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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Driver's lower heated seat not working.
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      12-23-2015, 05:25 PM   #1
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Driver's lower heated seat not working.

The arse section of the driver's seat in our cpo 535i just went kaput. The back section gets hot and the passenger seat is fine. I've checked the idrive settings and even with the power directed at the bottom section only it's not right. The lower side bolsters are working fine but the center section is cold. I've checked fuses and all seems on the up and up.
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      12-24-2015, 03:22 AM   #2
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What did the dealer say when you took it back?
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      12-24-2015, 04:12 AM   #3
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Sounds like the element is blown...
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      12-24-2015, 10:57 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HFW003 View Post
What did the dealer say when you took it back?
I have an appointment in a few days. We have to travel a bit for the holidays and it wasn't worth not having the car for the trip just because of this. I'm guessing that element broke or burned out.
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      12-27-2015, 02:56 PM   #5
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A common problem with heated seat elements is a broken wire or connector that usually breaks if someone kneels on the seat. The extra concentrated pressure will snap the small element wires. Yes, I found out the hard way with a retired MB.
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      10-26-2017, 02:41 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hella-Buggin' View Post
The arse section of the driver's seat in our cpo 535i just went kaput. The back section gets hot and the passenger seat is fine. I've checked the idrive settings and even with the power directed at the bottom section only it's not right. The lower side bolsters are working fine but the center section is cold. I've checked fuses and all seems on the up and up.
Have you found a solution for the problem?
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      12-28-2017, 10:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmw.41 View Post
Have you found a solution for the problem?
Hi there,

I have the same problem with my 535. Dealer quoted me about $3,000 CDN to replace the bottom portion of the seat. They said the heating element comes attached to the seat cover.
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      01-02-2018, 10:04 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peterp65 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmw.41 View Post
Have you found a solution for the problem?
Hi there,

I have the same problem with my 535. Dealer quoted me about $3,000 CDN to replace the bottom portion of the seat. They said the heating element comes attached to the seat cover.
Say it ain't so, that's a terrible design if it's true.
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      01-02-2018, 10:20 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DLerner View Post
Say it ain't so, that's a terrible design if it's true.
'Cept that's how heated seats have been manufactured for decades. Another way is the way Lincoln (and others now) does it:

Quote:
They use two Peltier modules, one for the seat bottom, and the other for the seat back. When electric current is passed through the module, it gets cold on one side and hot on the other. It is moving heat from one side to the other. If you reverse the direction of the current, then you swap which side gets hot and which side gets cold. The fan in each seat blows air over both sides of each module. The air from one side goes into ducts to the seat cushion, and the other side is exhausted under the seat. The direction and amount of current to the module determines if it is heating or cooling, and by how much. This system takes about 1/3 as much power as just using electric heating pads would.
Borrowed from a Lincoln enthusiasts site.
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      01-03-2018, 07:28 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by peterp65 View Post
Hi there,

I have the same problem with my 535. Dealer quoted me about $3,000 CDN to replace the bottom portion of the seat. They said the heating element comes attached to the seat cover.
Although I haven't approached this fix in an F10, if the seat heater element is being energized properly, then the element must be defective.

So, if someone has already tested that power is arriving at the element, then replacing the element is likely your only course of action.

It should be clarified that the element is most likely in the leather seat COVER, not the "bottom portion of the seat". It certainly should not be $3000.

In my E39 days, I've removed seats and brought them to the basement or worked in the garage to remove the leather covering for various reasons, usually to replace seat foam and restore the seating contour to like-new, or to replace the seat occupancy sensor mat in the passenger seat. In the late 90s the heating elements were stitched into the lining as well - this isn't a new thing. I would imagine that the F10 process would be similar but, like the rest of the car, more complicated than 20 years ago.

The expense is either because they quoted you a whole seat bottom, rather than a cover. Or it's just good old dealer labor rates kicking you in the butt.

I've been puzzled by the relatively low amount of DIY information in the F10 community. The earliest F10s are 8 years old now, with potentially hundreds of thousands of miles on them. As I've owned cars over the years it's the usual pattern - in the early full warranty/low mileage years everyone's just talking about tint, wheels and audio systems. But by the time warranties are expiring, the DIY talk starts up.

E36, E39, E46, E90 - all the same pattern. Every time a new model is introduced, even 20 years ago, everyone is up in arms that the new model is soooooo complicated and we'll never be able to do anything ourselves. Then owners figure out that a couple of new electronic tools or PDFs leaked out of the factory are required and life carries on. Give it 5 more years and suddenly the previously scary new model is "the good old days" when things were easy, and now the newest chassis is scary and we'll "never be able to do anything ourselves".

For whatever reason, it feels like the F10 community has never gone over the hump into DIY territory, or I'm reading the wrong forums.

Anyways - to the OP, it's a recent CPO purchase - go hassle the dealer as a pre-existing condition that they missed when they sold you the car.
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      01-03-2018, 07:32 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Surly73 View Post
Although I haven't approached this fix in an F10, if the seat heater element is being energized properly, then the element must be defective.

So, if someone has already tested that power is arriving at the element, then replacing the element is likely your only course of action.

It should be clarified that the element is most likely in the leather seat COVER, not the "bottom portion of the seat". It certainly should not be $3000.

The expense is either because they quoted you a whole seat bottom, rather than a cover. Or it's just good old dealer labor rates kicking you in the butt.

I've been puzzled by the relatively low amount of DIY information in the F10 community. The earliest F10s are 8 years old now, with potentially hundreds of thousands of miles on them. As I've owned cars over the years it's the usual pattern - in the early full warranty/low mileage years everyone's just talking about tint, wheels and audio systems. But by the time warranties are expiring, the DIY talk starts up.

For whatever reason, it feels like the F10 community has never gone over the hump into DIY territory, or I'm reading the wrong forums.
My F10 is 7 years old and has been trouble free so far. I haven't been as lucky with my other car (7 year old MB). For that car, I'm constantly searching for answers to issues and DIY repairs.

Interesting on the seat heater element being integrated into the seat cover. I had always assumed it was a separate pad sandwiched between the foam and leather for easier repair/replacement.
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      01-21-2018, 05:38 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Surly73 View Post
Although I haven't approached this fix in an F10, if the seat heater element is being energized properly, then the element must be defective.

So, if someone has already tested that power is arriving at the element, then replacing the element is likely your only course of action.

It should be clarified that the element is most likely in the leather seat COVER, not the "bottom portion of the seat". It certainly should not be $3000.

In my E39 days, I've removed seats and brought them to the basement or worked in the garage to remove the leather covering for various reasons, usually to replace seat foam and restore the seating contour to like-new, or to replace the seat occupancy sensor mat in the passenger seat. In the late 90s the heating elements were stitched into the lining as well - this isn't a new thing. I would imagine that the F10 process would be similar but, like the rest of the car, more complicated than 20 years ago.

The expense is either because they quoted you a whole seat bottom, rather than a cover. Or it's just good old dealer labor rates kicking you in the butt.

I've been puzzled by the relatively low amount of DIY information in the F10 community. The earliest F10s are 8 years old now, with potentially hundreds of thousands of miles on them. As I've owned cars over the years it's the usual pattern - in the early full warranty/low mileage years everyone's just talking about tint, wheels and audio systems. But by the time warranties are expiring, the DIY talk starts up.

E36, E39, E46, E90 - all the same pattern. Every time a new model is introduced, even 20 years ago, everyone is up in arms that the new model is soooooo complicated and we'll never be able to do anything ourselves. Then owners figure out that a couple of new electronic tools or PDFs leaked out of the factory are required and life carries on. Give it 5 more years and suddenly the previously scary new model is "the good old days" when things were easy, and now the newest chassis is scary and we'll "never be able to do anything ourselves".

For whatever reason, it feels like the F10 community has never gone over the hump into DIY territory, or I'm reading the wrong forums.

Anyways - to the OP, it's a recent CPO purchase - go hassle the dealer as a pre-existing condition that they missed when they sold you the car.
Surly73, thanks!

Stealers wanting $3,000 doesn't surprise me really. I had a small accident a few months ago where another car very lightly scratched the driver's side of my front bumper. Stealers charged insurance $2,800 to paint it.. Not even replace. Just paint! Upon receiving the car, I noticed it wasn't even done properly and had to send it back to the shop. Anyway, they've got to make money somehow. Am I right?

In terms of the heated seat, according to the quote it is the replacement of JUST the cover and not the entire lower seat. I was quoted $3,000. I said I would think about it, but really I never did Would love a DIY if it ever becomes available. I just need to find the cover!
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      01-27-2018, 07:33 AM   #13
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The lower seat cushion is an $800 part. Anyone know how hard it is to remove and replace?

https://www.getbmwparts.com/parts/20...&siteid=214672
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      10-20-2023, 12:39 PM   #14
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2011 BMW 550 heated seat not working

2011 BMW 550i front driver seat heater and back seat back heater stop working Looked at fuse box and the seat heater fuses are 31, 187,188, 190, 191. According to
https://www.servicetutorials.com/202...m-explanation/

the front seat fuse is 190, and the driver seat fuse is 191. I pulled out all 187, 188, 190, and 191, the heater on all seats still have heat on (except the bad ones). Not sure why??? (all heater lights were still turned on).
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      10-20-2023, 10:16 PM   #15
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tggEzEEuLe0

Nice video if your bottom seat cushion has the heating element issue in the same location as in the video.

The only thing I wouldn't do, is to use metal tape on the cushion.

I would claim if you can do this level of repair, removing the bottom cushion and do the repair elsewhere in the element, or replacing the bottom leather w/ heating element shouldn't be a stretch.
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      10-22-2023, 05:06 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M_Bimmer View Post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tggEzEEuLe0

Nice video if your bottom seat cushion has the heating element issue in the same location as in the video.

The only thing I wouldn't do, is to use metal tape on the cushion.

I would claim if you can do this level of repair, removing the bottom cushion and do the repair elsewhere in the element, or replacing the bottom leather w/ heating element shouldn't be a stretch.
Just came here to say that I've done this, twice (the original time one wire was broken, then the other one broke shortly thereafter). As of this fall, the fix is still holding.
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      10-22-2023, 05:34 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Surly73 View Post
Just came here to say that I've done this, twice (the original time one wire was broken, then the other one broke shortly thereafter). As of this fall, the fix is still holding.
Is it pretty straightforward as shown in the video, or does XYZ potentially cause it to be more complicated? Did you re-use the wire clips, or zip tie?
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      10-23-2023, 07:03 AM   #18
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Reasonably straight forward. The rigid wire with the hard insulation coating is hard to work with (i.e. strip insulation off in order to solder). The braided wire is also hard to work with (seems to be super fine copper wires, also with some kind of coating or silicone lubricant inside the casing). Of course where it was burned I had to cut back and strip, making things not as long as I'd like. Ended up OK but you could only repeat the repair so many times. I added heat shrink tubing to protect and mechanically strengthen the connection. I reused the hog ties, if I remember correctly.

I did NOT use metal foil tape and had a hard time coming up with something of appropriate properties to manage and protect the wires while being flexible, strong and non-conductive.
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