[Guide] Heating Seat Failure And Repair

[Robert]

My drivers seat heating has stopped working.
After quick check with resistance meter I have discovered very high resistance (few kΩ) in the drivers cushion element, backrest element was still okay (few Ω)
Next thing was to carry out some research and establish faulty component part number.
It wasn't easy as I was getting different part numbers from different sources so I decided to strip the seat base.
My seats are Alcantara and the cushion is designed so the heating element is sewed together with the upholstery.
And now the best part, the cheapest upholstery with integrated heating element would cost me €520=£440 or repair kit (heating element for cushion and backrest) €220=£186!
This was still way too expensive in my opinion so I kept on digging and eventually I found brand new cushion only heating element for €48=£40.
The only problem was that it was for fabric seat and not leather type one.
After comparing the wiring diagrams for fabric and leather seats I came up with the conclusion that they are the same in the sense that both heating elements (cushion and backrest) are connected in series but the interlinking plug/socket are different.
So after spending €48=£40 and crimping my old plug on my new cushion heating element I now have fully working heating seat back again
Photos to follow in the next post

 

[Dellmassive]

Well done, great work there.. =)

 

[Robert]

Seat base stripping.














And the damage itself.




My cushion upholstery part number.


And actual heating element part number. Not possible to buy on it's own!


And my temporary seating during repair.




To be continued ...

 

[Dellmassive]

Sweet.... =)

Any idea what caused the element to burn out??

Cracked trace causing high resistance and heat?

 

[Robert]

Dimensions of my faulty element.



And dimensions of new fabric upholstery heating element.



The difference in length is down to different way of attaching the heating element to the cushion(fold in), but effectively after installation the heating area remains the same

I had to cut out faulty heating element cause it was restricting heating power of the cushion.



Original connectors on my new heating element (7E5963555) before interlinking plug(white one) was swapped with my old one



My old plug that allows to link in series cushion heating element with backrest one transferred to my new heating element.


And job done, customer very happy

 

[Robert]

Sweet.... =)

Any idea what caused the element to burn out??

Cracked trace causing high resistance and heat?

You are bang on correct!

I am pretty sure if this was under warranty, VW would accuse me of spilling some liquid on the cushion and effectvely causing the damage but as you can imagine this was not the case.
I am probably repeating myself but I am convinced that this failure is a result of components quality being purposely designed to last for specified length of time and to fail eventually.

 

[Ads_Essex]

The difference in length is down to different way of attaching the heating element to the cushion, but effectively after installation the heating area remains the same

I have the same problem with my T5 seat.

The replacement looks longer than the depth of the seat - does it wrap around the cushion, then?

 

[Dilbert]

The replacement looks longer than the depth of the seat - does it wrap around the cushion, then?

The original element tucks into grooves in the cushion foam. So if laid out flat, it will appear longer than the seat.

 

[Ads_Essex]

The original element tucks into grooves in the cushion foam. So if laid out flat, it will appear longer than the seat.

That makes sense. Cheers gents. I’ll keep my eye out for a replacement element, then.

 

[Dilbert]

I managed to repair our heated seat element. The passenger seat heating had never been as good as the driver's seat from new. It eventually failed all together. I traced the problem to an open circuit seat base element.

The element had fractured in the gap down inside one of the grooves.


The element is made from enamelled fine multi-strand copper wire.



I managed to rejoin the element as there was no other damage. Fortunately I have some very strong flux that is used for enamel wire soldering (it removes the enameling and tins the wire). The staining on the backing material is from this flux.



All back together and its working fine and better than ever. I guess the element had been damaged in this area with broken strands from the start.

 

[Robert]

Well done!

 

[Dilbert]

By the way, if you need to remove the element pad from the foam cushion, use a heat gun to gently warm the adhesive strips that hold it in place at the edges .

It then easily peels off without any damage to the foam.

 

[Robert]

The heating element repair on fabric seat is much easier and much cheaper comparing with leather type. Bloody VW really knows how to abuse its customers.

 

[rjfroud]

You are bang on correct!

I am pretty sure if this was under warranty, VW would accuse me of spilling some liquid on the cushion and effectvely causing the damage but as you can imagine this was not the case.
I am probably repeating myself but I am convinced that this failure is a result of components quality being purposely designed to last for specified length of time and to fail eventually.

Hi, great work!

I have the exact same seats in my 2016 Caravelle, the driver's heated seat went first, then the passenger a few weeks later. I checked the fuse but also aware that the single fuse controls both so was unlikely the cause.

I am unsure where to turn next, any recommendations for who I could go to for investigation? Unfortunately I don't have the tools or skills to do myself, any advice really welcome. Meanwhile, cold bum journeys are my life!

 

[Littleblackflash]

Thanks for the write up Robert.
I brought a single passenger seat for my van which is heated so I need to fit the heater mats to the drivers side. An then I just need to add the wiring because I found the correct heater controls with the seat heating buttons from a Eos. It was easy to fit and no fault codes expect 2 faults for seat heating open circuit.

Your write up was very useful.

 

[Jayjmac]

Great write up!!
Mine has lost its heat.. it gets a little bit warm! Not sure if it’s back or seat either! No hot like it used to! Any ideas?
I haven’t checked the passenger seat yet. Mirrors have also gone.. I thinks that’s a separate problem! Me leaving the switch on heated since I’ve owned it

 

[Robert]

Seat base stripping.
View attachment 60679

View attachment 60680

View attachment 60681

View attachment 60682

View attachment 60683

View attachment 60684

View attachment 60687

And the damage itself.
View attachment 60685

View attachment 60690

My cushion upholstery part number.
View attachment 60686

And actual heating element part number. Not possible to buy on it's own!
View attachment 60691

And my temporary seating during repair.
View attachment 60688

View attachment 60689

To be continued ...

So my driver's seat heating has stopped working again. Quick check with multimeter and it's confirmed, open circuit on the backrest element only.
Previous repair is in 100% good working order.



I won't be paying hundreds of quids for the same unit so now it is time to hunt for inexpensive alternative.

 

[Robert]

Replacement unit (7E0963557C) purchased.
Awaiting delivery now.
Another well invested £82 = €93

 

[Ads_Essex]

Replacement unit (7E0963557C) purchased.
Awaiting delivery now.
Another well invested £82 = €93
View attachment 132341

Nice! Where from? I’m still needing one for my retrofit but haven’t seen any at that price

 

[Robert]

Nice! Where from? I’m still needing one for my retrofit but haven’t seen any at that price

Got mine from here.

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