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As a professional installer, I can say that the quality of Metra's fairly new "Install Bay" line of seat heaters is equal to any of the best ones out there, such as Rostra. So far I have installed probably ten pairs of these, either the IBHS 1, 2 or 3. The only difference in these is the switch design. The one listed here is designed for cars where the switch can be centrally located, as in the center console.
A not about installation: the two wire harnesses coming out of the switch are not marked as to which side goes to the driver and passenger seats. So before you button everything up, plug in the switch and try out the heating. Hint: The passenger's side harness is several feet longer, but test it out first instead.
Not sure why the other reviewer had a problem with his installation, but I never have had one, and I do know for certain that there are other seat heating systems available that are shoddily made. Stick to Rostra (which is an OEM supplier as well) or Metra's Install Bay line and you will get a quality product. I have yet to encounter any seat heating systems better than these two brands, in fact.
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I liked the price, but I wondered about the quality of the kit. I needn't have worried. The quality is great. I installed this in a 1998 Jeep Cherokee. I've driven the Jeep for 15 years, and figured I could wash the seat covers while installing this kit over a weekend (I washed a lot of dirt out of my seat covers). They were the right width, and didn't need any trimming for the back of the seat. For the seat bottom, I trimmed just a little off the length. Since they are carbon-fiber elements, this trimming was easy, and possible. I called Metra just to be sure that I could trim the length and they were very helpful.I like the temperature range (1-5). The #5 setting is plenty hot -Not warm, hot. My optimal setting is about 2.5, but on very cold days, #5 feels good after just coming in from the cold.
I connected the main power wire to heater fan power lead (between the fuse and the heater switch), so it can go on and off with the ignition key. You don't want this to be always powered on because you'll forget it. That power lead was just behind my glove box, easy for tapping into. There was also a spot behind the glove box for mounting the relay that comes with the kit. I mounted the 5-position switch in the middle console just to the right of my shift lever, where driver and passenger can reach it. The wiring was plenty long. I shortened some wires after dressing all the connections into the right places under my seats, along the middle console, and over to the power feed.
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I purchased these seat heaters to install in my 2000 4Runner after I came out of an Audi with heated seats. I wont' go into details about the installation, but be aware it takes some time, but is not difficult in my opinion, just time consumingthe most time consuming part is installing the heating pads. If you have no mechanical ability, or don't understand basic electrical principles, don't attempt to install these yourself. One reviewer had some problems with the control switch and I did as wellthe switch lit up, and was triggering the relay, but for some reason, one of the pads was not getting as hot as the other (which I didn't realize until they were installed, even though I did bench-test before installation). Upon further testing, the control switch wound up being the problemnot the actual pads. Amazon was less than helpful as they wanted me remove the entire kit and send it back (negating the 4 hours it took to install them), so I contacted Metra directly and they were extremely pleasant to deal with. Metra was kind enough to work with me and they actually sent me a replacement kit free of chargethey even picked up the shipping! I quickly found the problem with the switch, but wound up having to replace the entire wiring harness as the replacement had different plug ends (at the switch) than the first kit (the plugs for the heating pads were the same, thankfully). Metra informed me this kit was not intended for "DIY" installation, so the instructions while not bad, are written for professional installers which assumes you know certain things about automotive electrical systems, as any professional installer would. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm an automotive technician.I am very pleased with the quality and function of this kit (initial problems with the switch asidethese things happen!). They don't heat up nearly as fast as the heaters in my 2003 A4 wagon, but they do get just as hot, they have the same range of adjustability (1-5 with half-step increments for a total of 10 different heating levels). Installing them under fabric seats was no problem at all. The control switch has an illumination wire (mine did anyway) which allowed me to have the switch illuminate when I turn my headlights onthe illumination color is blue. The actual rotary knobs also illuminate when switched on, which is red. Both are nice features to have. I've had these installed since october 2012, and have been using them nearly everyday (I live in Colorado), and they have been flawless. They work so well, in fact, that I find once they're up to temp, I don't need to use the heater in the car. Set on 5, they take about 10-15 minutes to fully warm up, so if your drive to work is short, you won't much benefit from these since they do take some time to reach operating temp. These also have a temp sensor built into the heating pad which prevents them from overheatingthis is very handy if you like to warm up your car before you leave, as the heating pad won't get warm until you're sitting on it. The only thing I would change is the switchrather than having both switches in one housing, I'd much rather have 1 individual switch per seat (this kit includes pads/wiring to do both front seats) so the passenger has the ability to control their own seat (I mounted my switch to the left of the steering wheel, as that was the only place I had a blank spot), but it's not such a big deal. If you purchase these, please save yourself a potential headache and MAKE SURE you test the function of the switch, the relay and the heating bads BEFORE you install them! If you don't know how to test these on the bench before installation (all you need is a +12VDC power supply), I'd strongly recommend you have a professional handle it.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with these seat heaters for the price paid, and I recommend them as long as you're aware that they must be tested before installation to avoid any potential problems. My wife and I like them so much, I got a set for her car (the kit I installed in her car didn't have any problems with the switch and work beautifully). If you're looking for a pair of heaters to do both front seats that have a nicely illuminated switch and more adjustability than just "Hi" and "Lo", I highly recommend this kit.
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