Fried heated seat - advice please!

Hello - my first post My wifes ample rear has revealed a problem with the drivers heated seat - she reported a burning smell, and there is now a neat circular scorch mark on the seat panel (fabric panel with leather trim) caused by a metal button conducting extreme heat on her jeans. This section of the seat got really dangerously hot. I am presuming the element inside is damaged? (The previous owner was "generously proportioned" and used the car for a lot of short journeys) Can anyone advise if this is easily repairable, or is it an arm and a leg job? Thanks Steve

This is from the S60/V70 area but should be of interest.

Thats a helpful start - any other contributions are welcome

I replaced the element (there are two) on my 760, and expect its a similar job on the S80. You'll need to remove the seat from the car, then carefully take off clips holding the seat cover, and tkae out/replace the faulty element. You don't need instructions as such, best just to look in situ. I think what can happen is part of the element can become 'bent' too much, then it the local resistance increases and thus a hot/burnt spot. The overall temperature is controlled by a thermoswitch, not sure excatly where this may be located, I guess this may be the 'metal button' you describe.

If you make sure you unplug the battery and wait for the airbags to fully discharge (30 mins or so maximum) then you'll have no problems unplugging the seats and taking them out. Just remember to reconnect everything fully before reconnecting the battery. If you do this then the car won't even know the seats and associated wiring have been removed. Take normal reasonable care handling airbags too. I've removed the upholstery in my last car to install heated seat pads. It was a tough job to remove all the clips and then re-fix new ones, especially if you do it properly, ensuring the material sits tight against the seat frame and foam. It is do-able though, and there's nothing too technical to worry about, just hard graft! If you take the car to a specialist who does car upholstery and pass them a new set of heating pads, they'll probably do the job for you for much less than a main dealer would charge.

I used plastic cable ties instead of the metal clips (easier on the fingers)

Thanks again gents - definitely been worth posting on here so far.