[PortibNL]

I'm looking to retrofit electric seats for my i4 and getting them installed by a retrofitter. If the seats are installed and coded, will the coding be erased after a OTA update?

[techwhiz1]

Originally Posted by PortibNL

I'm looking to retrofit electric seats for my i4 and getting them installed by a retrofitter. If the seats are installed and coded, will the coding be erased after a OTA update?

Not if they know to VO code it.

[PortibNL]

He know's how to VO code it. I asked him aswell, he told me that they won't be errased. : )

[Gordon]

Keep us posted how it goes. I'd like to do the same thing for my i4 with sensatec cognac but I have no idea where to start. Any tips where to look for upgrade kit?

[PortibNL]

Yeah sure!

There is no upgrade kit for the seats. I'm still planning when and how I can do this project. My dealer said that it was not possible, but I'm 100% convinced it is because the car wasn't assembled by itself and it is (still) possible to add options by coding.

[Gordon]

My dealer said that the parts would cost 10k€ + work and that it would void the warranty but I highly doubt all of that. Do you think that the necessary wiring is there already or would it be a lot of electrical work?

[PortibNL]

I don't think it will cost 10k in total with labor included, it's just a matter of dissassembling and replacing the parts with some coding. Manufactures have for everything a manual with instructions. You only have to know how to get them.

I looked at the warranty disclaimer and also asked a dealership about the warranty and they said that it will not void warranty on the car. (The only exception is when the parts are aftermarket and when the parts are installed, replaced or changed in a non-profesional way. (this can also vary per country))
So I think the warranty will still be valid if the retrofitting is done with OEM parts by a (BMW-certified) professional.


I don't know yet if it is a lot of electricial work, I think it's more work routing the harnass trough the car. What I do know is that the wiring is not pre-installed. You can buy the harnass at a BMW dealership or online: https://www.bmwautoparts.net/en/cata...3902/818/11445 .

[Gordon]

I agree 100%. My dealership just didn't want to do it so that was their way to decline. Thanks for the link! Correct me if I'm wrong but all of them say "For vehicles without 0459 Seat adjuster, electric" Shouldn't it say "WITH seat adjuster, electric" to be compatible with new memory seats?

Edit:
Wiring harnessess for memory seats:
https://www.bmwautoparts.net/en/cata...3902/818/11445

Memory buttons:
https://www.bmwautoparts.net/en/cata...3902/818/11445

I wonder if the cables are already in the doors for the buttons.

This would make it possible to make both front seats with memory right?

[PortibNL]

Yes those are the correct links.

The buttons are indeed needed for the seats to work.
There is a different wiring harnas for the memory button in the door. I have not seen the wiring harnas myself, but it could be possible that there is a connector to add a cable to the harnas. The good thing is that it is not needed to replace the whole door trim.

[Gordon]

Here is the wiring harness for the door:
https://www.bmwautoparts.net/en/cata...3902/818/11445

I just noticed that there is no option where electric seat connectors was included without driving assistant professional or any other assistant system. They seem to included in the wiring. Could it be that if I have DAP there is all the required wiring already installed for the memory seat?

[PortibNL]

That would be strange, because you can option DAP without the memory seats. I think there are two versions: one version for a base car with no options and another if the car has at least one of the listed options. So I think there is a possibilty that the wiring is already there or at least the connector.

[Krzysiek_KTA]

Originally Posted by PortibNL

That would be strange, because you can option DAP without the memory seats. I think there are two versions: one version for a base car with no options and another if the car has at least one of the listed options. So I think there is a possibility that the wiring is already there or at least the connector.

Well, Let me share some thoughts about retrofitting about anything in I4 (except the wireless charger I suppose). Please read my failed project post of retrofitting the ACC with Stop & Go
( https://www.******.com/threads/acc-w...5/#post-160356) and one here ( https://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/s....php?t=2014615)
-it really looks like the BMW outfits each car to absolute minimum for the installed equipment to work. No spare connectors no multi purpose harness, etc. Coding (VO coding) should work (for the time being unless BMW moves all CAFD to the cloud) for the retrofitted parts at the end, but the whole retrofitting project is a real nightmare to succeed. Basically every car is build as "one off" by BMW these days . At the end of the day that causes way much more replacement parts needed that one would have though.

By all means I don't want to discourage any project of retrofitting BMWs, but just want to share my reality check thoughts.

Brgds

K

[Gordon]

Thanks Krzysiek_KTA! A dealership said that memory seats cannot be coded because it is somehow bound to the idrive system user. I'm not entirely sure if they mean just the memory feature or if is it impossible to add electrically adjusted seats at all in the VO.

[PortibNL]

That the seats are bound to the idrive is true, because you can save the seat setting to your profile. The reason that the dealer is not able to do the retrofitting could be that they are just lazy or that the mechanic doesn't have a Mechatronics degree (which is required for corrective use of dealersoftware in my country)

I have a Mechatronics degree but to go trought the whole proces of getting the dealersoftware takes to much time and money, : ( so I'm planning to do the retrofit with a retrofitter. He did OEM retrofitting before on the newest models and has acces to the official dealersoftware. It is not recommended to program retrofits with unofficial software, because everything is saved in databases.

[Gordon]

Okay I see! What type of seats are you looking for btw?

[BMW-ALPINA]

Everything is possible and if the dealer says no, its just regards laziness or due to "policy".

I did memory seat retrofit for the passenger seat. Its not plug and play and it requires coding to get it work. I did also swapped my OEM seats for some X3 M seats with ventilation.

Thread: https://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/s...1889549&page=2

I recommend to swap the seat which are electric and add the required wires to the car.

[PortibNL]

The sportseats you get with the M-sport package. Not the-M seats.

[Gordon]

Do you have a more rare color or just black? It would be amazing to find the M sport seats in cognac. Only after owning the car for a while I realized it would have been worth the cost.

[PortibNL]

Mines are Vernasca Mokka. It is possible to swap the leather, there is a instruction for it in ISTA.

[Gordon]

Just wanted to update to you that I just swapped mine and everything works great. There was no need to order a new wiring harness as the retrofitter just modified the existing wires, saves a lot of money. Amazing upgrade. As a small note: the electric seats sit a bit higher than the manual ones but at the lowest position they are still great for me.