Sovereign Heated Seat Retrofit
 

I've just started my heated seat project on my '92 Sovereign. I decided to do the seat bottoms as they are crazy easy to remove from the car, so I could work inside in the warmth.

It's a pretty simple affair. One screw at the front of the seat cushion to release the bracket. Slide the cushion forward off the frame. My Sovereign's leather was secured with a combination of fir-tree fasteners (6 of them), and small black metal clips (about 20). Once these were removed, the leather simply peels back off the foam. I had to cut 3 hog rings to slide the new seat heater mat all the way forward to the front edge. The instructions for the mat go over the specifics about where the mat can be cut, how big the hole, etc.

Once the mat was in place and adhered, and the wire popped through a hole in the foam, I used a combination of zip ties and hog rings to re-secure the leather, then refastened all the clips and fasteners.

The seat backs should be easier. If I can remove the seat-back finishers in the car, I won't have to remove the seats. It would just be a matter of releasing the clips, and sliding the mat up under the leather. That's for another day.

I haven't checked under the ski-slope, but if the factory heated seat connector is there, I will tap into it for fused power, and use the aftermarket switches, mounted in the same position as the factory ones would go. I think they'll match the original seat switches nicely, and they are just about the same size, and give off the same amber glow in a square box as the factory ones (and defroster switch, too).

Here are those clips:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e8c8a09519.jpg

Location of the three hog rings that must be cut:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...bed77e9f1e.jpg

Here's the heater mat slid all the way in:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...1be57e9c1c.jpg

Here's the hole I had to make to allow room for the center hog ring. Note I used strips of adhesive material (included in the kit) to insulate the cut edges of the hole. I also covered the metal listing rod with the adhesive fabric to insulate it too, just in case!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0a14d13b24.jpg

Here's what the switches look like. They will blend pretty well with the factory switches, as they're the same size and pretty unobtrusive (not round, etc.)
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a6078c21f9.jpg
Hopefully I can get the seat backs done tomorrow and work on the wiring too! Many more projects to go before winter really sets in. All four door seals, trunk seal, door handle gaskets, new antenna mast and correct temperature thermostat to make sure my heater works as best it can.

-Nick

Finished up the driver's seat back today before work. It was probably the easiest to do. I tried removing the seat back finisher with the seat in the car, but this proved to be difficult, so I simply removed the small screw on either side of the finisher, which allowed me some room to get my fingers up under the seat cover cloth and retainers. Luckily, the small metal clips aren't used here, but rather, a modern pair of plastic C-channel clips... Popped them free easily, even doing it blind, and this allowed me all the access I needed to slide the backrest mats up under the leather cover. I trimmed the mat a couple inches shorter, and it fits right up to the crease (where there are more hog rings, just like the seat bottom) which is as far as I'd like to go, otherwise I'd have much more work on my hands.

I wasn't able to located factory plugs under the ski slope, so I'm assuming the harnesses are different from Sovereign and VDP trims. I'll try to run the wires directly to the proper fuses so it's all correct, but I did wire them up temporarily to the Cigar Lighter circuit, and they worked just fine on the trial run 30 minute drive to work.

It looks like it'll be a bit of a challenge to use the factory switch hole that are already cut out of the the center console plastic, but there seems to be black plugs in their place, just beneath the leather. I'm guessing I'll have to cut that out, so I'm thinking of drilling some pilot holes from the inside of the console out, in the corners, then making a slit in the leather, and cutting the black plastic plug out. The good thing is that the factory hole is just about exactly the correct size for my switch. What luck!

Nick on the VDP the seat heater switches are part of the clusters on either side of the trans tunnel (seat adjusters) not on the centre console - at least that's the arrangement on the 94

Larry

Nick, great write-up with lots of detail and photos. I will add retro-fitting heated seats to my bucket list. You will have the warmest Jag in RI once you are finished. Ren

Nick does your seat back have the inflator/lumbar support as well as a heating pad in there?

Larry