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How to make a car seat with internal electric heating. Heated seats are a useful option for the driver. How to make and install a heated car seat like a BMW with your own hands

The newer the car, the more conditions it has created for more comfortable driving. If in older cars heated car seats are more of a luxury, then for new vehicles this function is included in the factory equipment. You can learn more about the types of heating systems and making such a device with your own hands from this material.

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Types of heating elements

The domestic market today offers a huge selection of various devices and devices to increase the comfort of machine control. And seat heating in this case is no exception. First, let's look at the types of systems.

Cases and capes

The heated seat cover can be made in the form of a cover. It should be noted that this version of heating systems is characterized by ease of installation, as well as an affordable price. Installing heated seats in this case comes down to installing a cape and connecting it to the cigarette lighter.

It should be noted that a heated cape for a car is an option that has many disadvantages:

wires that will constantly get tangled;
too low level of electrical protection and fire safety;
heating of the entire area of the cape will be uneven;
car covers do not always fit successfully into the interior of the car;
heating the rear seats will be impossible (video author - Dmitry Dimyanov).

It should also be noted that installing seat heating in this case requires free space. And since today this socket is universal, since DVRs, radar detectors, GPS navigators and other devices can be powered from it, installing the system will be problematic. You can use a splitter, but due to the large number of consumers, the safety elements may also fail.

Built-in models

If you decide to install heated seats in your car and want to use a built-in type, then you need to take into account that this method is difficult to install. However, you can still install an embedded system yourself.

It should also be noted that built-in heated front seats have certain advantages:

you can equip not only the front but also the rear seats with a heater;
such a system should be installed under the seat trim, and the wiring should be laid under the interior upholstery;
to activate the system, use the seat heating button, and the system itself is connected to the on-board network, accordingly, the cigarette lighter socket will be free;
the use of such a system will not affect the interior of the cabin (author - Ilya Strekalovsky).

Selection of heating elements

The choice of systems for installation in the seat structure is quite large; there are also many manufacturers - from Germany, China, Taiwan and even Russia. Of course, each model has its own design features and differs in production quality, as well as cost. According to many car enthusiasts, German-made products are characterized by a high price, but they are more reliable and versatile. Such heaters are additionally equipped with overheating protection and can have several operating modes.

As for Russian-made products, their quality is almost as good as their foreign counterparts. Russian heaters use reinforced wire or carbon fiber, and such systems include overheating protection, as well as a control device. Of course, in terms of price, Chinese-made systems are the most popular, but as practice shows, this is their only advantage. In systems manufactured in China, switch buttons often break, short circuits occur, etc.

Instructions for making stationary heating

How to make heated seats with your own hands and how to connect the system you have made? It is quite possible to build such a device at home; for this you will need nichrome wire and fabric. The wire itself can be sewn into a chair or into fabric; we will consider the second option.

So, you will need three meters of wire; this piece should be divided into two equal parts. One one and a half meter piece will be needed for the seat itself, and the second for the back.
The wire should be sewn to a piece of fabric; any material can be used for this. To make heating more efficient, you need to sew the wire in a zigzag manner.
After this, the wire can be connected directly to the battery - it should heat up slowly and after a few minutes the chair will be warm.

The connection diagram for seat heating itself is quite simple, and most importantly, inexpensive to implement. To connect, it is recommended to use special buttons with thermostats, this will allow you to adjust the degree of heating if necessary. Otherwise, overheating may cause the seat to catch fire.

Instructions for manufacturing built-in heated rear seats

To build a built-in option, you will need a heating element kit:

First you need to disassemble the seats - you need to make room for laying heating mats.
The canvas with the heating system is laid on the seat foam, and here you need to mark the dimensional contours. In accordance with the marked lines, the canvas must be fixed; to do this, use double-sided tape or instant glue. If the kit included a temperature sensor, then it should also be mounted on the foam rubber.
When fixing the mats, it is necessary to take into account that the wiring from them on the driver's seat should go on the right, and on the passenger's seat - on the left.
Next, you can install the seat upholstery; you can lay a layer of foam rubber on top of the heating fabric. After this, the chairs are assembled - the covering is put on, all the fasteners, headrests, etc. are attached. Please note that the wiring from the mats should not be stretched; it is recommended to leave a small margin so that if you need to move the chair, you do not have to repair the heated seats.
After this, the system is connected; for this you will need a diagram, which is included in the instructions for the heating fabric. If you do not know how to properly connect the system, it is better to contact an electrician.

Most modern cars offer such a nice thing as heated seats as additional options. The presence of this option allows you to avoid hypothermia in the pelvic area, which often happens to those who sit behind the wheel of a car for hours in winter. But what is there to hide, a warm seat is also extremely comfortable.

Don’t be upset if your car doesn’t have heated seats, because today we’ll tell you how to make it yourself and, mind you, the result is no worse than with standard heating.

What you need to install heated seats.

The heating element is a coil with thin tubes, which are the main heat accumulator. The heating element can be with or without a backrest. Which one is better is up to you to choose!

Buttons for turning heating on and off (two-position) in the amount of 2 pcs.

Relay 4-pin with block

Wires of different colors, terminals for connection

Set of tools and consumables: wrenches, screwdriver, scissors, electrical tape

When everything you need is at hand, you can begin the process of installing the seats.

Step-by-step instructions for carrying out the work.

1. First you need to unscrew the front seat slides and remove them from the car interior. For the convenience of performing all subsequent manipulations, we recommend bringing the seats into the apartment.

2. Now you need to remove the trim from the seats. Take special care here to avoid damaging the seat fabric. The covering is attached with metal plates (or hooks) at the bottom of the seat, on its back side, and also in the front part along the figured contours. Just do not use brute force, so as not to damage the seat upholstery.

3. If you plan to install heating not only on the seat, but also on the back, the covering will need to be removed from it too. To do this, you need to pull out the plastic bushings for the headrests, and in the lower part of the back, unfasten the fabric from the fixing plates.

4. After removing the fabric, the foam seat liner will be released in front of you; place the heater on it, aligning it with the center of the seat. Then, trace the outline of the heater using a marker.

5. Now, apply double-sided adhesive tape along the outlined contours, and stick the heater itself on top of it. This is done so that when further securing the seat fabric, the heater does not slide to the side, but remains clearly in the place that we have marked for it.

7. We return the seat upholstery to its place, and install the seats themselves back on the car.

The main part of the installation is completed, then we’ll talk about connecting heated seats with your own hands. How to connect heated seats?

Seat installation diagram:

1. Determine the location where the seat heating on/off buttons will be located. The ideal option is either the center console (if there is space for installing buttons), or in the space between the gearbox rocker and the handbrake. This arrangement of switches will be the most successful from the point of view of ergonomics and comfort.

2. In the decorative plastic casing (if there is one), we make inserts for the buttons, and then install them. At the same time, we connect the electrics (it is best to power the heated seats from the cigarette lighter, additionally placing a fuse specifically for the heating).

3. Based on the proposed diagram, you need to connect the wires from the heated seats to the buttons, relays, cigarette lighter and ignition switch (if you want to protect yourself by automatically turning off the heating after turning off the ignition).

4. We insulate all contacts and check the operation of the heated seats (functionality of the buttons, uniformity of heating, etc.)

5. We carry out the final assembly of the interior, hiding the wiring under the carpet.

That's all, the installation process of stationary heated seats can be considered complete. You might ask, wouldn’t it be easier to buy heated seat covers that work through the cigarette lighter? Of course, you can do this, but it’s one thing to install the system and forget it, and quite another to experience inconvenience with this very pad, which constantly falls off, fidgets around the seat, and gets in the way with protruding wires.

Many modern cars come standard with many useful options that should make your trip comfortable. One such addition is heated seats. A warm chair will be especially appropriate in winter, when the temperature drops below 20˚C. For men, prolonged contact with the cold surface of a car seat can lead to unpleasant illnesses. Therefore, if you regularly use your car in winter, you can make heated seats yourself. There are several ways to solve this problem.

Using special capes

Today on the automotive accessories market you can find removable seat heating devices. They are covers or capes equipped with built-in heating elements. The main advantages of this method of heating a car seat are:

low cost;
ease of connection.

To install a cover or cape, you don’t have to go to a car service center; even a novice car enthusiast can handle the job. But this type of seat heating also has several serious disadvantages.

The main problem is the quality of the products. Car owners note cases when the cape ignites right under the driver. In this case, not only the clothes are damaged, but there is also a high risk of serious burns.
Some covers and capes exhibit uneven heating. Therefore, in some areas the temperature rises to 40˚C. This heat adversely affects the reproductive function of the stronger half of car owners.
Another problem awaits a frozen motorist when using heating capes and covers. The heating elements are connected to the on-board electrical network of the car through the cigarette lighter socket. And today this connector is used to connect a video recorder, GPS navigator, recharge a mobile device, etc. Using a splitter does not help in this situation, because the heating element has a large current consumption and the fuse simply cannot withstand it.
The use of capes contains another hidden danger. Wires appear inside the car that can interfere with the driver while driving. And due to the insufficient length of the electrical wiring, it is not possible to use removable heating covers for car seats for rear passengers.

Advantages of built-in heating

Many car owners who are looking for ways to solve the problem of cold car seats are afraid of built-in models due to their more complex installation. However, if you follow the recommendations of experienced motorists, then installing heated seats yourself will not be such a hopeless undertaking.

The main advantage of built-in heating is the ability to connect not only the front but also the rear seats to heat.
The built-in heater is connected discreetly, the wires are hidden under the interior trim.
The heating elements are connected directly to the vehicle's electrical wiring, so the cigarette lighter socket will remain free.
When the heater is installed inside the seat, the profile of the car seat does not change, so the interior of the car does not deteriorate.

Selecting the optimal heating kit

The range of heating elements for installation in car seats is quite wide. The buyer can choose the best option based on the characteristics of the car’s interior and self-confidence. Most often, motorists purchase products from Russian, German and Chinese companies. It is clear that they differ in both quality and cost.

Practice shows that the high price of German seat heating kits (such as Weaco) is compensated by the highest degree of reliability. Heating systems are practical and versatile. They can be mounted not only on the front car seats, but also on the rear. The heating element is equipped with several degrees of protection against overheating, and can also have two operating modes.
Serious competition for German products comes from domestic kits from companies such as Avtoterm and Teplodom. In terms of reliability and quality, Russian samples are practically not inferior to the German giants. Heating kits are protected against overheating; reinforced cable is used as a heating element. Some models have an automatic shutdown function when overheating.
Products from the Middle Kingdom are becoming the most attractive in price. Most often, this advantage is the only one, since Chinese heaters cannot boast of either quality or reliability. All the problems of cheap models arise due to the use of the cheapest materials. Among the main problems with Chinese seat heating kits, car enthusiasts note:
- frequent breakdowns of the power button;
- wiring failure;
- uneven heating of the seat;
- electrical short circuit.

Sequence of installation of heated seats

Before you begin installation work on installing the coolant, you need to pay attention to the size of the heating system control, as well as the mounting method. The power buttons included with the heating device do not always fit perfectly into the standard place on the dashboard. Sometimes the car owner has to purchase additional toggle switches or look for another place for installation.

Despite the presence of protection against overheating, it is advisable to play it safe and prudently install a fuse in the electrical circuit. Then, in the event of a short circuit, the vehicle’s on-board network will not be affected. A diagram for connecting heated seat kits can be found on online motorist forums.
The installation of heating elements must begin by disassembling the seat trim. This stage becomes the most difficult for the car owner, since it is important to remove the material without damage. Removing a car seat can take an untrained person several hours. It will take approximately the same amount of time to assemble the chair after installing the heater.
When connecting the installed heating, there are usually no difficulties if you act in accordance with the instructions and do not violate the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Typically one set of heaters consists of two elements that will be used in the front seats. If you need to “heat” the rear seats, you will have to purchase an additional kit. Installation of heating on the rear seats is carried out in a similar way.

When all stages of work have been completed using the above technology, all that remains is to experience the magical effect of the heater. Now the harsh winter will not frighten the motorist; the car seat will be comfortable and warm within a few minutes after starting the engine. The youngest members of the family will especially like this useful option.

Every time the winter cold again reminds us of additional insulation. For even the ancient people bequeathed to keep their feet warm. But heated seats are not included in the basic equipment of many cars. You'll have to be seriously confused. There are two options: buy this “additional comfort” or make heated car seats yourself. A survey of our closest friends - notorious motorists - shows: the second is more reliable. Purchased heaters are expensive and often break down.

Do it once: think about it and get mentally ready!

Before we begin the list of materials, we decide on what we already have. Here we have three options:

remake a ready-made but broken heating system;
make from scratch;
A costly and troublesome way is to make a heating built into the seat.

It’s much easier with a ready-made rug. There is no need to think about dense thermal insulating fabrics, look for them and sew them on a machine. Everything has already been thought out. All that remains is to replace the heating element.

The heating element built into the seat is always with you in the car. You can display a button on the panel and pretend that it happened. Difficulties sometimes arise with the analysis of the seat itself. And if its bottom is pliable, then the back is much more difficult to disassemble. But he still understands it!

We will take the second option as a basis. It is on its basis that work is built in all cases. Knowing the theory, you can cope with more difficult options.

Do Two: Let's go shopping!

List of materials:

Nichrome wire diameter 0.5 mm – 10 meters.
The block is thicker.
2 nails.
Old jeans.
Scissors.
Pencil.
Sewing machine.
Button.
The wire.
Plug for car cigarette lighter.
Connectors.
Heat reflector.

Do Three: let's get started!

Cut out 2 rectangles from old unwanted jeans. They do not necessarily cover the seat surface.
On one of them we draw how the heating wire will pass: in zigzags or waves. It is better to choose zigzags. This is easier to draw and bend. Although, who cares...

And now our fabric has become noticeably more interesting than before!

Tip: remember the popular television program about remodeling an apartment. Our principle is the same as with the installation of “warm floors”.

Now the nichrome wire will lie directly according to the drawing.
First you need to fold it in a zigzag. The fastest way to do this is with a block and nails.
Drive two nails into a wooden block at a distance of 40 mm.
Now we consistently and monotonously wind the wire between the nails in a figure eight pattern. Just enough turns to cover the entire pattern.
Transfer the wire zigzags to the fabric.
Using a machine we sew each zigzag 2 times. Above and below. The better we fix this design, the safer it will be to use. Attention: if the wires touch somewhere, there will be a short circuit!
We close our workpiece on top with the second piece of jeans. We sew, leaving a hole for the wires to exit.
You can sew a thermal reflector on the bottom. This will protect the seat from excessive overheating.
On top, the most used place, it is better to line it with foam rubber and another layer of thick fabric. This is done so as not to accidentally tear the heating element.
We finish around the perimeter with a few more lines on the sewing machine.
Using a connector, we bring the wire through the “window” in the fabric.

We are testing. We need a 12 Volt DC power source, like what you would find in a car. You can use your computer's power supply.

Manufacturers now offer drivers many car configuration options. You can choose in advance what useful options your car will have. The most popular options among domestic car enthusiasts are the following:

air conditioner,
electric windows.

Also, quite often cars are equipped with acoustic systems. But not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. The fact is that most music lovers will prefer to choose a system to suit their taste rather than a budget factory option. Although it is worth recognizing that premium cars have more than good sound systems.

But today we will not talk about them, but about such an option as heated seats. Every car owner, who has sat in a heated car at least once, will want such an accessory for his car.

Attention! It usually takes no more than thirty seconds for a good heating system to make you feel like you're somewhere in the tropics.

Heated seats are of particular relevance for people suffering from various back and cervical diseases. Sometimes it is enough to sit in a heated seat for 20 minutes and all the pain goes away.

Unfortunately, not all cars still have the option of installing heated seats upon purchase. Typically, such a restriction applies to middle and budget class cars. Moreover, even if available in the price list, this option is very expensive.

It is not surprising that every year more and more drivers decide to install heated seats themselves. This process is quite expensive, but not particularly difficult. Every motorist can do it.

Heating types

It’s worth noting right away that in order to have warm seats in winter, it is not necessary to open the trim and connect the electrical heating circuit yourself. There are alternatives to avoid this. Of course, despite the advantages, this option is not without its drawbacks.

Special capes

This type of seat heating does not require any complicated installation. Just throw a cover over the chair and you will provide yourself with warmth throughout the winter. At least that's what the concept looks like at first glance.

In addition to covers on the market, you can also find special heated covers for car seats. They are much more comfortable, as they have better fixation and will not slip on sharp turns.

Attention! Capes and covers have special heating elements that provide warmth to the driver.

In addition to ease of installation, the advantages of this type of seat heating, which anyone can install with their own hands, include low cost. Unfortunately, it was not possible to do without shortcomings. The most important thing is the extremely low quality of the entire structure.

If you search the Internet, you can find more than one case where the cape ignited directly under the driver. Moreover, such devices are characterized by uneven heating. In some areas the temperature rises to 40 degrees.

Another significant drawback of a cape or cover is the connection method. To activate this heated seats, you need to use the cigarette lighter socket. Considering that the average driver has a navigator, smartphone, video recorder, and so on in his car, this port is becoming scarce.

Attention! Even a splitter is not able to help in such a situation. The fact is that this type of seat heating consumes too much electricity and the fuse simply does not hold up.

Also, do not forget about the wires that will definitely appear in the cabin as a result of purchasing a cape or cover. Cables can create an emergency situation, because at critical moments it is very easy to get tangled in them.

Built-in heating

Of course, to install built-in heated seats you will need to spend much more time. However, if you follow the instructions, the time required for this operation can be significantly reduced.

The main advantages of built-in seat heating include:

Possibility of simultaneous heating of both front and rear seats.
All wires are hidden under the interior trim, so you won’t get tangled in them.
The system is connected to the vehicle's electrical wiring. Because of this, the cigarette lighter socket will be free. In addition, the on-board network can easily cope with such a load.
Since heating is implemented inside the seats, the original interior interior is preserved.

As you can see, despite some complexity in installation, built-in seat heating has a number of significant advantages that cannot be ignored.

Choosing a kit

Before you begin installing heated seats, you need to decide on the kit you need. The most popular products now are from German, Russian and Chinese brands.

Naturally, seat heating kits from leading German companies are considered the best in quality. But they also have a corresponding price. Of course, such systems are installed on both the front and rear seats.

High-quality kits should have at least several degrees of protection. Also, high-quality seat heating systems usually have more than one operating mode.

It is worth noting that among Russian companies there are brands that provide high-quality and relatively inexpensive products. Suffice it to recall such giants as Avtoterm and Teplodom. Seat heating systems from these companies have protection, as well as high-quality heating elements. For greater reliability, they use reinforced cable. They also have an overheat protection function that turns off the device when a critical temperature is reached.

Seat heaters from China traditionally have the lowest price. Unfortunately, in most cases, products from this country cannot boast of either a reliable design or a good protection system. There are, of course, exceptions, but their price is not much lower than their German counterparts.

When choosing a seat heating system, it is better to immediately buy a high-quality kit, since devices with a low price may have such defects as:

failure of the control button,
wiring burnout,
short circuits,
uneven heating.

Considering the time that you will have to spend on installation, it is better to immediately buy a high-quality kit so as not to waste your energy on repairs.

Do-it-yourself heating

With some knowledge of electrical engineering, you can do heated seats yourself. However, the reliability and safety of such a design will not be very high.

To make heated seats with your own hands, take nichrome wire with a diameter of half a centimeter. Form four spirals. To do this, use a wooden beam with two hammered nails at a distance of 4 cm.

Important! Curl in a figure eight.

Take a thick denim fabric and connect all the spirals on it in a parallel way. The power source must have a power of at least 12 V. The final calculated power will be 40 W. Also, don’t forget to install a relay in your DIY heated seats.

Installation

Preparation

Any worthwhile endeavor begins with preparation. After you have chosen and purchased a kit for yourself, you need to worry about selecting the tools and materials that suit your task. To install heated car seats with your own hands you will need:

plastic clamps,
multimeter,
Screwdriver Set,
wrenches of different sizes,
scissors,
electrical tape and double-sided tape,
heat shrink tubes,
marker,
pliers,
glue,
soldering iron

This is the standard set. Simply put, you will not be able to do without these tools during installation. But you must take into account that there are systems of varying complexity. Moreover, a lot depends on the basic package. Very often, cheap kits do not have the wires or fuse required for installation. In this case, you will have to purchase them yourself.

Attention! For wiring, it is best to use stranded wire with a cross-section of 2.5 mm2.

Installation

Before proceeding directly to installation, calculate in advance where you will install the control buttons. Also select the appropriate type of fastening. After choosing a suitable location for installing the manipulators, simply follow these instructions:

Remove the chairs and disassemble them. You need to remove the headrest and also unfasten all the plastic elements.
Remove the seat trim. Usually it is fixed at the very bottom using metal rings. You can do without complete removal, the main thing is that you can easily install the heating elements.
Remove the trim from the back of the seats. To do this you will need to unfasten the plastic bushings of the head restraints.
The heating element must be placed on the foam rubber and traced around the contours using a marker. Then strips of double-sided tape are glued onto them and glue is applied.
The elements are fixed on the back and seat.
Remove the power wires.
Reinstall the casing.
Replace the seat inserts and headrests.

At the very end, the seats are installed back and the wiring is laid.

Connection

To connect heated seats, you need to use the circuit that will come with the kit. You can detect power circuits using a multimeter. In this case, the positive wire of the thermal relay is connected to the ignition switch, the negative cable goes to ground. The button illumination is connected to the cigarette lighter contacts.

Attention! All connections are finally soldered and insulated.

Results

As you can see, every car owner can install heated seats. The main thing is to properly prepare for installation, collect the entire set of materials and tools, and also purchase a high-quality heating system or make it yourself.