Heated Seat
 

The drivers seat doesn't warm up, but the passenger side does.
Any ideas where to start? I was pretty sure they share the same fuse, so have instantly ruled it out - but can't place the owners handbook to confirm.

could be the sensor in the seat or the wiring from the same. Ive got a feeling that the seat wont heat up unless the sensor senses someone sitting in it

Yep.. passenger seat definitely needs someone in it to heat (or mine did anyway)

I've put on quite a bit of weight since the baby arrived, so I'd say it would be the sensor in my seat then!

Any indication on where it is? is it an easy thing to resolve? Its raining, otherwise I'd have the spanners out. It was freezing this morning.

I think it is pressure pad the same like for airbag occupancy sensors so would need ripping seat apart and quite expensive but you could make it think that it is always occupied by putting a resistor instead of sensor.

But it could be switch or heating element fault or wiring as well.

99.999% sure there is no occupancy sensor for the front seats for heating. There are pressure pads on the passenger seat only for airbag (its assumed someone was driving if you crash, so no sensor needed on that seat!)

Rear heated seats had mechanical switches up until 2001, then they stopped for some reason.

If anyone has a D2 and would care to run the front heated seats when the car is cold for 5 mins, without sitting in them, should prove my point...

If yours is not working, it could just be old and tired, the heating pad can deteriorate over time and stop working.

Boo.

I doubt vagcom can prove or disprove anything?

I will check the wiring but sounds like a lost cause then?

Hello everybody. My first post to this forum as a proud 1997 S8 6-speed owner.

I have a problem with the driver's (sports) seat heating. The only part that is heating is the thigh support. Rest of the seat remains cold. I guess the fuse and heater switch is okay. Any ideas what do check?

Yep, no sensors in front seats. Both will heat up irrespective of occupancy.
Rear seats in '00 S8 have microswitches in them to detect occupancy and heat seats up.
Possibly a broken wire in one of the pads?

Probably easier to make heated trousers and plug into the cig lighter