2010 R1200RT Seat heater won't turn off!

[PARon]

Hello forum members,
I'm new to the BMWMOA and this past fall purchased a used 2010 R1200RT. I rode it a few times and thought the seat felt mildly warm but in chilly central PA in late fall and early spring, I didn't think much of it. Today was the first really nice day with temps in the 80s and while riding, I noticed my seat being uncomfortably hot. The switch was not on and intentionally switching it on and off didn't seem to make a difference.

Does anyone have a clue what I can check on this? Has anyone experienced anything similar? Is there a relay with welded contacts hidden somewhere that is causing this and if so, where can I find it? Any other thoughts?

I appreciate any and all guidance on this!

Ron

 

[dbrick]

I don't have a seat heater or an RT. That said:

I've never heard of a fault like this. Body accessories (lights, horn, heated seat, etc.) are controlled by the ZFE body controller via the Can-Bus wiring network; there are no fuses or actual manual switches. The switch you use to turn the seat on or off is actually talking only to the ZFE, which in turn feeds current (or not) to the seat. I'd visually check the wiring and connectors, and find a GS-911 to see what codes, if any, are stored in the system. If I have a friend with a heated seat RT, I'd borrow the seat and see if that seat behaves the same when mounted on your bike.

Beyond that, I think you're in dealerland.

 

[185274]

I have the same issue. Ended up just disconnecting the rear heater connection.

 

[ozonewanderer]

The switch to the rear seat heater is UNDER the rear seat on the right front side. It's a rocker switch. I had to call the dealer to find it when I first got my bike!

 

[liv2ride]

You didn't say...

Did you disconnect and check to ensure the orientation of the plug was proper when reseating? I didn't want to assume that the obvious was done.

Good luck.

Scot

 

[lkchris]

2010s have been known to have handlebar switch problems

 

[roborider]

Other posters spoke well. If it is the rear seat, it is a separate switch.

If the front seat, you don't have much to look at other than the switch (though I'd expect it to show "heat on" on the dash).

The current to the seat (at least on my 2005) is PWM. For "high," it is something like 80% on, 20% off. For "low," it's like 40% on, 60% off. I can't recall the exact numbers. If you have an oscilloscope (yeah, not likely now a days!) you can connect to it and see this.

I mention this because a DVM, due to the PWM, can give funky readings. But if it is "off," you should see no voltage, or at least no more than a tiny voltage.

Let us know!

 

[43883]

I would suspect the switch on your handlebar. Do you have seat heater on indication on the dash?

tsp
My Blog: http://www.airheadmoto.com

 

[BMW Triumphant]

Might be simple. The sequence is off-low-high, not just off-on. There is an indicator in the lower right of the LCD display - check the manual for details.

Sometimes, due to sun angle, I can't see the indicator and it takes a few minutes to find the off position.

But, I sure do like it!