For the last few weeks the heated seat on my 2005 MCS seems to be extremely warm - warm enough that I cannot leave it on more than a few minutes. Is this a common (or even uncommon) problem? I don't know if my a$$ is just being sensitive or if there is really a problem, but if I leave it on it feels like my butt is on fire. We're heading into a weekend of sub zero temps and I need my heated seats!

 

I've heard of this in other MINIs (although mine seem to be fine) and believe there's a TSB out about it. Give your dealership a call and see if they can perform the fix.

 

You could just turn it down or turn if off when it gets too hot.

 

Thanks Deviant. I'll check it out.

mcs22004, that is what I do now. But it hasn't been this way in the past (I've driven it 2 winters already) and I didn't have this problem before (but maybe I'm more sensitive? - it is a judgment call). So that leads me to believe there is a problem with my seats, but I wanted to see if it were a common/slightly common problem. My warranty runs out in about 5k, so I'd better do it soon.

 

Maybe the spacing between the temperature sensing element and the
heating element has shifted to cause the change.
There is a TSB and a fix with two different $20 in line adapters you can plug in to
make the seat run cooler or hotter than stock.
I got and inserted the one to cool it down a bit, and it does help.

Here's a thread about it.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=94611