Heated seats offer ultimate comfort and can be used during winter in the daytime or night to deliver customized rides. In recent years, heated seats have become one of the most demanded extras in contemporary cars. However, suppose you are driving a vehicle without such a system or wish to retrofit your vehicle later with this option. In that case, you may be interested in the expenses of getting the heated seats fixed. Now, let us discuss various factors that may affect the cost and installation cost in this all-inclusive guide.
What determines the cost of installing heated seats
It is essential to know that various aspects may affect the installation price.
These factors include:
1. Type of vehicle: The type of car and make model varies with complexity; hence, installation costs vary from one model to another.
2. Type of heated seat: Most vehicles on the market today have heated seat systems, some are aftermarket while others are OEM (original equipment manufacturer). This can massively affect the pricing strategy in the case of the production of organic foodstuffs.
3. Labor costs: In most cases, professional installation involves using specialized automotive technicians. The labor cost depends on, the level of experience required, and its market demands.
4. Quality and brand of the heated seat: The quality of the heated seat system, the brand name, and the type of features included in the system may also determine the final cost.
Having covered the cost drivers, let us discuss the costs of installation of the heated seats.
Expenses That Can Be Linked to Heated Seat Implementations
1. Adding a heater to the seat can be done after buying the car through the aftermarket manufacturers.
In most cases, aftermarket heated seats are cheaper than those in the package with the car. It is possible to buy different types of heated seat kits, which are available for several hundred to several thousand dollars and depend on the particular model, the options included, and how well they are compatible with your car type.
For instance, the simplest heated seat solution for a truck or an SUV might range from $300 to $500. Meanwhile, ‘higher-end’ heated seat kits with additional features and better build can cost $500 or more and sometimes even $1500 or more.
Then, labor costs could depend on your location, the kind of installation that has to be done, and the technician’s expertise doing the work. Professionally installed prices range from $200 to $600, and the average labor expenditure is $350.
Thus, the overall cost of the entire blower, heater, wire, and control switch assembly, with assembly cost, ranges between $500 and $1800 or more.
2. OEM Heated Seat Installation
Aftermarket heated seats are cheaper than OEM heated seats because companies design default seats for your car’s make and model. The manufacturer initially manufactures these heated seat systems and can easily be plugged into the car’s intelligent technologies and switches.
Prices of OEM heated seats may vary to higher extremes depending on the make, model, and even the year of your car. For example, heated seats will cost you $1,200 to $2,000, replacing a BMW 3 Series with heated seats, and $1,500 to $3,000 for a Mercedes Benz E Class.
The cost related to acquiring OEM heaters consists of installation since these heaters are fitted as standard equipment from the factory. However, suppose you’re adding heat to chairs in a car that doesn’t come with heated seats as a standard feature. In that case, the professional installation costs will therefore be relevant, costing anywhere from $200-$600, as seen above.
Thus, in total, the OEM heated seat cost can cost anywhere from $1,400 to $4,000 or more; which depends on the make, model or the year of vehicle, and installation cost.
3. Retrofitting Heated Seats
If money is a big issue, perhaps you could install the heated seat systems as modifications to your car. This process requires fitting a heated seat system to a vehicle not originally equipped with the system.
Retrofit kits would range from $300 to $1,500 depending on the quality and brand of the kit. Yet, the chief point which has to be taken into consideration when retrofitting heated seats is the compatibility with your automobile and the difficulty of the process. However, getting a retrofit kit that will suit your particular car model may be complicated and installation is also complex.
In such cases, you might have to find an experienced auto technician, with the labor cost likely to cost between $200 and $600. Therefore, the overall price of retrofitting heated seats is between $500 and $2,100, which makes retrofit much cheaper than OEM heated seats.