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2017 RT Heated Seat not working


skyking1

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Hey Folks,

I have had my 17' RT for a couple of months....and having a BIG BIG TIME with it.

 

I turned the heated seats and hand grips on the other evening when it got cool.

Hand grips on high are hot hot hot, back it down to 1 and very comfortable.

 

I don't think the heated seat is working, the light on the dash shows its on, and the wonder wheel has it on high.....butt feels nothing.

Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong? I did took the seat off to see if it was plugged in and it was. I turned the back seat heat on and the lights came on, not sure if it got hot.

 

I hate to look like an idiot when I go by the dealer....and he flips a switch.

 

and does the seat get as hot as the hand grips?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

 

 

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Could try to unplug/plug it back in. Never know. :dontknow: Wouldn't worry about the dealer, if a simple fix and you're happy, then they are happy. :thumbsup:

 

Pat

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It should be noted that I too find it difficult to detect heat from the OEM riders heated seat, however, it is there (just). I know several other folk who have said the same thing.

It would be worth you just popping the seat off and check the lead is correctly plugged in.

 

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If your display shows an orange seat then you got it switched on correctly, no other hidden switch for the rider seat. The passenger seat switch is on it's left side (by the key latch) and is an old school toggle. Also you might also check if passenger seat is heating. Like Pat said check the connector(s). Yes, the OEM seat seems to have the element embedded in the foam so it takes a while to notice the warmth. If one or both are still dead then off to the dealer for a look over.

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Thanks for the info..

 

I unplugged and plugged it back up under the seat. Looked for anything that was lose or unplugged and did not see anything.

 

Turned it on HI and rode about 18 miles home....and nothing.

 

I was expecting to heat up about like my truck seat does.

 

Got a appt. with service department in the morning to check it out.

 

Thanks

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Thanks for the info..

 

I unplugged and plugged it back up under the seat. Looked for anything that was lose or unplugged and did not see anything.

 

Turned it on HI and rode about 18 miles home....and nothing.

 

I was expecting to heat up about like my truck seat does.

 

Got a appt. with service department in the morning to check it out.

 

Thanks

Hope it is a simple 15 minutes and fixed and not a dud seat. For sure in 18 miles you would notice the warmth. Since I bought my RT I swapped my OEM saddle out for Sargent seat and the heating element is just under the vinyl cover so you feel the heat right away. On high it will make you butt burn hotter than the morning after a 10 habanero chili dinner.

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I hope you get it fixed with no problem . Only thing i know that would shut them down would be low battery power and this would show up on dash as the red battery icon. Maybe there is some computer setup that has gone awry.

But the chance of both the rider and passenger seat being bad is very remote.

Edited by roadriderg
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Did you check both ends of the wire harness? There's a connector air the seat and should be one about 18" down wire at the frame. (at least that's how my 07 and 12 were)

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I made it to the dealer Saturday morning.

 

Left the house at 39 degrees, just knew I would freeze my tail off, about 25 miles to the dealer.

I was shocked that I did not really get cold, of course I had a few layers on.

 

Dealer checked it out and narrowed it down to the computer. They are checking with BMW and going to get parts to fix.

Should have parts next week....

 

It still cost me about $200..... The dealer was having Demo rides on the Adventure bikes, and a lot of stuff on sale for the holidays.

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It still cost me about $200..... The dealer was having Demo rides on the Adventure bikes, and a lot of stuff on sale for the holidays.

 

 

Collateral damage? :grin: Lucky it wasn't an Adventure Bike, I guess. It can happen.

 

Pat

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I made it to the dealer Saturday morning.

 

Left the house at 39 degrees, just knew I would freeze my tail off, about 25 miles to the dealer.

I was shocked that I did not really get cold, of course I had a few layers on.

 

Dealer checked it out and narrowed it down to the computer. They are checking with BMW and going to get parts to fix.

Should have parts next week....

 

It still cost me about $200..... The dealer was having Demo rides on the Adventure bikes, and a lot of stuff on sale for the holidays.

 

Sounds like to me a Heated Jacket and maybe Gloves need to be on the Holiday wish list (don't forget the pigtail :grin: )

 

Jay

 

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I have some questions about the seat heat on my 2018 RT.

The bike doesn't seem to heat above 55 degrees F. Is the seat heat controlled by ambient temperature?

On Sunday I rode with my grandson as a passenger and even after 45 minutes there was no heat detected in either the rear or front seat. Ambient temps where in the low 60's F.

Did BMW really have to make it that complicated or is it a dud? All the cables are plugged in.

Any ideas?

 

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I was out Saturday for 2 hours with temps in the 40's on my 2016. I had the seat temp set at position 3 and i was wearing my Olympia Ranger pants with the liner and had a nice warm rear end.

 

I would check with the dealer

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I was out Saturday for 2 hours with temps in the 40's on my 2016. I had the seat temp set at position 3 and i was wearing my Olympia Ranger pants with the liner and had a nice warm rear end.

 

I would check with the dealer

 

Will do. Thanks.

 

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So the clues are some do and some don't heat well which might be affecting '17 and '18 models but so far '16 and older seem to be working. Also, one dealer that says its the computer & and maybe other unnamed parts. One other piece of info here is that when I first installed my heated Sargent I thought it had malfunctioned when testing after the install as I put it on high (5 bars) and it was warming fast but then seemed to cool off. Since then I have only needed 3 or less bars when setting my butt on the saddle as the seat gets too hot above that setting and I have never had the issue again. Passanger heat has been good with either OEM or Sarget saddle. (which reminds me I was going to contact Sargent and ask if there have been shut down issues with their heated saddle on wet heads).

 

A wild SWAG might be that some heating elements may be drawing current above the specification for the circuit and the computer shuts it down, or maybe the current threshold for this circuit on late models was set too close to the maximum current draw allowed and shuts down.

 

What might be interesting is if there was any code fault noted for those taking their bike in for a dealer check.

 

Inquiring minds want to know!

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(which reminds me I was going to contact Sargent and ask if there have been shut down issues with their heated saddle on wet heads).

 

A wild SWAG might be that some heating elements may be drawing current above the specification for the circuit and the computer shuts it down, or maybe the current threshold for this circuit on late models was set too close to the maximum current draw allowed and shuts down.

 

What might be interesting is if there was any code fault noted for those taking their bike in for a dealer check.

 

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

I'm curious too. I recently put a set of (lightly used) Sargent heated seats on my 2014 RT. Haven't been able to get any heat out of the Sargent seat yet.

 

 

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Bernie's question on heating above 55. Bernie.......... I did a long ride today. The ambient temperature was 75 degrees. I turned on my seat heater and hand grips to assist with your question. Seat and grips both heated up...so at least mine aren't governed by temp.

 

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Thank you David.

Bike is at the dealer since Thursday, he will try to find a answer to the problem.

I really would like it to work, as winter is just beginning and I had planned to get a few rides in this winter.

 

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Brandinew m/c having all bells and whistles working is a non negotiable. Hope you get it back ASAP. Rode my bike Friday high 40s to low 50s and had both seat and grips on 1-2 bars. Both were warm before I pulled out of the drive.

 

Would love to hear what the dealer says the issue is... and it better not be "they all do that"!

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...dealer since Thursday, he will try to find a answer to the problem.

Yes, I'd love to know the nitty gritty, because I think I will need to be doing exactly the same thing.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok guys here is the update on the Heated Seat problem.

My bike is a 2018 and it was delivered with standard heated seats from BMW and the dealer too me.

These seats are to my surprise very comfortable. My last 290,000 miles have been on BMW's with Sargent seats.

Well, this seat is almost more comfortable than my past Sargent seats. BUT, it takes a very long time before the heat is noticeable through the seat.

The dealer has tested everything using testers and computer, he switched seats with another 2018 RT. No good. They know it is using power and the elements are heating.

The problem is that either due to the location of the element or the amount of padding on top of the element, you can almost not feel the heat.

The dealer has contacted BMW is waiting for advise. I know this much, it will be cheaper to buy a pair of electric pants than having to buy a heated Sargent seat.

 

 

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Bernie...that is interesting. When the 14's came out one of the common problems was the heat got too hot even on low.....hmmmm lot's of complaints. Someone on this board, I forgot who, advised me when I was having my Russell Seat made to ask them to put the wire deeper into the foam. Russell thought I was nuts, but they did it. It works great where it is for me.

 

I think BMW may have over-rotated with all the complaint from the early LC's...Before I would buy a new seat to fix this, I would seek out a local seat builder and see if they have the skills and a decent price to open the seat and move your element up....that's provided BMW gives you the old works as designed speech. I would wait on BMW first as maybe they will do it for you.

 

If you have a comfortable BMW seat...you are in rare air and would count my lucky starts. Good luck and keep us posted.

Edited by Skywagon
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Interesting thread......I have a 2017 RT and the seat takes forever to get warm. Outside temp was 41.2 F when I turned the seat heat to level 5. After 68.1 miles I began to feel heat. It got warm but not really hot and worked the remaining part of the ride. It definitely doesn't work as well as it did on my 2008 RT.

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I think David might be onto something. I remember the reports of "too hot" seats on the first RT's. I sent my seat off to Russell withing a month of getting my RT and had no need of the heated seat in warmer temps. So, I have no input on how the stock seat would work. BUT....the Russell has the factory heating element and works perfectly. Don't know if they done anything unusual in how they placed the heating elements.

 

I have found that running the heat at lower settings when it isn't all that cold helps circulation in "that area". Seems to make me more comfortable on high mile days.

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Is there someone nearby you with a 2014? You could try swapping seats and see if that's the case.

 

 

It isn't the seat that makes the difference. It is in how the computer controls the current to the seat. BMW had a technical bulletin covering that on the 2014 model. May apply to others. This was to "fix" the seats that got too hot, iirc. But it could certainly work the other way to, I would think.

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I have a 2015 RT, wife has a 2017 RT with low seat. Both of these heat up about the same. Even in 37 degree weather, I've never turned mine up beyond 4. Usually 3 at first. Then down to 1 or 2 depending on temps.

 

I had my seat re-done by Russel. I would say I lost a slight amount of heat. But it wasn't even a full notch on the scale. I setting of 4 on mine would roast my but in about 10-15 minutes.

 

Wife's results are the same as mine. Even with the stock piece of cardboard BMW sent for her low seat.

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I had a Bill Mayer ride in conversion done on my 2015RT. Frankly I hadn't used the seat heat prior so have nothing to compare it to. Now when I turn on the heat even on "1" it gets super hot for several minutes and them calms down and acts normal. Obviously wondering if the elements got messed up during the conversion.

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ON my 2018 R1200RT the heated seat in 31 f conditions worked fine and provided adequate warmth at 3 to 4 bars. I will add it took about 12 minutes of riding before I noticed the heat.

 

Slow warm up but it worked well on a 2 1/2 hour ride..

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Update on my Heated Seat problems on my 2018 RT-LC.

After the dealer had the bike for 10 days and test rode it several times (20 miles+/-) and has it connected to all tropes of test instruments and computers.

Plus they even tried a seat from another 2018 RT-LC, they returned the bike to me very unhappy, as they are not able to figure out why it doesn't heat or why it doesn't heat very well.

It heats, but it is hardly noticeable, as per there explanation. They have contracted BMW Motorrad to get some input.

In the mean time, I rode the bike close to 500 miles last Saturday to the December SECFF Lunch in Dublin, GA in temperatures from the low 40's to the mid 50's.

The seat performed better then any factory BMW seat I have owned in the last 17 years (almost 300K miles). Besides being comfortable (as good as my last Sargent seat) it had plenty of heat using the bottom 3 settings ourt of 5.

Maybe it just neede to be burned in or the foam needed to settle, I don't know, but if it stays like that I should have a great winter riding season.

 

Happy Holidays!

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When I first got my 2016 RT (delivered in January on a 26 degree day), I didn't think the seat was heating either. However, after having it now for nearly two years I find the seat to heat up just fine. I even have to dial it back if I turn it all the way up when I leave my house for the office (and that's only a 15 minute ride). I think it just needs to be broken in a little.

 

Happy Holidays All!

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Update on my Heated Seat problems on my 2018 RT-LC.

After the dealer had the bike for 10 days and test rode it several times (20 miles+/-) and has it connected to all tropes of test instruments and computers.

Plus they even tried a seat from another 2018 RT-LC, they returned the bike to me very unhappy, as they are not able to figure out why it doesn't heat or why it doesn't heat very well.

It heats, but it is hardly noticeable, as per there explanation. They have contracted BMW Motorrad to get some input.

In the mean time, I rode the bike close to 500 miles last Saturday to the December SECFF Lunch in Dublin, GA in temperatures from the low 40's to the mid 50's.

The seat performed better then any factory BMW seat I have owned in the last 17 years (almost 300K miles). Besides being comfortable (as good as my last Sargent seat) it had plenty of heat using the bottom 3 settings ourt of 5.

Maybe it just neede to be burned in or the foam needed to settle, I don't know, but if it stays like that I should have a great winter riding season.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

:clap: That is great Bernie, hope you don't need it for the January SECFF but good to know it works if you do.

 

Terry

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Got a call from my dealer this afternoon regarding the seat not heating, ( been in the shop twice to check different items, waiting on BMW to figure out the problem)

Have a new part coming from Germany, not sure what it is.... seat not heating at all to intermittent heating.

 

Not a big problem as I have not had much time to ride.

 

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