for them and they were non-operational. However all you had to do to make them operational was to install the switches (All the wiring etc.. was already there and hooked up) SO a simple eBay purchase later and I had heated seats in my LR Disco.

Over the weekend while I was installing my satellite radio in my XJ8 and had the center console and dash apart I noticed that all the wiring was there for the heated seats and got to wondering if the seats actually had the heated pads pre-installed and if all I had to do was add the switches to the dash and rear vent.

Anybody have any idea?

 

I was wondering the same thing... Anyone?

 

I guess I will be the Guniea Pig... I ordered the switches off eBay, so we will see.

 

At a guess, you might get really lucky.

It would seem that not including the pads would require two different seat padding configurations on the assembly line. So, they might just take the approach that was taken for the Land Rover.

Seems like a dirty deal to charge for something that is already installed. If they had just included the switch and made it a standard feature it would have made the car even more attractive at very little cost to themselves other than the forgone option sales.

 

I don't think that this is going to work. When I was attempting to install nav on my 04 XJ8 the screen came with a switchpack that had the buttons for heated seats included on it. After the install didn't work out for me I kept the switch pack just to see if my seats might heat up and they didn't. Maybe some cars came with the elements in the seats and some cars didn't?

Maybe yours is one of the ones that did

Mathew

 

yeah, Im kinda doubting it will work but wanted to try anyway.

 

Did you get the Nav working? Can you share details on what is required for the job? I miss navi.

 

If you can install the switches....install some heating elements. I bought one off the net for my 96 and installed it. It's time consuming but well worth it. Or I bet you can find a shop that will pull back the leather and do it. I found elements for $80 a seat.

 

No luck on the back seats.. Amazing all the wiring is there, the swtiches light up and everything, but no heated seats... I went so far as to pull the rear seat out to see if it possibly had wiring tucked away somewhere. No wiring, oh well, next time I take apart the center console/NAV unit I will try the front.. Since spring/summer is approaching fast in the south, heated seats are not as big of a concern now.

 

It takes so long for ther seats to heat up anyway that I would not even bother trying.

 

Mathew, do you still have that switch? My hazard light switch is broken and I would like to replace that switch unit at some point.

Dave

 

I have an extra one.. I Paid $30 for it if you are interested.