AtlantaTLS

Does anyone know if the cooled seats in the RL will fit into the TL?

Cooled seats were pretty much the only thing on my car shopping list that the TL didn't offer (other than RWD of course).

I would imagine, though I'm certainly not sure, that if the seats can be swapped out that the other hardware related to the swap would be rather easy to put in/swap with the current heated seats in the TL.

Any ideas?

SRT-11

Idea #1-

Go find an RL, measure the dimensions of the seats. Then measure the dimensions of the tracks and the bolt spacing underneath the seat. If they're spot on or comparable then yes, you probably can do it. An important factor- do the cooled seats have an internal fan or do they rely on ducting from the central A/C? if they have ducting then you're going to have a much less easy install... and you're probably going to have to lose the rear seat A/C in favor of keeping your butt cool.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

I dont know about the OP but for me: My butt > people in back

SRT-11

yeh ditto

carlos9827

iTrader: (2)

^haha me too.

subbuzz

very interested in cooled seats

123456SPEED

There's very few 09 RLs out yet and only the top tier model has the cooled seats. The new TL may have it ???

leedogg

Were probably talking 3-5k a seat.

lars161

prob won't see it in the tl any time soon. Have to give the people some reason to go for the flagship car

I was looking through our service info out so far and not much information

these are usually done by a blower motor in the seat

and it's about time acura does it

SRT-11

yeah dammit acura where you at, my butt is warm! Unacceptable!

Tripnbeats

the foam is whats actually special about the cooled seats.....soooo u can get the foam the fans to add under the seat and maybe tiny air ducts... cut the foam to the shape and dimensions of the tl if need be and adapt it accordingly.....i wouldnt do it myself if i didnt know what i was doing id bring it to an interior shop to see what they can do if its even possible. the only thing is....is that the stitching might not line up in the pleather and foam so then more work would have to be done to the material in order to get it to work with the rl foam.

Tripnbeats

the air would actually pass without obstruction because the inserts are perforated already so thats a plus

TeknoKing

^ I don't care how you do it, Just Do It! My butt will be grateful.

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

The level of complexity (and cost) involved with this mod is beyond the capability of anyone I've ever seen post in the 3G forum.

The closest I've seen is the Acura tech who installed front seat heaters int he rear seats.

This would not be a simple mod that an "interior shop" could handle.

I think I'll be picking up cooled seats when I dump the TL for an upgrade in a few years...

TrevorT

iTrader: (2)

I concur completely. That's on my "must haves" list for the next car after this one.

erick3

...not worth the $$$$$$ it'll cost ya imo

Elegant TYPE S

iTrader: (2)

Have it in my GS and its defenitely very nice!!

Tripnbeats

are u kidding me bro??? then whats the point of an interior shop whatta u think they do??? all we do at my shop is reform seats for old and new cars.....repair replace and adapt pieces to the customers needs and wants.....if u have a shop and you do interiors and you cant do that stuff then whatta u doing? we also do seat heating systems and massagers in seats.....we also do the seat demo models for car companies like audi n bmw that have that feature and we slice the seats up for show on the dealer floor so people see whats on the inside of them and how they work (seats heaters, cooling fans, massagers etc.) ive adapted a system once in a bmw 3 series and it works just fine.....just takes up time.

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

I take it you're respinding to my comment.

This is more than reforming seats... I can cut foam too.

Seat heating systems are simple, they sell retrofit kits on ebay for $100. A simple heating element on a switch under a layer of foam is not difficult.

1) The intial question was retrofitting the RL seats in. Outside of the cost, brackting, the seat cooler is tied to the larger AC system... which likely has can-bus monitoring for fault monitoring (could be wron this).. I've never seen anyone here take on a task that complicated, by themselve or by a shop. We, as a community, can't even get a proper engine tune for a blown motor.

2) As stated above, this is not seat heaters...

This retro would require, ducts for cool air to travel through. Sure the perforated leather is great for that, but the foam underneath is not. Fo this mod to be effective that would have to be accomdated for.

You would have to find a way to move the cooled air from the existing ductwork, ducting to move the cooled air from the HVAC channel into the bottom of the seat, and a fan to push the air throught he seat.

That said, to be effective, you'd likely have to upgrade the HVAC system to push more cold air, as you're adding another cooling element to the system. Tapping off the existing system will rob cold air from the current ducted system potentiually giving you cold seats and little else, or it won't work.

You'd also need a "flue" or some other system to "turn off" the AC. Assuming you got the above working, would you want it on all the time?

To do it right, that's a lot to bite off... Otherwise, drill a hole in the foam, and weaken the support, and extend the AC duct int he armrest to that hole... Lemme know how that turns out.

Is swamp ass that bad?

Tripnbeats

lmao your right....swamp ass isnt bad for me but it may be for others. I understand what your saying in reference to the original question.... who knows maybe maybe not... dont wanna find out.lol

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

+2 to what Kennedy said.

After having cooled seats in a number of cars I drive it's crossed my mind many times that I wish my TL had it. I also thought of whether it could it be retro-fit....I've come to the conclusion that the answer is the same as that question about retro-fitting the swivel-headlights.......Nice to have it but is it really worth the effort anyways?? I believe just about any mod can be done, it's all about how much time and money you have. If the answer is unlimited than your possibilities are unlimited.

As for me, I know these things will be on my next car anyways....I can wait.

izmyttz

even if you did get the RL seats to fit..im sure the color of the leather wouldn't match...therefore looking retarted

YoungCeo

Exactly

AtlantaTLS

The Promo book for the 2009 RL that Acura sent me lists the colors as the same (Taupe,Parchment,etc) and the swatches seem to be a match (for my interior color at least) - that being said, can't be sure they would be a perfect match without seeing them together as more than swatches.

It will be interesting so see how the cooled seats in the 2009 RL actually work and in turn what would be involved in the conversion process. I've been in cars with cooled seats with wide-ranging effectiveness... The Toyota/Lexus system works amazing well whereas the coolers in the 2004 A8L aren't even noticeable.

Tripnbeats

uuuhhh the leather peels off the cushion iz.... its velcro and hog rings holding it in place.

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

Dudes, it's possible to do seat mods without replacing the leather. We were talkin about how to switch out the internals. Like the fellow who did the rear seat heaters. His seats look OEM from the outside.

Changing the ENTIRE seat won't work unless the dimensions for everything (rails etc.) match up which is highly unlikely and you might as well do the back seat to match too because the RL's leather is a different grain....dosen't make sense. Remember our seats have airbags in em too.

BLACKURA_NY

iTrader: (6)

Thank you!!!!

ive been reading this thread for a few days, and havent said anything yet

if you are in there, cutting and modding, and custom fabbing everything.... you hit the sensor the wrong way, or cut a wire... and the air-bag blows... the tab just got higher

or, everything installs right, you get into an accident, and that airbag doesnt deploy... .... hmmm... sweaty ass? or brain-damage?

just switch to cotton boxers.. you'll feel 10x better

izmyttz

Best solution yet! BLACKURA NY FTW!

csmeance

I think that we should wait just a little for acuraoemparts or the acura parts sites to update their parts diagrams to show what parts we need to retrofit.

csmeance

parts diagrams are up, looks pretty complicated, there are holes cut into the seat cushions for the blowers.

Heres the diagram for the blowers under the cushion:


Heres the link for the parts price and info
ESTORE.HONDA.COM -> 32119 -> PARTS -> COURTSEY ACURA -> 09 RL TECH, EBONY INTERIOR -> INTERIOR/BUMPER -> FRONT SEAT COMPONENTS L 09

the blowers are part number 16, we will need a number of those plus the wire harnesses.

erick3

^ holy gosh...WOW haha does look complicated indeed

ballerjai

that's hella easy. I'll do all that with my eyes closed. I can also juggle 50 knives too =D. Although I feel the TL would be better with cooled seats, it looks like it just aint happening.

..Mark..

When i put the ac on and it blows cool air on my daugher sitting in her car seat in back, she tends to crash out immediatly.. I would rather have swamp ass and have to use a manpon, than to loose that little luxury..

Tripnbeats

believe it or not the seats are pretty easy to work with ive taken em apart quite a few times.....as for the airbag......its connected to the seat frame not the foam or leather and it blows that apart when its deployed....no vinyl or stitching can hold together a 250mile an hour explosion. plus you would be modifying the middle of the foam and adding taking away from to it....without affecting the airbag. so i wouldnt worry much about it...if u can take it apart then it isnt brain surgery to figure out that the airbag isnt covered by more than a thin flap of foam

rockyfeller

iTrader: (6)

Trips like I said, nothing is impossible. If you think you can tackle this, name your price and see if someone bites! If there is anyone with the skillz to attempt this, it's you!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

cooled seats and heated steering wheel are 2 things I want want want in my next car....

acuratech239

iTrader: (2)

Yah, that was me who did the rear heated seat install I went all with the that one. For those of you who would like to read about that: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173199 It's actually pretty interesting, and def was not a direct install, as I had to use both TL-S and RDX heater elements.

Back to this topic though, this thought has crossed my mind. Even in the heated seats post, poeple suggested me trying to make cooled seats. At this point though, I need to be more sure of exactly how the RL ones work. Our parts dept catalogs came out with the diagrams for the 09 RLs about 1 1/2 - 2 months ago, which confirmed the fans, etc. But until I actually can get my hands on a service manual, I'm waiting.

Now according to the service manuals for the 05+ RL, Canadian RLs have ventilated seats. I've known about that for a while now, but again, have not personally seen one. So until the 09s are actually on the showroom floor, and I have a service manual with a description/wiring/etc for an actual US one, I won't be exploring this idea too much.

If and when the time comes that I decide to do this mod to my TL-S, I'll be sure to let everyone know. In the meantime, if anyone else decides to do this mod, PM as I'de like to see what you're game plan is.

-- Kevin

1fsthatch

seems easy enough lol

csmeance

not planning on doing the mod, but you would need to replace the heaters too as the RL has 3 stage heating and cooling, vs the 2 stage for the TL. If you could get your hands on the service manual, then installing these wouldn't be too hard, the biggest problem I see is mounting the heaters/coolers with the holes in the foam to the seat as it's not a simple overlay.

jptl04

iTrader: (1)

from the looks of the exploded component sheet, and checking the prices of the parts needed it would be very expensive just $600 in parts. for ONE SEAT. thats just blowers, duct for the seat cushion, brackets. there is probably more that i missed. not to mention that you might need to get the oem 09 rl cushions, they're like $150 a piece and you need two for each seat.

im not saying it can't be done, crazier things have been done just ask the non navi to navi conversion people. that was thought to be impossible at one point. just saying it will be very expensive and time consuming and in the long run might not be worth it