Is adding heated seats a PITA?

If you ever experience low back pain or soreness, heated seats are the best thing ever invented.

 

I was concerned that the zip ties would break in time and I'd be taking the seats apart again. For $20 you can buy a set of hog ring pliers and 300 rings (enough for a few hundred car seats). I got the angled ones for an extra $1, which I think helped-

SUPERYO Hog Ring Pliers Angled & 300 Galvanized Hog Rings, Professional Upholstery Installation Kit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QZYD95J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I did front & rear seats in my Taco last week, 1 seat per evening. Found the hog ring pliers to be well worth it. I am now looking for other things to do with them, since I have a few hundred rings left. lol Seriously though, with zip ties you're reaching into tight spaces while holding the cover in place and having to grab the zip tie with 1 hand, bend the loose end, look for the slot, lose your grip, repeat the process, then after you finally get it you cut the "tail" off and have a sharp edge sticking into the foam. I feel like if you're going through all that expense and effort it's worth it to do it right all along. As far as ease, the hog ring pliers worked like "load ring, hold cover in place, use pliers to push bar into position, squeeze. Reload for next one." It was really easy and I was glad I had them instead of zip ties.

 

Thanks, that’s a very detailed answer and I think I’ll take your advice.

for the rest of the rings, you could start making a set of chain mail... might be needed in the future

 

Great idea! And here I was just looking to make nice tidy knots in my kayak bungees...

 

Zip ties would be much harder and slower than the hog rings. With the pliers you pretty much just push down and clamp. Go with the pliers and rings. It's cheap on Amazon and easy.

 

Just ordered a set of pliers and ordered the seat kit last night. Should be here this week, along with the, um, cough cough-pro grill-cough cough, and I ordered wheel vinyls and center cap inlays from @SimplyMuggle. I’ve got enough to keep me busy for at least a few days while the state is shut down for who knows how long.

 

I have the faux grille as well.

I actually thought the seats were fun. It's challenging enough to be stimulating while not being so frustrating you want to give up. It is also extremely rewarding when you get done. I posted this elsewhere, but the airbag connector was the hardest part for me. It's a special connector that should be easy to disconnect, but I had fits with it for some reason. The first connector took me forever, the second one took 2 seconds. Just take your time and it will be easy.

I'd also recommend starting with the passenger seat, just in case it takes you longer than you think.

 

Sounds like a good plan. Did you disconnect the battery when you removed the seats? I know I’ll have to for wiring but was not sure about it when messing with the airbag connectors.

 

I did not, but since it is an airbag, do what you are comfortable with. I read mixed things about disconnecting or not.

 

Agreed on the airbag connector! I was afraid I'd break it, took a break, came back with a small screwdriver to help pry it apart gently. Popped right off then.

I disconnected the battery. Since I'm working from home, I did one seat/evening and just let my Taco sit for a few days. No rush, which is a good thing in this case.

 

Just got everything from Amazon
You hooked both seats (red wire) to the heated seat fuse using the add a Circuit? Looking at everything it looks like these wires they look like 16 gauge wire. Looks like the add a circuits came with 16 gauge wire... I feel a little iffy hooking up two 16 gauge wires to one. Feel like it needs to be a thicker gauge

 

I just ran 2 wires to the battery fused. It's not hard and is fool proof.

 

I can’t promise this will you but these are the instructions I got with the set I bought (from eBay). For me, I’ll only have one power wire to deal with. I’m planning (from reading here https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/heated-seats-wiring-help-please.466602/)on going to IGN1 n2 or power outlet for outlet and for the light I’ll go to the tail. I have 15A add a fuse.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dOLlrm23ZENbLoNFCSEeCixevH_vpmtx/view

 

My add-a-fuse was 12 gauge. I haven't had any problems. I've used both seat heaters at once multiple times.

 

These hog rings are the biggest pain in the ass. How did you guys remove the center console?

 

Has anyone ever done a retro-fit with factory harnesses, switches and parts

 

Judging by the thread dealing with burnt out factory connectors i'm not sure that is even a good idea. So to answer your question, I've never heard of anyone doing that. I imagine it would be cost prohibitive.

 

Do you have a link to that?

 

$9 Nilight GA0004 5Pack 12AWG Inline Wiring Harness 12 Gauge ATC/ATO Automotive Holder with 30A Fuse Blade Standard Plug Socket-5 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KR88A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I just have never been a fan of aftermarket wiring and switches that look out of place.

It would be cool if someone made a kit that was plug and play