'05-'08 Front Passenger Seat Upgrade to '09 or 10
11-13-2010, 01:45 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Conway, SC
Age: 89
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'05-'08 Front Passenger Seat Upgrade to '09 or 10
Anyone considered retrofitting the passenger seat from an '09 or 10 RL into their 05-08? The '09-10 seat features all the adjustability of the drivers seat, now lacking in '05-'08s, plus it includes cooling. Looks like a simple bolt-in - the seat designs appear identical and colors and leather quality also seem the same. I'm looking into it right now - cost appears to be around $225 -250 for a complete seat assembly. Any thoughts? I'll post what I find out from the search.
11-13-2010, 03:06 PM
#2
I don't know how you will be able to check this without the actual seats on hand, but would the wire harness from either car match? And what about the safety features? I know if you take the passenger seat out on a 2nd Gen TL the SRS light will go off. I don't know if the RL has a system similar, can someone chime in on that?
For me there would be too many unknowns to attempt this project, unless I was able to work with the seats and return them if it didn't work out.
For me there would be too many unknowns to attempt this project, unless I was able to work with the seats and return them if it didn't work out.
11-13-2010, 06:38 PM
#3
Anyone considered retrofitting the passenger seat from an '09 or 10 RL into their 05-08? The '09-10 seat features all the adjustability of the drivers seat, now lacking in '05-'08s, plus it includes cooling. Looks like a simple bolt-in - the seat designs appear identical and colors and leather quality also seem the same. I'm looking into it right now - cost appears to be around $225 -250 for a complete seat assembly. Any thoughts? I'll post what I find out from the search.
How did you come up with $225 to $250 for a complete seat assembly??? Just the leather surfaces of the bottom cushion and the back cushions costs over $500 EACH from the dealer! Show me where you can get the complete seat for $250 and I'd get one just to replace all my leather surfaces!
As for replacing the seat, I don't think it's as simple as a direct bolt-in. Just consider the cooling... there has to be tubing that coinnects the HVAC system to the seat. It's not like the cooling comes from a simple electrical connection.
11-14-2010, 12:23 AM
#7
Trending Topics
11-14-2010, 09:36 AM
#10
From what I gather...the air does in fact blow up, and with 3 "cooling levels" it's not just hot air. I'm guessing there is some A/C connection even though you can cool butt without the A/C on so to me it seems like an independent system.
11-14-2010, 01:00 PM
#14
Instructor
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Conway, SC
Age: 89
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Got the price from several salvage yard listings for cars like Lexus, Honda, Infiniti, etc. Check out some of the listings --entire interiors (front and back seats of leather) go for only $500 - $600 complete. Only very specialized seats, such as for a Honda S2000 carry really high prices -- $1400 - $1600 per seat -- and some of them at even these prices are not exactly mint, but they're apparently in very high demand going by the prices.
The entire idea, however, is moot. After carefully going through the RL shop manual, the electrical complexity of these seats is incredible. To adapt an '09 seat would require an entire new wiring harness from the console, a new control switch for the heaters and fan system plus recalibrating the the seat weight sensor and myriad outer details. Looking at the complexity of just the passanger seat (no memory function) it's amazing they can even make these things at a price people can afford to pay.
Back with the cars I grew up with a change like this would have been a piece of cake.
The entire idea, however, is moot. After carefully going through the RL shop manual, the electrical complexity of these seats is incredible. To adapt an '09 seat would require an entire new wiring harness from the console, a new control switch for the heaters and fan system plus recalibrating the the seat weight sensor and myriad outer details. Looking at the complexity of just the passanger seat (no memory function) it's amazing they can even make these things at a price people can afford to pay.
Back with the cars I grew up with a change like this would have been a piece of cake.
11-15-2010, 06:56 AM
#17
I cannot imagine that there are many 09 10 RL's in salvage yards?
The headrest is a different design - do you want the 2 front seats to look different too?
So you want cooling in the passenger seat but not the drivers?
As previously mentioned: the wiring changes and switches etc - it's a big project.
The headrest is a different design - do you want the 2 front seats to look different too?
So you want cooling in the passenger seat but not the drivers?
As previously mentioned: the wiring changes and switches etc - it's a big project.
11-15-2010, 09:59 AM
#18
Regardless, this is a very expensive project unless you get the parts from a salvage yard...
Chris
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post