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- 2022 Wrangler 392 1972 Super Beetle
Hey just wanted to share experience with adding heated seat kit to the back seats of my 392. I kinda wish this was an option, but with a Jeep all options are open with a little tinkering 
. I figure I would share my experience incase someone else is thinking about doing something similar. All in all it was not super hard, but it took most of a Saturday. The hardest part are the hog rings which are a pain in the butt.
To start out I bought two Dorman Seat heater kits (628-040) $95, a good pair of Knipex Hog Ring Pliers (9192180) $52, and a roll of Tesa Automotive Harness Tape (51036) $7 and got to work.
I started by removing the cargo area carpet and trim, then the rear seats which I took inside to add the heating pads. I started with the smaller drivers side single seat. The bottom cushion was super easy to remove just a few hook clasps and it was off the frame in no time.
Now the hard work starts. I had to remove two rows of hog rings with 3 rings per row. I used a Knipex snap ring plier to open them up and remove the leather seat to gain access to install the heating pad. The pad has a cutout in the middle to mount the hog ring row in the center. This keeps the pad from moving along with some adhesive tape. Here is a good video showing the process in more detail. I removed a little foam where the pad wiring was a bit thicker and then ran the wire down through the foam to the underside of the seat. Wrapped it with some harness tape and moved on to the back cushion. Same process just zippers instead of clasps, more hog rings, another pad. I would recommend starting with the small driver's side seat because it is easier than the passenger side bench which is bigger and bit more complex. With the seats done I moved on to wiring.
I decided to use Aux 3 for the small driver's side rear seat, and Aux 4 for the larger passenger's side rear bench seat. You could drill out spots on the rear console and add the included switches like these pics but I decided to just use the AUX switches for now. I can install the switches later if I feel the need. This also ensures that the seats will always turn and are not dependent on the switches being left on when we pre-warm the Jeep using the remote start.
I picked up the factory installed AUX wiring under the the passenger side footwell and soldered the seat connections to AUX 3 [F103 15A](Orange with a Pink stripe) and Aux 4 [F108, 15A](Dark Blue with a Pink stripe). I prefer soldering butt joints then coating them with some dielectric silicone sealant shrink tube to make it waterproof. After that I connected the ground wires to an empty factory grounding post next to the passenger door and ran the wires down under the center console to the rear. I love Jeeps, the make it so easy to add stuff.
I then ran the wires under the parking brake cable plate and back to the rear seats. As I went along I was wrapping the harness with high heat harness tape to keep everything clean and OEM looking.
Finally it was time to drop the seats back in. Here is a shot of the wiring harness on the smaller drivers side rear seat. I was very aware that the wiring needed to flex when the rear seats are stowed to make room for cargo so I intentionally left the wiring loose to account for this movement. I put the seats up and down a dozen times to check for any binding or chaffing and it looked good.
With everything installed all I needed to do was program Aux 3 and 4. And check it all works. The seats heat up about as fast as the front seats and they feel about as hot. They can be turned on with remote start to help warm them up on those cold mornings. All in all it was a one day job. I would definitely recommend the Knipex hog ring plier vs the garbage hog ring pliers they include with the kit. Also if I ever want to install a custom set of handmade leather seats I feel confident I could, hog rings and all.
Here is a few of the tools I used. I hope this is helpful... stay warm.
. I figure I would share my experience incase someone else is thinking about doing something similar. All in all it was not super hard, but it took most of a Saturday. The hardest part are the hog rings which are a pain in the butt.To start out I bought two Dorman Seat heater kits (628-040) $95, a good pair of Knipex Hog Ring Pliers (9192180) $52, and a roll of Tesa Automotive Harness Tape (51036) $7 and got to work.
I started by removing the cargo area carpet and trim, then the rear seats which I took inside to add the heating pads. I started with the smaller drivers side single seat. The bottom cushion was super easy to remove just a few hook clasps and it was off the frame in no time.
Now the hard work starts. I had to remove two rows of hog rings with 3 rings per row. I used a Knipex snap ring plier to open them up and remove the leather seat to gain access to install the heating pad. The pad has a cutout in the middle to mount the hog ring row in the center. This keeps the pad from moving along with some adhesive tape. Here is a good video showing the process in more detail. I removed a little foam where the pad wiring was a bit thicker and then ran the wire down through the foam to the underside of the seat. Wrapped it with some harness tape and moved on to the back cushion. Same process just zippers instead of clasps, more hog rings, another pad. I would recommend starting with the small driver's side seat because it is easier than the passenger side bench which is bigger and bit more complex. With the seats done I moved on to wiring.
I decided to use Aux 3 for the small driver's side rear seat, and Aux 4 for the larger passenger's side rear bench seat. You could drill out spots on the rear console and add the included switches like these pics but I decided to just use the AUX switches for now. I can install the switches later if I feel the need. This also ensures that the seats will always turn and are not dependent on the switches being left on when we pre-warm the Jeep using the remote start.
I picked up the factory installed AUX wiring under the the passenger side footwell and soldered the seat connections to AUX 3 [F103 15A](Orange with a Pink stripe) and Aux 4 [F108, 15A](Dark Blue with a Pink stripe). I prefer soldering butt joints then coating them with some dielectric silicone sealant shrink tube to make it waterproof. After that I connected the ground wires to an empty factory grounding post next to the passenger door and ran the wires down under the center console to the rear. I love Jeeps, the make it so easy to add stuff.
I then ran the wires under the parking brake cable plate and back to the rear seats. As I went along I was wrapping the harness with high heat harness tape to keep everything clean and OEM looking.
Finally it was time to drop the seats back in. Here is a shot of the wiring harness on the smaller drivers side rear seat. I was very aware that the wiring needed to flex when the rear seats are stowed to make room for cargo so I intentionally left the wiring loose to account for this movement. I put the seats up and down a dozen times to check for any binding or chaffing and it looked good.
With everything installed all I needed to do was program Aux 3 and 4. And check it all works. The seats heat up about as fast as the front seats and they feel about as hot. They can be turned on with remote start to help warm them up on those cold mornings. All in all it was a one day job. I would definitely recommend the Knipex hog ring plier vs the garbage hog ring pliers they include with the kit. Also if I ever want to install a custom set of handmade leather seats I feel confident I could, hog rings and all.
Here is a few of the tools I used. I hope this is helpful... stay warm.
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