need help in seat swap for my '03 Aviator
 

I recently came back to the Ford family, I just purchased an '03 Aviator. I like everything about the truck, but its the base model, which means no heated/cooled seats. I want to swap my seats out for some heated cooled seats. As far as I know, I will need the seat switch on the door panel for the ac/heat seat controls, a new door panel that has the opening for that switch, possibly an ecu chassis module for ac/heat control, and maybe even the blower beneath the seat?

Does anybody know whether or not this is a practical project, or has anybody done seat swaps to this degree and have you been successful? Also, does anybody have these parts or know where you can buy such parts? I've been searching like a mad man. Could I swamp out any Lincoln heated/cooled seats and/or parts to fit the Aviator, or is it pretty model specific? I'm wondering if the aviator would accommodate some navigator seats.

so far I have found the seats, the climate control switch for the door panel, the ecu chassis module for the heated part of the seat (for some reason it doesn't list the cooled part).

Also, I'm willing to trade my third row seat for parts or at least the driver's front seat.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

I'm not positive that all the necessary wiring would be present to support heated and cooled seats if your Aviator did not come with them. Also, if you do not also install a heated/cooled seat for the passenger side the control module will not like that. I don't think it would prevent the driver's side from working, nor would there be any indication to annoy the driver, but the module would store a diagnostic code for it.

The heated/cooled module for those seats is different from a heated seat module so you'll want to be sure the module controls both if you decide to tackle this project. I'm not sure that it's really all that practical though. If what you're primarily interested in is having heated seats, you might be better off to install aftermarket seat heaters in your OEM seats and then find a home for the switch.

-Rod

i'm primarily looking for the cooled seats

http://www.ebay.com/itm/05-06-NAVIGATOR-CHASSIS-ECM-SEAT-UNDER-SEAT-HEAT-AND-COOLED-SEAT-371408-/181468401102?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a405c0dce&vxp=mtr
would an ecu module from a navigator work? I know the actual seat controls are different, but I wonder about the ecu module


also I was looking into these, they have great reviews.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Viotek-Universal-Heated-Car-Truck-SUV-Climate-Control-Cushion-Warmer-Seat-Cooler-/121434334535?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c460ce547&vxp=mtr

That ebay auction for the Navigator item is horrible. It's not clear at all what they plan to provide from that auction. There is no "ecu" per se for the seats, and if they are providing the entire seat I really doubt they will fit. If they are providing just the thermo-electric device (TED) that does the climate control for the seat, it might fit but your seats would need to have the perforated seat covers and bracketry to support the TED.

Quite honestly, the add-on cushion is probably the best way to go. It won't be as pretty, but it will work with a lot less headache. Plus if you get rid of the Aviator you can take the cushion with you and use it in your next vehicle.

-Rod

yeah. Also I'm not sure I want to dump $100's of dollars into a project I may not be able to succeed at. I want to be able to test out the viotek climate controlled seat cushion and be atleast able to return it if it didn't work. I'm going to look around and probably get the aftermarket cushion and test it out, make sure I buy from a place that does returns. the aftermarket viotek cushion sounds like it might work, it also comes in colors that would match different interiors, so I know it would match the seat color.