While I was in a junkyard a few weeks ago, I came across a late-model wagon, maybe 1991, with a nice interior. It had the blue vinyl seats (I'm pretty sure wagons only got vinyl, except maybe in a few limited editions) that were untorn and seemed to have all of their supports intact.

Because my driver's side seat could use rebuilding and the leather has a small tear in it, I briefly toyed with the idea of grabbing the front two seats and putting them in my car. Though, in addition to the fact that I've got a tan leather interior and these were blue vinyl, the price discouraged me from going ahead with the idea, so far. Also, the car did not have switches for heated seats.

First, I'd like to say that I thought that all 240s in the last few years got seat heaters. I guess not, or at least they were non-functional.

Second, I seem to recall *wiring* running from the vent/floor underneath the floor into the seats themselves, just like in my seat-heater-equipped GL. Are these wires non-functional, or is it just the *switches* that weren't put into the 240s without the seat heater option?

What I'm asking, then, is, do these seats have the heating element in them? If I unplug the connectors, pull the seats, put in the new ones, and reconnect the connectors, will I have seat heaters?

If I'm right about the pre-wiring for the heaters, what was Volvo's logic? I would think the expense in seat heaters comes from the wiring and harness, not a $10 plastic switch in the E-brake console or dash. Why didn't they just hook all the cars up and slap on a $50 charge?

(I know that there were automatic heaters, in some form, for some, maybe earlier, year cars. This wagon was definitely a 1990+, so it *should* have had the switches, I would think. As a side question, how did the automatic ones work? Could they go in and would it be worth it put them in a later car, with the switch-style heaters?)
--
'89 244 GL -- 105,XXX miles (see profile for info on car)