I am very close to getting my first Prius. I should have it in a couple of days. My main disappointment is the lack of heated seats. Here is Wisconsin an electric bun warmer is really more of a necessity than a luxury. My dealer also told me that installing an after market fanny flamer will invalidate the warranty. What are the most popular work-arounds for this butt burning annoyance?
First of all, your dealer is full of it, it would not invalidate the warranty, if it somehow damaged the seat, then that would be the only part of the warranty it would invalidate, no other part other than the seat, and even then it would only invalidate the foam and/or cover (if it damaged either or both), not the seat mechanism. Heater can be installed, but would require knowledge of upholstery and wiring it up, wiring it up is not that big of a deal, but returning the cover back to original look requires reattaching it to the frame correctly.
i found it easy to take off the cover on my 01 prius, i spilled coffee on the seat and a shampoo machine took forever to take it out, so i removed the seat and removed the covers, easier than i thought it would be.
Hey WI. MN here. Get aftermarket heated seats for ~$500 (front 2 seats), including a nice inflatable lumbar support. Your dealer is full of it. Or, go to Fleet Farm and get their over-the-seat heated pad for $20-$25, and take it out in the summer. I did the latter, and they are great - heat you faster, as not under the leather; hi-lo settings, etc. I just had one on driver's seat, and ran it to the cigarette lighter socket in the console. If you do passenger seat, you can do the same (Using a 1-into-2 splitter) or just run it to the lighter in the dashboard. If you decide to go aftermarket, I'd recommend just getting cloth seats from Toyota, then going aftermarket to leather at the same time you put in the heaters. The Katzin leather is superior to the OEM leather, and you can do two-tone, or get black or another color choice. rpm
you can definitely get heated seats, I have them. I had leather and the heated seats installed by the dealer and they work great. Two settings, super leather.
Do people (like this guy... obviously not everybody) who work as car salespeople just not know stuff? Or are they purposefully annoying? Dumb or mean... tough choice. This is total BS, and I get tired of saying it again and again and again. You can replace the seats entirely and not void your warranty. Hell, you can even use non-toyota oil! Gasp. Anway, here's my page on doing it: Prius seats
