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Heated vs. Non-Heated seats

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You will probly have to look under the seat to look for wires that would supply power for the heating element.

Correct. They will have a plug attached to the bottom of the seat.

is there a way to convert? if you don't have it, is the wiring there for it? my guess is no?

 

are heated seats typically leather, cloth or both? seems it would be leather only.

  • Author
is there a way to convert? if you don't have it, is the wiring there for it? my guess is no?

 

are heated seats typically leather, cloth or both? seems it would be leather only.

 

I thought they were always leather, but apparenty available in cloth as well....

 

in my 97 OBW, the wiring harness is there under the seat, but there's only swithes in the center console if you have the seats...

 

so apparently you just need the seats, and the center console switch assembly parts.... I already have the switches, just need the seats.....

in my 97 OBW, the wiring harness is there under the seat, but there's only swithes in the center console if you have the seats...
great good to know McBrat! i'll check my OBS and LSi for the wiring.
Is there a way to tell the difference between heated/non-heated cloth seats in the Gen2 Leg/OBW?

 

The heated seats are warmer.:-p

The heated seats are warmer.:-p

 

I almost said that :)

 

I think the earlier gen 2's they only came with the leather. After that thye were available in cloth.

 

www.cars101.com will help there.

 

I think scobymods has a thread on how to convert seats to heated and how to wire them in. If the car didnt come with heated seats, it didnt have the extra wiring for them. You have to wire them in.

 

nipper

I just installed heated leathers in my 96 obw. All it took was the seats, the switches, and a wrench. The switch bezel fits in the place of the coin pocket next to the e-brake.

 

Plug-and-heat. I don't know how I lived without them.

I just installed heated leathers in my 96 obw. All it took was the seats, the switches, and a wrench. The switch bezel fits in the place of the coin pocket next to the e-brake.

 

Plug-and-heat. I don't know how I lived without them.

i just bought leather seats for my new to me 97 leg GT, when i got home i found the wiring for the with heating elements. i went back and got the switches. i haven't looked hard, but i didn't see any obvious wiring under the seats for the connections.

 

is the wiring & onnectors there? do need to pull up the carpet to find them.?

 

thanks, john

 

P>S> FWIW: i just learned form swapping out these seats that there isn't a seat belt sensor in the passenger seat of the 97 GT or the 99OBW.

There is a t-shaped incision in the carpet beneath the seats, just try to reach down in there and find the connector, it's in there somewhere. It took me a while to realize that the incisions were actually there, as I had no idea where to look. The girlfriend is the one that found them :lol:

 

One note: I didn't realize until after seat installation that the seatbelts from my 96 wouldn't fit in the buckles on the seats from the 99 donor obw. Remember to switch out the buckles from the original seats to the new seats, just in case.

 

 

eag

 

One note: I didn't realize until after seat installation that the seatbelts from my 96 wouldn't fit in the buckles on the seats from the 99 donor obw. Remember to switch out the buckles from the original seats to the new seats, just in case.

eag

 

it's a good thing i don't throw any thing away. thanks for the tip!!!!!

so if they're not heated all you need is the switch in the center console and a heated seat? seems some are saying the wiring is already there, though nipper said the wiring won't be there if it didn't come with them?

Our '98 OBW has cloth heated seats, so I can vouch for their existence. And in my opinion, cloth heated seats are superior to leather, particularly if you live somewhere like me where it gets -30F!

 

Frozen leather is the opposite of fun.

Our '98 OBW has cloth heated seats, so I can vouch for their existence. And in my opinion, cloth heated seats are superior to leather, particularly if you live somewhere like me where it gets -30F!

 

Frozen leather is the opposite of fun.

 

Thats why i have a remote starter :headbang:

 

nipper

my 96 outback was bone stock, and it still had all the wiring ready to go. There are wiring connectors for the switches beneath the console, and there are wiring connectors for the seats beneath the carpet.

 

Same with the OEM tweeter kit. There's a wiring connector for a factory tweeter kit behind the door panel (and the kit was only something like $15)

i think all legacy wiring harnesses are the same. all outback wiring harnesses are the same, i think. i know the wiring for the rear lights is different betwen and outback and a legacy L, no trailer wiring connector.

 

my 97 GT has the wiring in the console for the heated seats, i just haven't found the connectors under thecarpet under the seats yet. when i went back to the salvage yard for the switches, i asked for and got the connector pigtails at both the switches and at the seats. this way even if the connectors weren't there icould splice in some wire and have heated seats.

 

a couple of questions: is the wiring for the auto trans present in a manual trans car? i don't know.

 

is the wiring for heated seats / power mirrors there in a legacy brighton? i think it is.

a couple of questions: is the wiring for the auto trans present in a manual trans car?
i'm almost positive it is not.

 

is the wiring for heated seats / power mirrors there in a legacy brighton? i think it is.
i've heard the legacy mirror wiring is there...but can't say for sure it was "brighton specific" information.

Then scoobymods was wrong, as they said the harness wasnt there.

 

Subaru is a small auto mfg. Since the late 1980's most auto mfgs have one harness for one model car. That means all the wiring is there (except for sub harnesses) for every accessory possible.

 

The auto tranny harness is probably a sub harness and not in the manual tranny car.

 

nipper

2nd vouch for cloth heated seats. I have them in my 99OBW and I couldn't live without them. And is it just me or is the high to high and the low to low for the heated seats?

If you are game for pulling the covers off the seats, there are good aftermarket seat heater kits for about $120/ seat. Then again, JY seats are probably about that cost and easier.

 

Jack

[...]is it just me or is the high to high and the low to low for the heated seats?
I've found the low to be high enough, so I can't say if the high is too high. (How's that for confusing? :) )
  • 4 months later...

I pulled the center console of my 1996 Legacy LSi today out and saw no connectors. What exactly am I looking for, for the switches? Are there connectors buried under the carpet or under the dash somehow? Do some switches have long wiring looms with them that reach somewhere I wasn't looking?

I pulled the center console of my 1996 Legacy LSi today out and saw no connectors. What exactly am I looking for, for the switches? Are there connectors buried under the carpet or under the dash somehow? Do some switches have long wiring looms with them that reach somewhere I wasn't looking?

 

They are fairly sizeable connectiors, about the same as any of the fog lamp/cruise/defroster switches in the dash.

 

nipper

would a 96 OBS have the needed wiring already in place?

 

I don't know if the OBS even came with a heated seat option. :confused:

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