DIY Installing Heated Seats In Your Civic DIY

In the interest of getting a 9th gen version of this DIY going, I am willing to offer my services to aid a 9thcivic member in doing this to their car. You provide the parts, and need to be local enough to me that i can get to you, so depending on time that would be Roanoke and New River Valley regions of VA, or Baltimore/DC metro areas.


someone needs to get on this before winter hits!
 
[TIP - ATTACHING UPHOLSTERY]

Hi Guys, I just did this last night to my moms 8th gen civic and it worked out great. I havent finished wiring it to the car but the hard part of getting it into the seats is done.

TIP: for putting the seats back for upholstery that is held with metal dog clips i found it much easier to remove all of them and just use zip ties. Make sure when putting the zip ties in that you roll the head into the foam so you dont feel it when sitting on it. I only removed them from the butt cushion and for the back i just put it in the sleve. Happy i didnt need to remove any dog clips from the back! woohoo

this was a breeze to put back!

http://imgur.com/zAYof5h - fold a small tip to pup under the cable

View: http://youtu.be/KDTLz4VuDA4
- video how to push and pull the zip ties with a flat head that i filed into a V head
 

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Definitely going to have to try this. Also want to do the illuminated cupholders. I know someone who works at honda. He confirms that the seats are a real pain in the butt to deal with. Also i may be able to get wiring diagrams or whatever, so let me know if there's any way I can help!
 
Hello all!
Just found this great looking DIY, and plan to follow on the girlfriend's 2012 Civic Sedan. A few questions which I'm hoping folks can help out with;
  • are non-heated seat Civics typically prewired with a factory heated seat harness? This is Canadian market car.... I'll look under seats and pop covers off the switch area when I can without arousing suspicion..
  • if wiring is typically present, does anyone have wiring diagrams? Fuse locations, etc?
  • if wiring typically not present, is there a PN for the correct Honda connectors for the factory heated seat switches? I'd be using the Honda switches for an OE look
  • Any thoughts on the passenger seatback occupant sensors and integrating with aftermarket seats? Best to leave alone and do bottom only on that side?
  • Any suggestions on heated seat kits?

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Colin
 
Thanks for the help. I ordered the switch assembly, fascia for it, and what appear to be hog rings based on the seat diagram, as well as screws for the switch assembly... And a top rated heated carbon heated seat kit from Amazon (looks just like the eBay link). Anyone know of the Honda part (probably a harness repair part) for the male harness side of the plug for the factory switches? Would rather make a nice plug to integrate rather than have spade connectors or something pushed onto the back of the factory switches.

Two more things:
  • the clips that secure the upholstery to the seat - does anyone have specific knowledge of the 9th gen Civic? The writeup mentions plastic J clips on an 8th gen, which diagrams seem to show as 81291-SNA-A01. The 9th gen shows no such clips, but does list a pack of hog rings (as does the 8th gen parts listing). Are these in fact used, or is there another single use clip of some sort used? If it's supposed to be single use, I'd prefer to have replacements on hand before pulling it all apart.
  • Wiring diagrams for the 9th gen - any sources, other than paying for the Honda online service? I hate the idea of paying by day for access - most of my other vehicles have had either paper or electronic manuals and diagrams available quite easily. Would be looking for wiring for factory heated seats, as well as ignition switched circuits that would be appropriate to tap for the added heated seats. Also details like backlighting for switches, etc.

Cheers,
Colin
 
If you car is like my 8th gen was, even though i had a manual transmission, the plug to light up the shifter console if the automatic was present. you can tap the illumination wires there, or pull them from the stereo or hvac controls.

hog rings were what was used on the 8th gen Si, plastic clips was non Si models, no idea what the 9th gen is using. In some ways the rings are easier to use than the clips, but you will need a set of hog ring pliers to close back up.

i dont know if anyone has the full service manual for the 9th gen out yet, i would check ebay and see if any vendors have the digital copy of the manual for about 30 dollars.

tapping ignition switched circuits, you just have to be careful, the add a fuse devices do have limits of how much you can put through them, both the circuit youre tapping and the one youre adding, (ie you cant put a 10a add on top of a 15a)
 
Bit the bullet and signed up for a day. Have spent the last few hours saving PDFs and taking screencaps - everything needed to tie into proper circuits for heated seats, etc. Also torque specs for seat mounting...

I also took the liberty of downloading PDFs of torque specs for most of the vehicle, and also the ETM. PM if interested in those.
 

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  • 1_Heated_Seat_Diagrams_Connectors.pdf
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  • Driver\'s Seat Cushion Heater Removal and Installation.pdf
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  • Driver\'s Seat-Back Heater Removal and Installation.pdf
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  • Front Passenger\'s Seat Cushion Heater Removal and Installation.pdf
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  • Front Seat-Back Cover Removal and Installation - Driver\'s Seat.pdf
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  • Front Seat Cushion Cover Removal and Installation.pdf
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  • Front Seat Cushion Cover Removal and Installation - Driver\'s Seat.pdf
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  • Seat Heater Switch Removal and Installation.pdf
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  • Seat Heaters Circuit Diagram (\'12-\'13).pdf
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  • Seat Heaters Component Location Index (\'12).pdf
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Next question; anyone know of a decent source of Honda harness repair components? Ie, pins to add in the missing places of OE connectors?
 
collegehillshondaparts.com may be of help, or actually calling and asking for paul - 1-888-244-6632. He can probably help find anything you may need that may not be listed online.
 
Installed in my 2013 civic LX. Removing the recline lever was difficult- learned I needed to whack it with a hammer using plywood. Installed the kit switches in the factory location. Plan 2 days minimum for this DIY.
 

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