Daskuppler Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Hello Everyone, I'm replacing the passenger side lower seat assembly and was wondering if the heated seat mat has to be moved over to the new seat, or if it should be included with the new assembly. I ordered from Subaru with the VIN but the new seat does not have the heated seat wiring. Seems like since it is an assembly, all internal parts should be included. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Moved over. I believe the heated seats were an option. The year and model would help get you better info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted December 12, 2022 Author Share Posted December 12, 2022 1 hour ago, lmdew said: Moved over. I believe the heated seats were an option. The year and model would help get you better info. 2014 Forester Premium 2.5. the car came with them so I assumed the replacement seat ordered off the vin would include them. Am I supposed to pull the upholstery off the brand new seat and move over the old wiring harness and heating element or should it have come installed in the seat assembly? Thanks for moving it over, I wasn't sure where to put it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 What does the existing heated-seat look like underneath? Does it look like the heating-element is easily accessible, and perhaps therefore easily replaced? Or is the heating-element buried in the guts of the cushion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted December 12, 2022 Author Share Posted December 12, 2022 2 minutes ago, forester2002s said: What does the existing heated-seat look like underneath? Does it look like the heating-element is easily accessible, and perhaps therefore easily replaced? Or is the heating-element buried in the guts of the cushion? The only visible difference is the lack of a plug on the bottom of the new seat. From feeling the seats, it feels like the heating element is right under the upholstery so in theory it's somewhat accessible, but I don't want to pull apart the new portion of the new seat if it was supposed to be in there. Sadly I chose to do this on a Sunday so I couldn't call Subaru to verify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88SubGL Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 I think Subaru gave you the wrong part. It should be a direct replacement, that’s why they ask for the vin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted December 12, 2022 Author Share Posted December 12, 2022 10 minutes ago, 88SubGL said: I think Subaru gave you the wrong part. It should be a direct replacement, that’s why they ask for the vin. That was my thought, an assembly should have all internal parts installed but you never know. I'll have to call them tomorrow and redo it all haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted December 13, 2022 Author Share Posted December 13, 2022 Subaru did in fact order the wrong seat. The right one is in national backorder with no estimated availability date. Does anyone know if the heated seat element is in fact swappable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 I've swapped many of them on 96-99 Outbacks. They just lay on top of the foam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 If the same generation I’d be surprised if it didn’t swap. That’s unfortunate you have to disassemble a new seat. I’ve swapped 2014-2017 forester lower seats. never dealt with the upholstery or a nonheated seat so I don’t know for sure but the wiring, electronics, and hardware are all swappable between various trims and options. Seems impossible the heated hardware isn’t the same like Larry said of the 90s stuff. I needed a 2017 steering wheel airbag and they weren’t available this summer, also with no timeline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 3 hours ago, idosubaru said: I needed a 2017 steering wheel airbag and they weren’t available this summer, also with no timeline. Do you know if this shortage BS is across all manufacturers, or is Subaru struggling more because they are a smaller manufacturer? I can't get anything for any of my vehicles, but they are all Japanese... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 1 minute ago, Daskuppler said: Do you know if this shortage BS is across all manufacturers, or is Subaru struggling more because they are a smaller manufacturer? I can't get anything for any of my vehicles, but they are all Japanese... It's common across the entire automotive sector. I'd imagine it varies somewhat by years/models and maybe some are worse than other but there are issues across the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted December 14, 2022 Author Share Posted December 14, 2022 36 minutes ago, idosubaru said: It's common across the entire automotive sector. I'd imagine it varies somewhat by years/models and maybe some are worse than other but there are issues across the board. That's what I figured, but you never know. Do you have a favorite place to buy non OEM parts that aren't carried at the auto parts store? Everyone defaults to Rock Auto but they don't ship to my address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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