Freelander 1 Retrofitting heated seat(s)

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rob_bell

Well-Known Member
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2,907
Location
London
Hi chaps,

My 1.8S three-door FL1 is pretty poverty spec. which over all I am very happy about. Who needs airconditioning in the UK when you have this many windows to open? ;)

Anyhoo... heated seats are rather nice to have in our climate, and I am toying with the idea of fitting a "universal" pad kit under the cloth seat covers.

A couple of questions (that I can't find answers to on a search of the forum):
1. Has anyone been daft enough to try this before?
2. Does the MY2001 FL1 already have the wiring harness?

The answer to the latter question is make or break really. There are, if I remember correctly, unused connectors under the seats, but no idea whether they're redundant heated seat connectors.

The heated seat pads themselves can be had very cheaply: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Seat-...933250?hash=item284044a882:g:XYoAAOSw47dZw5k0

If the car already has the loom, I might just give this a punt... :)
 
Look behind the switch position blanks to see if the plugs are there. I would think they are tbh.
You can then check if the wire colours match under the seats.
The heater pads might be cheap, but I suspect the switches are quite expensive.
 
I've got one heated seat switch, so I'll play with the drivers side. The biggest worry of the project is taking off a worn seat cover and putting it back without ripping it... But if that happens, I'll see whether a passenger seat base cover will fit the driver's side. ;)
 
PS Planning to use the original wiring, fit an original relay, and use an original LR switch (which yes, on the bay of fleas, cost much more than the heated elements from Singapore, Malaysia, China or Hong Kong - which all use the same images of the part!)
 
I've got one heated seat switch, so I'll play with the drivers side. The biggest worry of the project is taking off a worn seat cover and putting it back without ripping it... But if that happens, I'll see whether a passenger seat base cover will fit the driver's side. ;)

Why not see if you can find some NOS seat covers. They do crop up on EBay sometimes. ;)
 
My ignorance: NOS seat covers?

Good old google: New Old Stock!

Just looked on flea bay. Nothing at present...
 
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PS: slightly frightened by instructions that show so many flames! ;)

heatedseatinstructions.png
 
Just trying to find a forum where these particular units may have been fitted to a car. A similar (but not the same) kit has good reviews on Amazon.

But yes, I am slightly worried that the flames in the above might actually be something to be actually concerned about!

The ones I linked above are rated at just 20W, so under 2A current draw. Probably not massively hot, and might be sensible to have a couple of direct, in-line fuses to the mats just to be absolutely sure that my delicate posterior doesn't get roasted for the wrong reason...
 
PS: slightly frightened by instructions that show so many flames! ;)

View attachment 132375

The Chinese have some strange idea's when it comes to literature and names.
I use lithium ion batteries in some of my projects. I know of one Chinese battery manufacturer that has a picture of flames on the battery casing, which is rather alarming. Especially for a lithium battery pack.:eek:
 
Fitting a set of Freelander seats with the heated option like @pardec is offering would be the best idea.
The wiring should be there, it's part of the standard loom iirc.
Cheap Chinese electronics, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Mike

I buy lot's of cheap Chinese electronics stuff for my various hobbies. The quality over the last few years has improved massively. Lots is so good, it could almost be German.
Some stuff is **** poor though so caution is advised. ;)

For seat heating. I'd also buy some readymade second hand replacements.
 
I buy lot's of cheap Chinese electronics stuff for my various hobbies. The quality over the last few years has improved massively. Lots is so good, it could almost be German.
Some stuff is **** poor though so caution is advised. ;)

For seat heating. I'd also buy some readymade second hand replacements.
Yes it's getting better, but...
Part of my job as you know is picking up fly tips, another not so nice part is going into council properties that have gone up in flames. It's not something I enjoy, for obvious reasons. You wouldn't believe the amount of fires that have started through cheap Chinese garbage bought off auction sites. The fire men and women hate the stuff.
So yes, it's getting better, but it's still buyer beware. I'm typing this on a Huawei phone, so it's not like I don't trust all if it:)
Mike
 
Yes it's getting better, but...
Part of my job as you know is picking up fly tips, another not so nice part is going into council properties that have gone up in flames. It's not something I enjoy, for obvious reasons. You wouldn't believe the amount of fires that have started through cheap Chinese garbage bought off auction sites. The fire men and women hate the stuff.
So yes, it's getting better, but it's still buyer beware. I'm typing this on a Huawei phone, so it's not like I don't trust all if it:)
Mike

It's all relative, with good and bad products coming from all over a world, in which anything can catch fire.

It was only last year that we couldn't leave our 18 month old tumble dryer running unattended because it could have burst onto flames. That dryer was neither Chinese or from an auction site. We still had to wait 12 months for the well known EU based company to send an "engineer" (he was a double glazing salesman in his previous job:eek:) to replace the back panel and seals in the thing.

I think in this modern throw away world. You basically pay your money and take your chance. Although with lithium ion batteries going nuclear at random intervals, that's not always safe to do.:confused:
 
@Nodge68 Would that have been a H*tpoint, if not it'll have been one from that group, indes*t etc.
That H*tpoint fridge that started the fire in the London tower block has caused me no end of issues. My first job when I was 17 was selling electronics, never forgot the first bit of advice, don't go near hotpoint products!
Mike
 
@Nodge68 Would that have been a H*tpoint, if not it'll have been one from that group, indes*t etc.
That H*tpoint fridge that started the fire in the London tower block has caused me no end of issues. My first job when I was 17 was selling electronics, never forgot the first bit of advice, don't go near hotpoint products!
Mike

H Point group dryer yes. It only took them 14 months to come out and modify it, so it didn't burn the house down.

Thankfully it's the only product we have from that manufacturer and it'll be the last.

Our fridge freezer is a Samsung product as is every phone and tablet in the house, my Windows 10 tab excepted.
 
Our Samsung fridge needed modification so it wouldn't burn the house down. Quite pleased with a series of Samsung TVs though :)

Ready made FL heated seats would be my preference, but mine's a car with beige interior, so sadly the black seats aren't going to work for me. I know I could fit 5-door seats in my 3-door (and modify the front seats to take the 3-door tilt mechanism), but I would like to keep the two individual seats in the rear rather than the bench. And on eBay, there haven't been any suitable seats for a long while.

So hence the idea to try out the aftermarket seat pads. If each pad is individually fused, it should avoid converting the seat into charcoal. I think. :eek:
 
The seats are now becoming quite rare, especially if your after a particular colour. Even the genuine heater pads are hard to get hold of unless your willing to pay a fortune. And fitting seats from other makes hasn't been that successful yet.
Definitely put an inline fuse on, and possibly put the connections close at hand so you can rip them out if the worse happens, at least temporarily.
Failing that you can sell your toasted arse to the local Chinese restaurant, no one will taste the difference in their Peking duck.
Mike
 
I popped off the switch blank and peered behind. No obvious wiring connectors. Might be tied up somewhere? How does the console release?

IMG_4370.JPG
 
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