This is one of the most valuable posts I have seen on this forum, and I have done a lot of browsing so far.

Recently purchased 2012 JCW, no heated seats! :( Just about every other option. I live in So Cal but enjoy heated seats as I have an eye condition and tend to not use the heater and instead use heated seats especially with sunroof / window down.

This is invaluable information, thanks to both who contributed to this post!
I contacted an aftermarket shop referred by Mini and they could not do the passenger seat bottom, due to the air bag location. huh-?? Does not make sense so I forwarded this post to them but never heard back.

Cost for drivers seat and passenger seat back only was $600.00! Whoa!

Thanks again for taking the time to providing such a quality document. I just got my carbon heated seat kit ($58.00!). Hopefully my car comes out of hte shop by the weekend and I can give this a try.

Thanks again to you guys, Two thumbs up !

 

Best of luck to you on this, and if you have any questions, I'll be happy to help if I can.
Cheers.

 

This looks like a nightmare @_@ My '11 JCW doesn't have heated seats and since I live in Utah, it gets pretty chilly in the winter. This just seems like an outrageously difficult process D:

 

It's definitely not a DIY for everyone.
But after it's installed, you will have YEARS of happiness. Literally YEARS.

 

I definitely can't deny that. Maybe I'll check with some car savvy folks and see if I can have them help me do the project. I'd love to have heated seats :(

 

Yep. its not a DIY for everyone, and you have to fully commit and have a set of *****, but I followed the instructions for an install on my 05, and it went off without a hitch. Since I live at a ski area, and my car lives outside, the morning start up is quite chilly in the winter. This easily is the single useful mod I've done.


If you are willing to take the rime, just follow the instructions, carefully, and you should have no problems.


You really only have a few things that can go wrong.
1. Blow an airbag. HIGHLY unlikely if you follow the instructions.
2. Throw an code. Can be reset my mini, or autozone, depending on the code, or will clear itself in 5 starts.
3. damage the seat sensor. that would suck, but again, it can be fixed.


You could also call an auto upholstery shop and ask them how much if you supply the heater unit.


The heated seat install is so worth the weekend f doing it.

 

I bought one of the eBay kits for my wife's birthday. She has a 2010 mini coupe with the leatherette seats.

I did the install today. It took me 9-10 hours - very tedious and time consuming but also very rewarding.

With the leatherette in this car, I ran the bottom seat wire out the front as in the original post. But I ran one hot wire and split it under the console and used one of the emergence brake mounting bolts as a ground under the console. (Note: I did not remove the console completely but ran the hot from the fuse box under the top of the carpet then under the console). I believe I used fuse 34 which showed heated seats and something else and was 7.5a. 32 was only 5a. I used hog rings rather than zip ties to put the fabric back on - they're quick and easy to use if you have a set of hog ring pliers. Other than that I went with the more difficult switch mount location - I didn't have a big drill bit so very carefully freehanded it with a dremel after drilling a pilot hole - my luck held and they look great.

One other thing, as someone mentioned they barely got warm in the testing phase but once installed they got HOT on high.

Thank you so much for the instructions. I doubt I would have attempted this without them.

 

Do you guys know if it would be possible to somehow get the heated seat OEM switches and wire it through that instead of putting in the other buttons on the side of the console?

 

I'm sure you could order it as a part.


But you don't have to put it on the side of the console, see my post with pics a few pages up. I put them in the OEM location.

 

Hello All,

I'm looking at a 2012 Countryman that is equipped exactly like I want, except for heated seats. I'm fairly handy in the garage, and while this looks pretty involved and time consuming (especially installing the elements in the seats), it's possible, which is all I need to know.

Lloyd: "So you're telling me there's a chance."

I don't know if the Countryman's seats are similar, but they can't be too different, right?

Hopefully I'll be knocking out this mod in the next few weeks, thank you for the excellent writeup and pics.

 

I looked at trying this when I did mine. It's possible you could do it, but EXTREMELY difficult and cumbersome and would involve:
1. Getting the switch bank and swapping it all out on the car.
2. Rewiring or modding the switches so that they function as HI/Low because the OEM switches are Three Position (i.e. Low/Med/High)
I only say it's possible because I hate saying things are 'impossible'. But this mod, in my opinion, is nearly impossible.
Now, you could do the factory heated seats in your car, but it's WAY more challenging than doing the mod outlined in this thread and it require quite a bit of recoding and a significant financial investment in parts. There's a detailed write-up on how to do that mod in THIS OTHER THREAD (unfortunately the pics are missing but you could contact the original poster and retrieve them possibly).

If you want some help with yours, drive out here to Indiana. It will take a day, but I'll help you do your seats. I know it's a long drive, but the offer is there...

 

Oh man, Indiana is quite a ways away from me hahaha. But I will definitely keep your offer in mind. I'd really like the heated element in my factory seats :/ someone on LXM suggested I get aftermarket or cheap seats to install the mod in. I'm rather fond of my championship leather seats haha.

 

Now that I finally have my car back I am going to give this a shot. Is the PDF available? I do not see it in this post. Thank you

 

PDF / Post # where PDF is located?
Thank you

 

PDF is located in the post.
Just search for the word "PDF" in the post if you are having issues finding it. It's there.

 

I have a couple of times, perhaps I am misreading. I thought there was a PDF of this post / installation.

IT's okay I will go without.

Thanks

 

The full install in just the thread itself. It's the step-by-step with photos, etc.

The PDF was only what came with the heated seat package I ordered from eBay. It's saved as an attachment to the thread, but it may not help. The thread itself is the actual detailed install. You can download the attached PDF here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...structions.pdf

But again, the thread itself is where I posted all the actual install info. Cheers.

 

Thanks Oakland, I thought I was confused and you have verified it

Great Post, I am about 1/2 through the madness.

Thanks again
T

 

Hope it works out for you and post a final pic when done if you can.
Cheers!

 

Yes I will be including a few pictures and my notes / findings

My seats are a bit different in the back, etc...

Currently I am facing a big challenge: WHERE TO PUT THE SWITCHES.
I was going to put them below the stick shift, but I have navigation option so that really limits the placement of the switches.

T

 

What about simply where I placed the switches?

 

Yes, that is my only option really.

 

Hello. Just reading through this amazing thread. Thanks to all for posting (now a few years back.) I'm wanting to do this, but I'm wondering if anyone has had any issues with the heating element being placed on top of the passenger weight sensor. I pulled back the passenger seat cover and saw that the sensor is covered with sort-of felt paper. I assume I'd place the heating element on top of that? And the heat wouldn't create any issues with that sensor? Mine is a 2013 Cooper S Convertible with Sport Seats.
Thanks,
Kevin

 

I've not had any problems with my mod. The only thing that bugs me sometimes is that they could be hotter. However, my car is garage kept during the worst of the Indiana winters, so even this hasn't been a big issue.

 

I haven't had any issues with the sensor. It works just like it should. When I put my backpack or my 3 year old on the seat, the airbag off light turns on.


Seats are super hot, I can only leave them on high for about 15 minutes.


I recently had my Mini in for service and there was a airbag sensor recall. I told the service dept that I put heated seats in and didn't want them to do the recall install, but they said its no big deal, they replaced the sensor, and reinstalled my self installed seat heat mat, and tested it for operation.


The heated seats upgrade was without a doubt the best and most worthwhile mod I have done, considering I live at a ski area and its winter 6 months out of the year, and I have no garage. I enjoy it every day I drive the Mini.