So, the mornings are getting nippy here and I am becoming a bit more motivated in my quest for heated seats.

I have been enjoying heated seats for years in my bimmers and can't live without them. Freezing my butt off while waiting 20 minutes for my engine to warm up is easily remedied by instant, electric heated seats.

My research here brought me to user Manchild who bought his HCHII with aftermarket leather and heated seats from Burien Honda (800-523-9096) in the Seattle, Washington area.

A quick call to them revealed their aftermarket shop for such things. I think there name is Classic Auto Trim (425-430-1112). I spoke with installer John about any possible issues to watch out for when for aftermarket heated seats for the HCHII.

He was very knowledgeable and I would recommend him to anyone in the area. There were two main warnings he relayed to me and I am obliged to pass them on.

1. Do not put a heat pad on the back of the passenger seat as it will interfere with the airbag sensor. A bummer for sure, but not devastating as the passenger can still have their bum warmed.

2. Wire the power to an ignition wire or an accessory wire. Do not wire directly to the fuse box. While this may work, there was a rash of fuse box failures when the latest Odysseys came out and were wired in such way.

So, my research is done. I will schedule an appointment to get my heat installed soon and I will update then.


noflash

Awesome stuff.
I hope they do a great job ... and most of all... that you enjoy your warmer ride.



Cheers;

MSantos

Assuming you have access to AC power where you park, wouldn't a block heater be a better choice? You'd get toasty air out the vents right away, and you'd also improve your MPG. Just wondering!

Perhaps not likely. The block heater does not really help the occupant of the vehicle (directly - at least) as it is meant to warm up the oil only. Sure, the car will warm up faster but not enough for the person who wants immediate heat - hence the heated seats !

Cheers;

MSantos

You're probably more familiar with these devices than I am (since I'm from So. Cal, and you're from Canada!), but I believe the block heater is actually warming the coolant / antifreeze in the engine block. There are other devices (oil pan heaters, battery blankets, etc.) for warming other under hood parts in cold weather.

With the coolant / antifreeze pre warmed, you should be able to get almost immediate "heat" out the vents (at least warmer than the ambient temperature!).

Actually, since all my vehicles have had block heaters that actually heated the oil
, I may have made the mistake of referring to it that way. I guess I should look at the 2006 HCH technical manual to confirm. Hummm, I believe I tried locating it in the manual recently and I was not able to. Must be because it is an option and therefore not in the service literature.

But in general terms, the block heater's main mission is to warm up the oil so that its viscosity may be lowered and minimize the engine wear at startup. When temperatures are too cold the oil just thickens and the rest is damage history.

Even if the engine coolant is locally heated by the heating element, the ventillation ducting will undoubtedly absorb the first warm air before is actually reaches the passengers - especially on very cold days. So will the rest of the engine block and pathways for the coolant as it gets pumped rather agressively as soon as we turn the key. Larger vehicles with significantly more ducting suffer for this temperature lag alot more.

Cheers;

MSantos

I have made an appointment for Tuesday!

I got the block heater installed in my HCHII, and it heats the water, not the oil.

Got a block heater installed in my 2003 HCH I two years ago. It definitely heats the water not the oil. There are other devices that infact do heat the oil but they are not called block heaters.

You guys are correct. Honda's block heater does indeed attach to the cooling system and that is where the small heating element introduces the heat. This little detail does not appear in the service and maintenance literature but I managed to follow the cord on mine and sure enough it is threaded into the radiator body.


Cheers;

MSantos