I pulled the driver seat (I needed to make some grilles to cover the heat vents so golf balls and bits of MacDonald's kids meals toys don't fall in and aggravate my wife!) to check out the seat heater.
I pulled the thermostat and it shows continuity (60 degrees F today). The bottom element showed no continuity so it's toast of course.

It looks like the back and the seat are in series (see diagram at http://www.a-b.com.pl/VOLVO/850/Front%20Seat%20Heater%20Circuit%2012597.pdf) and of course I've put the seat back temporarily.

1. What are the chances that it's just the seat and not the back?
2. What might be a low cost source and are there 3rd party alternatives? Frankly, it gets 12 volts like any other seat heater... Interesting. Maybe I'll try a VW grid (my brother's a VW mechanic.)



Cheers all,

Paul N.

Ok, I checked with my brother.

He says the VW heaters are integral with the cushion material, so he'll check on the price of a suitable equivalent (size-wise). It don't bother me to insert an extra layer of fabric. He also has some "used" ones in his closet, so we'll check it out for fit and we'll report back.

Cheers,

Nielsen