Seat heater part #?

[5kcstq]

    I have successfully repaired seat heating elements on three different cars.  I also haven't
had one of my splices cause any long term problems.  I think the key to a long term fix is to
cut the element padding enough to have a lot of slack in the wire, and to make sure and cover
your splice with well fitting shrink tube.

    I have also noticed that the earlier cars use a silver wire, which is extremely hard to solder,
and the later cars actually use copper wire, which is a piece of cake to solder.

    On my 87 5kcstq, the biggest problem was that at 200k+ miles, the element was breaking in different
places every six months or so.  I wound up doing that seat four times... Oh, and somehow, the seats are
intelligent enough to know when the outside temp is below 20F, so that they can quickly cease to function.
HTH,

Tim Sexton

94 S4
87 5kcstq
86 4kcsq





 > From: "Doyt W. Echelberger" <Doyt at buckeye-express.com <mailto:Doyt at buckeye-express.com>>
> Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 11:18:13 -0500
> To: quattro at audifans.com <mailto:quattro at audifans.com>
> Subject: Seat heater repair success?
>> Two years ago, after reading everything in the archives, I took apart 4
> front seats and found  at least two breaks in each seat element. I then
> twisted and soldered each break. None of the repairs is functional today.
> Right away, each seat developed hot spots at the repair points, and the
> heating elements failed soon after.
>> The hot spots were so hot that you would want to remove your hand after a
> short period of testing.
>> My conclusion/hypothesis was that the Nichrome(?)resistance wire didn't
> take well to soldering, and some form of twisting/crimping/clamping alone
> would have been a better way to try doing the repairs.
>> I'd like to hear from people who have repaired (not replaced) seat heaters
> and have had them work without hot spots for long periods after the repair.
> There is adequate information about taking out the seats and getting off
> the seat covers, and getting them back on again. But I don't remember much
> about reports of long-term survival after the repair attempts.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> At 07:26 AM 3/13/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>> I am trying to replace a seat heater and have been offered this part #
>> 4A0963555B.  I cannot get my family Bible to recognize this #.
>>>> I want to use it on seat and back rest of a SQ in case my soldering
>> abilities cannot match the element breakage I expect to find.
>>>> Anyone?
>>>> Colin