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+--- Thread: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats (/Thread-2015-Evoque-retro-heated-seats)
2015 Evoque retro heated seats - dterpin - 09-06-2016 06:53am
Hello .
I am currently located in Australia and information is hard to get here. As the market is not as big as others, modifications are not an easy option.
I am trying to add heated seats to my 2015 Evoque. I have read the threads from the past and unfortunately they are not followed up with the results.
From what I have tracked down from reputable sources it seems like the standard seats all have the heated pads installed in them, even in my basic seat. It also seems that if I pair it with the correct climate control panel, the pre wired seats will produce the heat I am seeking.
However, since the car is a new purchase ( a leftover 2015 !) I am not that interested in getting an upholsterer to open up the seats and take the leathers off to check. Of course I dont want to commit to a control panel until I know if these seats realy do have the pads and the wiring already installed.
SO what I am asking for is some help. If anyone has a photo of the 5 connections under the seat and can tell me what each one does, well I will be able to math up the wired connections with my assumptions. For example, two things that I am aware of that are connections from the seat are the seatbelt on/ off switch (which goes to the computer and drivers dash) and there is another connection for airbag, as well as my drivers seat has an acuator that raises and lowers the seat. This leaves me with 2 connections. I am hoping that someone can tell me what these are connecting. I am hoping that one of the two leads are for the heated seat pads. Diagrams from a service manual or a photo with description would be very helpful !
Thank you in advance. I am totally a newbie to RR and I am loving this car !
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - J. Dub - 01-08-2016 10:16pm
Did u ever get an answer on this?
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - dterpin - 02-08-2016 12:24am
(01-08-2016 10:16pm)J. Dub Wrote: Did u ever get an answer on this?
I have not. I will give you a brief of what is happening and the obstacles I face.
My biggest obstacle is that I purchased my Range Rover in Australia. Nothing against Australia, it is a great place to live in but the market for Range Rovers is overall pretty small, on top of that modifying them or any car is even smaller. I found this out during my initial research. I contacted an auto-place that provides Range Rover parts and specializes in modifications. Of course it was in the UK, where else and it is called SuperTweeks. This company was fantastic. In a matter of a few emails, they sorted out which control module I would need and after talking to one of their specialist could almost insure me that if I replaced it the rest of the hardware would be there and voila, I would have hot but. AMAZING !
However, verifying that this would work in Australia is the wall I am hitting. The country does some different things, and I cant confirm that even the standard seats that come factory equipped with heated pads are shipped in the seats to australia. You see they have a bunch of additional safety regulations here, and for some reason most of the cars they get here are changed to Australian standards. One example I discovered is seat belts. Every car shipped here has their seat belts installed here, otherwise they dont qualify to pass inspection.
I use this only to point out why its so hard to discover what exactly is in my car. Even with the vin number, and a parts specialist, the answers arent always there.
But thats is where I went. I discovered one of Australia best Range Rovers modification specialist , mostly through many message boards and articles written about who found what and who help them achieve it. This man, Paul at Lennock Range Rover, on the otherside of this huge country tried to help me out.
So I confirmed to him that the fuses for the heated seats are installed (although I dont know if they are active) and he went to the head office of Range Rover in Australia, with the intentions of installing them at his company. Now this is the interesting part. Paul confirms 90% of super tweeks initial research, specifically if this job was to happen I would need a different heater control panel. He also confirmed that this panel would have to come from the UK (In the USA we dont import the diesel..) So that was promising. But, and this is a big but, he can confirm that even if my car had the pads in place (my original question) and we installed the control panel that the car would actually turn on the heated seats.
Here is why. The cars all have a main computer that is coded and monitors everything. That computer has to be coded to make the heated seats work. So even if the parts are all in place, it may never be able to turn on.
Now this is coming from Range Rovers head office.
I now brought up the big question , how much would it cost to get a new ecu specifically made for my car programmed with the heated seats, and that number was around $1500. (with the control panel at $600 its looking like a $2100 project plus labor 4hours. ) But I also asked the reasonable dealer question, well I have a working control panel in my car, and it is updated each service, cant we just use the proprietary software to turn it on?
And that is where I am at. There is a chance that swapping the control module will work and that is about $600, I can have an upholsterer fit my car and an auto electrician wire up some lame switch for about $1000,
or I can go all out and see (once I get the answers) if I need a new ecu as well and we are looking at $2100.
I cant pull the trigger on any of this until I actually confirm what is possible. Even with the help of Paul leveraging his dealership for answers, we only got back "maybe it will work, or you may have to change out the ecu".
One other solution I have considered is to just get a certified electronics person to hard wire the new heater control unit button switches so they can operate the simple buttons an upholsterer would put in place. But since I have a life, I have'nt been able to put an estimate together for that result to happen.
I cant believe how difficult this is either, and my contacts in the Uk and USA cant believe it either.
So that is where I am at. Any help would be much appreciated.
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - xoz - 02-08-2016 03:13am
Where are you located in Australia? Would a simple observation of a "factory heated seats" and comparison with yours clarify your questions?
I have heated seats factory fitted btw located on the Gold Coast. But any dealer should be able to help.
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - dterpin - 02-08-2016 03:40am
(02-08-2016 03:13am)xoz Wrote: Where are you located in Australia? Would a simple observation of a "factory heated seats" and comparison with yours clarify your questions?
I have heated seats factory fitted btw located on the Gold Coast. But any dealer should be able to help.
Sorry, but it is that simple and its not that simple. I have a 2015 model and since then all the seats, even mine should have the pads installed and if they are they should be plugged into a connector (2 of them one for back one for butt) under the seat. But for example there are other things that could be connected in those plugs under the seats. Seatbelt to dashboard is one, Airbag deployment is another, and even mine which has the dial backrest and the bar forward and back, it has a plug for the motorized actuator.
Now in the previous build years the seats didnt have the pads installed, and there is no guarantee mine are in there. There does seem to be 5 connections and from what I have read in schematics I do have 2 of them plugged in that I assume are heated seats. A simple ohms test should tell if they are working or not (there should be some resistance in the pads wires). However, I dont know what that impedance is, Im not sure if the wires I assume are the heated seats are actually the heated seats, and there is the chance in australia that they did not come with them at all. (I asked this question directly to RR a month ago with no response) .
Unfortunately if we both dont have the same exact seat and are looking at the same plugs, your offer is will not work. Thank you anyways.
As for taking it to the dealer, they are busy here in melbourne and will gladly look on them for a small fee. As its just wasted money since they dont have the answers I need at the end of the examination, its not worth it.
The best part is when I pulled up my seats by vin number the pads were highlighted. Part 14D696A and B. According to the parts supplier a highlighted part means NON APPLICABLE. The answer I cant get are they non applicable because they dont have the correct heater control or are they just not installed at all.
Catalogue: RANGE ROVER EVOQUE (F1) 2012- Print Date: 08/06/2016
Section: 501-10/20A FRONT SEAT PADS/VALANCES & HEATING (SEAT - STANDARD) (TO (V)FH999999)
Thank you for your offer though.
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - Steve D - 02-08-2016 06:31am
Does it get cold enough in Australia to warrant heated seats? What about heated screens and washers?
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - xoz - 02-08-2016 11:17am
^ I initially thought that heated seats would be a waste for my lifestyle, facts are I've found them to be a handy addition. My back ache just loves the "heated support" especially after coming out of the gym in "our Gold Coast winter".
^^
I'm beginning to get the picture now dterpin. I'd go aftermarket heated setup if I were you, that way you'd bypass this LR dilemma. But of course your call in the end.
RE: 2015 Evoque retro heated seats - dterpin - 05-08-2016 03:01pm
(02-08-2016 11:17am)xoz Wrote: ^ I initially thought that heated seats would be a waste for my lifestyle, facts are I've found them to be a handy addition. My back ache just loves the "heated support" especially after coming out of the gym in "our Gold Coast winter".
^^
I'm beginning to get the picture now dterpin. I'd go aftermarket heated setup if I were you, that way you'd bypass this LR dilemma. But of course your call in the end.
I totally get it. I grew up in a place with really cold winters, but didnt discover the value of heated seats until I lived in Los Angeles. These cold wet Melbourne winters are perfect for them !