Re: Seat heater element

[John Karasaki <johkar@teleport.com>]

At 08:03 PM 5/6/96 -0700, you wrote:

>Thanks for the information.  Have you had experience in this?! 

I haven't done this yet, but since both the front seats in my wife's V8 are
out, I'll have much experience before this fall!  Actually, I've read
everything I could get my hands on about it (Bentley, archives, etc.) and it
seems pretty easy.  The shortest time I've heard quoted by an "experienced"
repairer (someone who fixed the element -- repeatedly -- instead of
replacing it) is about 1/2 hour.

I bought an electric blanket at a yard sale, so I'll need to do some R&D
this summer.  Someone posted this idea to the list awhile ago.

>Say both the bum and back heating elements on my drivers seat are bad.  
>I would take the two elements found in the rear bench seat, one for 
>each bum, cut them out.  Take apart the drivers seat, as per the 
>archives, cut out the bad elements and soder the new ones in. 
>
>This would take the same amount of time as buying new elements and 
>taking the seat apart, cut the old ones out, and put new ones in.  
>Since the rear bench seat is so easy to get to and the elements can be 
>seen connected to the grill, that why I think it would be basically the 
>same number of hour job.  Is it this simple, or do you know if I am 
>leaving out something important...Thanks.
>
I don't think you're leaving anything big out.  The risk becomes accidentaly
cutting the heating elements in the rear seat or breaking somehow.  That's
how my projects tend to go; try to cut a corner and it bites me!

BTW, I'd be very amazed if both the upper and bum elements are burned out.
The bum element is probably the culprit.  Fix that one first then test the
seat.  If it works, you've just cut your time in half.

Good luck.

 
Regards,

John Karasaki

The Karasaki's, proud owners of AUDI automobiles

1981 Coupe
1982 TQC
1984 5000S Wagon
1990 V8