Installation of seat warmers ???

[bigi]

I am going to install seat warmers to CX-5. Probably those

How hard is it to remove the upholstery and put it back after the pads have been installed.

Has anyone done it lately?

 

[mmntech]

Actually, I'd like to know this as well. Didn't even know you could buy such a thing. This could completely change my winter.

Update: installation videos on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzS8r1-9v0s

 

[Fern]

Yeah, I'd like to know also.

Fern

 

[tweakmonkey]

I have a kit laying around but never got around to installing it. They're cheap and could probably be done in 3-4 hours. But you'll need to remove the cover from your seat and re-attach it, that's probably the hardest part.

 

[phucheneh]

It's not terribly hard to do this kind of stuff, but you have to be careful. Small mistakes can cost a lot. A crack in a plastic cover could cost you over a hundred bucks, easy, depending on the car. Damage a piece of seat foam? You're looking at even more.

With dealer-only parts, cost is (or at least 'appears to be') generally related to how likely the manufacturer is to ever have to replace something under warranty. Don't be surprised if you find out an unremarkable seat cover is $1000 and the foams are another 500. If it's rarely sold and they're never paying for it, they'll ask the moon.

The biggest thing is the cover removal and reinstall. Know what you're getting into before you do it. If it uses hog rings, learn how they're done before you dive into it. It can be very easy to rip the retaining rod that the rings go around right out of the seat foam. Get proper hog ring pliars and a good sharp set of dykes (for cutting the old ones so they can be removed).

 

[Kaido]

I had the dealer do it on my factory cloth seats on my wife's Honda Civic. It smelled like burning for awhile and then was fine (most seat heaters go into leather seats). They are amazing in the winter, although I wish they did your upper back instead of just your thighs & lower back.

If you want to do it the EASY way, buy high-quality seat covers with built-in carbon fiber seat warmers. Wet Okole's seat covers start at $317 for the front two bucket seats with seat-heaters ($239 covers + $78 heaters, requires 2 power outlets) & you can customize them in a variety of ways (colors, lumbar support, etc.):

http://www.wetokole.com/mazda_cx5_seat_covers.html

So the benefits of doing heated seat covers:

1. You get seat covers to protect the seats
2. No damage to OEM seats from installing an aftermarket heating system
3. Carbon-fiber elements allow for continued operation after damage (regular heaters are apparently like Christmas lights and if one part gets damaged, the entire heater system quits working)
4. At $317 for the front pair with heaters, it is expensive, but it's a lot cheaper than what you would probably pay at the dealer (I think the total dealer-installed cost in the Civic as $600 or so, but we had a credit we could blow on whatever we wanted since we were trading in a leased Fit and they threw that in as an incentive, so we blew it on the seat heaters since we didn't really want anything else - and I think they just farmed it out to an aftermarket installer shop down the road from them).

They have a Mazda install gallery here:

http://www.wetokole.com/mm5/merchan...=Mazda-Seat-Cover-Gallery&show=&pl=&ph=&char=

So there's one option for you. And if you're handy, you could probably integrate the power outlets into built-in on/off button system without too much hassle.

 

[nerp]

I personally wouldn't do this for a variety of reasons, but it's not hard to remove the seat covers. Just take the seats out first and work slowly and carefully. You might need a snipper and new snips since some seat covers aren't attached by simple clips. Work slowly, remove from the bottom up and do not yank on anything if it doesn't come off easily. There are often small or hidden clips throughout the seat to keep the cover in place. Pay attention to exactly how you removed the cover, since you'll be putting it on in reverse.

I'm contemplating swapping out my cloth for leather and have been studying the cover removal. IN the Charger, it's quite easy. Leatherseats.com has a set for about $800. There are also factory covers for a little more that I might get. We'll see.

 

[bigi]

Thanks for all replies.

I am still undecided, but due to the fact that Chicago winters last ~5 months I'll probably risk it and see...

 

[Eureka]

To take off the upholstery you'll generally need what is known as hog rings... and tin snips to cut the old ones off.

I would honestly find seat covers with heaters built in, or get form fitting seat covers and a heater you can place under that. Much easier than trying to re-upholster your seats.