Well we have had great success with our aftermarket heated seats on our 1st HCHII. The original thread is here:

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f...ts-saga-10053/

Now it's starting to get chilly in the mornings, I have been longing for the warmth in our 2nd HCHII.

I am not thrilled about spending another $475-$500 and I am usually a single passenger in this car (it's soley a commuter). So, I thought it worth the $25 for a heated seat pad from Target.com. If it doesn't work out I can return it at any Target.

I tried it this morning and it was okay. It does have a off-low-high switch which is nice (not all do) and it fits in the car okay. I couldn't use all the straps because of the side-airbags, but it's fits better than expected and I can still fine tune the straps later.

Also it connect well to the cig-lighter-element in the center console. The door still shuts well and the switch hangs out by the cupholders.

High is quickly warm and either I quickly get used to it or it has some auto-switch that shuts it off to prevent overheating. I did notice that it wasn't doing much after a FAS (with the key on II), but after I restarted the car, I got a new boost of heat -- not sure why.

Anyway, so far it's worth the $25 + shipping. I'll give it a few weeks before I decide.

My main moitivator is cash savings. The in-seat install would be ideal, but I will be spending almost $700 soon for snow tires and wheels.

Here a link and pic from target:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000ANOUHQ

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

Here in the US for 2008 there will be a Civic trim level called the EX-L which is the EX with heated leather seats.

What this means is that the OEM parts to convert a non-heated seat to a heated seat will be available over the parts counter in the next few months.

I plan on converting my HCHII seats to heated ones this fall.

It looks like I will just need the upper and lower seat pad heating elements, the wiring harness and the console switch gear. Should be a simple job to pull off the seat covers and install the heating elements.

I could you please post a detailed, and photo laden post on how you do this? I would really like some electric chairs in the HCH!

Commuter car, grocery getter, and summer road tripper--average 10k miles per year.


Winter road trips and ski trips, bad weather commuter and my wife's "daily" driver--expected average 4k miles per year.

OE, I look forward to that DIY.



Also, do I need to unplug this thing every time I leave the car? The instructions say to do so, but I'm pretty sure the cig lighter is not powered when the car is off. Can it still draw a current?

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

I do not think it's necessary. The car shuts the outlet off when you turn the car off. I keep my iPod charger plugged in and have never had any problems.

Thanks for the sanity check. I've left it plugged in and the car has not burned down.


So far, it works great. There is an initial heat blast which is nice on these cool mornings. It's initial heat is much quicker than the professional install on our other HCH. Then it either cools off and cycles on and off; or I get used to it and barely notice it.

Winter will tell how well it works long term.

Also, I am suprised by how much the seat does not move around. I assumed I'd have to adjust it every time I got in the car. It has been very stable and for the price, I'd definitely recommend it at this point.

Cheers!

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

how's the seat comfort? I've been wanting to have an inch of foam installed into the seats to make them more comfortable but haven't been able to go without my car for long enough to have it done.

Funny you should ask, I have just been thinking about this.

My HCHII is our commuter car. I usually don't drive it for more than a half an hour at a time.

This weekend I drove our "family" HCHII though the local Willife Safari and was in the seat for about two hours. Man, my but was sore on the way home! Yes, I would definitely consider adding foam for long-distance driving.

So, back to my car, I guess the heat pad adds about a half an inch of padding. It probably help, but I don't really drive it long enough to know for sure.

Unfortunately these seats leave much to be desired. I would definitely consider having a seat upholsterer add padding and/or heat.

Good luck!

P.S. I'm going to start a new thread about this.

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html

My HCH '08 replaces my 1988 Volvo station wagon with heated driver's seat. My wife was always jealous of my heated seat, as her 1983 Volvo lacks that amenity.

Last year, we bought a Wagan Tech heated seat from amazon.com for her car. It's comfy both as a seat cushion and for the warmth, and has held up well to her sitting on it daily even in the summer. It was less than $20 and I think I'll buy one for our HCH. Brrr....

I'm using it daily and I appreciate it.

It is sort of getting that smooshed look, but it is purely cosmetic.

It heats as well as the internal heated seats I had installed on our other HCHII. I swear it cuts off on its own after being on for awhile, but I swear that happens with the other car as well. Maybe, I just acclimate to it.

chkuttner, spend an extra $5 and you get a off/low/high switch. It's worth it just to not have to plug and unplug the thing, IMO.

Cheers, nf

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/3686.html

http://greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/4955.html