Seat Heat Repair (archive)

My '91 750iL has got hot buns but I always get the cold shoulder. I got her to warm up by splicing the broken element with a tin split shot sinker. Repair details for E32 750iL with leather seats:

Remove seat back cover by pulling bottom straight back. Once lower attachments are free, pull down to remove from upper supports.

Unplug seat heat element connector in middle of seat back and check for continuity in the element. If its an open circuit then continue on.

Remove leather seat cover from tangs on bottom and side of seat and pull lower leather through seat bottom with seat heat element pig tail.

The heating element is not replaceable by itself. It comes sewn into the seat cover. It is sandwiched between some insulating batting and the seat cover. You may need to tear the batting from the vertical supports on either side of the seat to gain access to the broken area. This is a bit painful since the seat will not regain its crisp appearance once reassembled but mine looks fine to the untrained eye.

If you are as lucky as I was, you will see some burnt fabric in the lower section which is easily accessible. If not, you will probably need to carefully cut a window into the batting to check the middle and top sections for the break.

Pull the broken ends of the heating element out a little to get some slack. It doesn't look like the wire is insulated but it is and will need to be stripped. Once the wires are bare, use a tin split shot fishing sinker to crimp them together. Check for continuity at the connector before reassembling.

Good luck,

Scott
'91 750iL
Middletown, CT

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