Replace them with 50F on-off thermostats. Then tuck the thermostats away under the dash board but near to the steering wheel port. That way they're automatic any time the cabin is below 50 degrees fahrenheit and switch off when the cabin is warmer. Operation of this kind of creature comfort should be automatic and intelligent
Look toward the front of my center console. Form my lumbar and heat page: http://evnut.com/prius_seat_heat.htm (caution... my domain is about to migrate to a new server, so if links don't work, try again later).
Sweet! That is where one of my thoughts was! Thanks for the picture. I will forward it to my installer. I was thinking of putting mine about an inch higher. Think it will be a problem? Is yours working to your liking?
We had our installed by the local Toyota vendor who does their aftermarket leather. One thing they did, that you might consider, is rotate the switch 90 degrees so that clicking "up" is the high heat setting; and "down" is the low setting. It helps in a small, unconscious usability way.
i called three toyota dealerships in my area and asked about heated seats and lumbar support installations. They all said that toyota would not install them as they had no aftermarket parts to do so, and that by getting them done by anyone else would void my warranty. Does anyone know a dealership in NJ/NY that would do the installs?
That last is not the case, and they certainly know it. Nothing you can do to your car will void the entire warranty; that's federal law. The worst they can do is deny a particular warranty claim, and only if they can prove that the problem was caused by something you did, rather than something that was wrong with the car from the factory.
Dumas is right... Have no fear! These aren't even electric seats so you cannot void a seat motor warranty! Also, I just checked at auto detailing shops and custom audio shops. The place I ended up going with does audio and tinting. They did a great job. BTW - They did put the switches in where up is high and down is low; you're right, it is pretty intuitive.
Please pardon the question, but how much did the seat heater purchase and installation cost? I am thinking about it too. Roger
I agree, who is doing the install, and what are you paying for the heaters and the install??? Inquiring minds (and cold rear ends) want to know!!
I paid $450 installed for the first two (Prius front seats) and $400 for the second two in my wife's Explorer (back seats). I had a place called Solar Eclipse (Post Falls, Idaho) do mine. Very pleased so far! (They gave us somewhat of a deal for the second set)
Regarding cost, ours were rolled in as part of the package when we had the leather installed so I'm not confident about quoting. I think we hit them at a slow period as they completed the job the same day we dropped off the car. As I said before, we're very happy with the overall result of leather and seat heat.
Oops, sorry not to have gotten back to this. There aren't many options for moving it around from that location - there are some items in the way behind there - like the cup holder mechanism. Also, the higher it is, the more likely it will be accidentally hit, I believe. I love having them there, and would do it again if needed. I was going to put them on the seat skirts, but I wanted to be able to reach both of them from each seat since my wife often forgets to turn hers off. Not sure I understand - if you are taking about my installation. I put the switches in like you say. Up is high and down is low. As others have said, this is pure BS. It would be the same as a stereo installation voiding your warranty. NOTHING can void your whole warranty except maybe putting the car through a crusher.
I'm guessing some people are confusing the lumbar support switch (on the seat skirt) for the seat heater switch. (I almost did, and I've read your seat heat page before) well... unless they can show/prove that the installation caused or directly contributed to the failure. So if the "stereo" included a stack of Crown amps (jury-rigged to the traction battery) and a concrete subwoofer that filled the entire rear of the car (14.4 cuft * 150 lbs/cuft = 2160 lbs), you might be able to void most of the important parts of the warranty in one go: battery, electrical, suspension, tires, maybe even the drive-train with that much weight in it. (you might also be criminally insane ) In the US its the Magnuson-Moss Act protecting us, do not know about anywhere else. Anyway, great writeup on your install... very tempting given the recent temps here. Just one thing you didn't mention: how long did it actually take you to install the heaters (and the lumbar) from start to finish?
This reminds me of the old VW Golf or Civic Hatchback that had 2400 lbs of building material set on top and in the hatch area; I got to see a video of two people in a car (drunk) trying to leave Home Depot with rear shocks pushed up through the floor of the car and the back of the car on the ground. Can't find the images on google images. ~ dan ~
Ah... so it didn't help to have the caption, "Look toward the front of my center console?" Oh well... so my pictures are only worth 500 words. Time to draw in some arrows to make it more obvious! Thanks for the nice words. That page in particular certainly isn't in the category of "how to." I just wanted to get some relevant info and some tips up there to help folks do it themselves. Tough to make a good time estimate since I just fit in the projects when I can... plus I only had to take the seats out once to do both jobs which was a bonus. I figure probably four hours when I was all done. I'll tell you -the heaters are god's gift when you're doing this:
