Mabuhay

Hi folks,

I am seriously considering a pre-owned 996, but it doesn't have heated seats. It is the only option that I really want that's not in the car.

So how easy is it to retrofit the heating element into the existing seats of the car? Has anyone done this or heard of anyone doing it with success?

Thanks in advance...

Mabuhay

Looks like this is very possible... "searching" is my friend...

Dharn55

I put them in my 2000 996 Cab based on this DIY

http://dennisvogel.com/heatedseats/index.html

There are some minor differences between a Boxster and a 996. Mostly the switch locations.

Mabuhay

Thanks, this is exactly what I saw when I searched. But it sounds like a major pita... However, I congratulate you and MANY MANY thanks for posting such great detail. Each time I contribute, I also try to make great pains to make my instructions as clear as possible. You, on the other hand, have gone even well beyond that and have produced a very good hot-to document...

wwest

I've done this twice, once as an upgrade and once due to failure, LS400 in both cases. Bought new seat heaters off of ebay both times.

Tedious but rather easy work.

Dharn55

The install based on Vogel's DIY is really not that bad. Parts are $700-$800 and the time is probbly 6-8 hrs. You may need an upholstery shop to do the hog clamps in the seats unless you want to by the special pliers, on ebay for less than $10. If you want to proceed let me know, I have a parts list updated to the 996.

wwest

I used those plastic tie wraps, zip ties, (police sometimes use them for handcuffs) purchased at Home Depot instead of hog clamps (hog nose rings to keep them from rooting). Less chance of shorting something out too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Unive...Q5fAccessories

RamVA

That does look like a lot of work. I'd go aftermarket, which should be around $800 installed. (Back when I had it done in my S2000 it was $450. That car had no factory seat heat option.)

PJorgen

Some food for thought: when I was shopping for my P-car, heated seats were a must. That was based on my experience (and my wife's) with the heated seats in my Audi A6. We both love them and joke about not wanting to get out of the car on a cold night.

Anyway, I got an '02 C4S with heated seats but was disappointed in them compared to the Audi. First, the P-car has only two settings, low and high. The Audi is infinitely adjustable. Secondly, the P-car seats seem to heat only on the seat bottom, not the seat back. That is much less satisfying than the Audi which warms the entire seat.

So - if you haven't already done so, be sure to test drive the heated seats to make sure you really want them before going to all the work.

Mabuhay

I agree that the Audi's heated seats are great - they are actually the best we've had. But it's not "infinite" - there are usually 6 settings. The Porsche's heated seats are a joke compared to the Audi's. On my Boxster S, "high" is probably a "3" on the Audi. I can't even feel "low". BMW's high setting is also good. But I like it when I set the Audi's to "6" and must actually set it back to 3 or 4 since 6 is just too damn hot.

Thanks for the input. Although my wife says, "we're not going to be driving it in the winter", I also don't drive the Boxster S in the winter yet I use the heated seats all the time. Maybe I should just restrict the search to cars with heated seats...

Marlon

Why not 'just' buy a used set of heated 996 seats and install them. On every P-car I have had, the electrical connection from the car to the seat is the same and that electrical umbilical powers all seat electrics. In other words you simply plug & play. You will have to run a jumper between the seat and install a seat switch in your arm rest. You could also sell your unmodified seats to somebody else as well. Sorry if this has already been suggested - I am sneaking at work...

Mabuhay

From my reading, it's not that simple. I've read that Porsche does not use "one harness" for a "one size fits all". Thus, I wouldn't be able to plug-n-play as you stated.

Marlon

Worked great when swapping seats on my 993's. One harness did it all. Oh well - I guess they REALLY got cheap.

Dharn55

Each car has a specifc wiring harness based on the options in the car. If your car did not have heated seats then you will need to do the wiring per the DIY. You also need the switches and relays. Really not that hard to do.

Marlon

My 993's had a 'generic' wiring harness that went 'to' the seats. The seat had a plug that fit the generic harness regardless of seat configuration - only the 'hot' leads in the seat-side of the harness got juice. Simple and VERY engineeringly smart. I'm still going to bet that the 996 is the same way. Again it sounds like the 996 skimped on the engineering and design side.