My seat heaters are on the fritz and I'm also wanting to add lumbar because my seats are not comfortable, I'm pretty sure because the PO was a lardass and the cushioning is lumpy and formed. I can't find a comfortable position for my lower back.

I had some relatively expensive custom seat covers made, which I suppose I could have transferred onto pair of donor seat.

I am also thinking about trying to buy the lumbar motors, switches and hardware and retrofit to my drivers seat.

With everything apart, it seems like it would also be the time to replace the defective heater panels.

So:

1. Anyone have a lumbar drivers seat, or donor hardware to sell?

2. I see that 928 Int'l had some OEM heater panels a couple years back that were blowout priced at 60. No doubt these are gone, are there any others available?

3. Is it smarter and easier to just go the carbon fiber heater panel route?

I saw that Sterling had done a retrofit some time ago--any advice Sterling or anybody else?

 

Brian on lumbar I would just buy the seat with it already installed.

 

I am wanting lumbar in a bad way also. I have two pairs of seats: one has no heat or lumbar, and the other has heat but not lumbar, but has the space for the switch. Both are the correct color. I am using the seat without heat now, (as if it matters in California ) Here's my situation. The driver's seat with heat has worn bolsters so I need new covering anyway, and I want to pay someone to do the center sections in alcantara. I want lumbar too since I have space for the switch. But what I really want is a sport seat for the driver with heat and lumbar too. And my color is greyish green, so I'm not holding my breath; I figure I'll need to dye them anyway. Or I can do what you plan to do and skip the sport seat, by just installing lumbar in both seats. Until I decide, I have the other pair installed. If I can't find any of this, I have a Koenig race seat that has slots for a harness and will certainly hold me in position and is lower so a helmet won't force me to recline the seat. I think the factory seats are more comfortable on long drives, so I am hoping I can find a sport seat with lumbar in it. Maybe I am dreaming. But if anyone has lumbar that they want to sell, maybe we could both get a set at a better price??? Either way, I need Schroth belts and harness because I'm tired of bracing myself; it wears me out.

 

Update:

928 Int'l had two of the old style seat heaters, on clearance, so I have those coming--don't have to worry about retrofitting a new style of heater with different impedance. And still trying to find a source for a lumbar seat back + switches.

Sterling, was the installation relatively straightforward?

 

I'm selling the seats out of my S4. Black, 12 way+ heat on driver's side, 8 way w/heat on pass. I was hoping to get $850 but would take a reasonable offer.

 

Those are some very nice seats. Damn.

 

Well, I put in the new heaters today. What a pain in the *** it is to work with those damn hog rings. I ended up using a lot of zip ties instead when I put it back together.

The new heater material seems to be much different than what was in originally. Did the original heaters go in between the leather and the padding, or between the padding and the spring?

The guys who made my seat covers seem to have used a lot of license internally as they constructed them. They look great on the outside, but their method of stitching the cushions and pleats seems unorthodox when you see how they went about achieving those results.

For the seat bottom, I was able to get the heater between the leather and the padding, but for the seat back, I was only able to get it between the padding and the springs(and not sandwiched between the leather/padding).

Consequently, my *** feels like it's about to catch fire, but I can't really feel anything through my back... I'm not sure which of them to try to change to make it better. It doesn't seem like foam rubber would be the greatest conductor of heat, so I think it would be better to have it between the upholstery and the padding, but I might have to cycle the heat on/off manually rather than just letting it cook.


I checked the WSM and it looks like the '89 and newers have the ability to be calibrated. My car is an '88 and doesn't indicate any calibration.

Any comments on how hot the seats should get and where the heaters are suppposed to be layered?

 

my gf accidentally found the heater in her sport seat on the island today .... translated to a lot of ..... goodwill.

 

When I have used heat in my seats, I get an even warmth up my spine. I doubt the heat source is placed between the padding and the springs, because the heat comes on immediately. It is not hot, just warm and comfortable on my spine. I don't remember my reaction in the bottom section, but that isn't what is cold. If I couldn't find definitive information stating the correct placement of the heating element relative to the upholstery covering, I would place it between the covering and the padding.

I don't have the heated seats installed now, because it is not so cold in California. But I would put them in if I headed for the mountainous regions.

 

My '89 had the adjustable heat switch, but my '87 only has on and off.
My girlfriend's '04 Infinity G35X has two heat positions, and only 4 way D/S and 2 way P/S seats. That is not up to 928 standards from 1989!!

 

Heated/lumbar sport seats.....those have to be rare!

 

I think heated w/lumbar sport seats are made with unobtainium. But I could make some with the right parts.

 

928andRC51 -

I sent you a PM about the seats!

 

Brian, Can you tell me how you removed the backrest cushion to install the heater?
Thanks

 

I took off the black side covers and unbolted the seat back from the gizmos that recline the seat. This allowed me access to the underneath part of the seat back, where I bent the tabs that allowed the bottom of the seat cover to be removed.

You should also be able to bend/pry the inset seat cushion to expose the hog rings that hold everything in place. Use a pair of needle nosed pliars to undo them, and presto, everything should come apart.

I didn't have hog ring pliars to reinstall the rings, but found that nylon zip ties seemed to do the trick.