Seat Heating - retrofit

[trapdoor]

Have been looking into retrofitting seat heating into my 2004 X3. Am somewhat confused as the ETK retroifit info shows a retrofit kit, with a note that the Switch Unit and Seat Covers to be ordered seperately.

Now, I know I will need a new Switch Unit, which has the seat switches, however the ETK does not show any different seat covers which have heating elements installed.

So, the question is, do the X3 Sports seats come with the heating already installed, and all that is required is a replacement Switch Unit and possibly a fuse (or whatever is in the retrofit kit)?

Has anyone done the retrofit and know what is involved?

Thanks.

[AzNMpower32]

All I can tell you is that the cost and effort into retrofitting these kinds of things isn't worth it. That's why almost no one on this planet has done it.

[trapdoor]

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

All I can tell you is that the cost and effort into retrofitting these kinds of things isn't worth it. That's why almost no one on this planet has done it.

Well yes - and no!

If you take it to a stealer, they want daft money to do retrofits. But as quite a few people have found, actually doing the job yourself isn't always that difficult or costly - take doing Nav retrofits in E46's etc...

If as the heated seats retrofit notes appear to show, the heating pads aren't already installed, then the cost and difficulty would make it unviable. If as it appears by looking at the seat cover parts in the ETK (which doesn't actually list seat heating covers as seperate parts) the seats are ALL fitted with the same covers which actually have the heating elements in, then possibly all that is required is a new switch unit and maybe some wiring (or perhaps not).

There was a comment a while ago on the bmwcarmag forum about seat heating in E46's where someone had done the retrofit as the heating pads were already in the seats - that just needed a replacement switch module, fuse and some link wiring. I am hoping the same is true for the X3

[xnsf]

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...-retrofit.html

not oem, but seems to work nicely

and there was the same discussion of whether or not all seats included the heating element in the X5...

[trapdoor]

Thanks- I have read several articles from different types - I definitely will only go OEM.

My 'confusion' is that there are no 'heated seat cover' parts listed in the ETK - the only covers relate to colour and material, hence my thought that the heating bits are already fitted.

I may have a butchers at the seat wiring as there is a note about the heating element cabling in the WDS - I'll see if I can find the cable colours noted and perhaps stick an avo on to see if they show a heating element type resistance...