Dead Seat Heaters? Common Fixes for Vectra Issues

I have some experience with car repairs, and I dealt with a similar issue on my 2006 Vauxhall Astra. The heating elements in both front seats died completely last winter. Took it to my local workshop, and they diagnosed it as defective heating mats in both seats. The whole repair, including parts and labor, cost me around 390€. They had to partially disassemble the seats to replace the mats, but it was worth it, everything's working perfectly now. What's the mileage on your Vectra? Also, did you notice any warning signs before they stopped working completely, like intermittent heating or only certain areas warming up? This info would help determine if you're facing the same issue I had. Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more specific details.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Vectra's at 174,679 KM and had its last service about 2 months ago. Actually, now that you mention it, the passenger side was acting up a bit before giving up completely, it would work for like 5 minutes then cut out. The driver's side just died overnight though. Your repair cost doesn't sound too bad considering they had to take apart both seats. Did they give you any tips on preventing this from happening again? I might try the same workshop if it's a similar issue. Did it take them long to fix it?

Hey again! Yeah, happy to share more about my experience. Since you mentioned those symptoms, it sounds exactly like what happened with my Astra. The intermittent heating on one side and sudden death on the other is like déjà vu! For my repair, it took them about 4-5 hours total. Not too bad, really. The mechanic told me these heating elements just have a limited lifespan, especially in cars our age. He did give me one useful tip though, try not to use the highest heat setting all the time as it can stress the elements. I've been sticking to medium settings since the repair and haven't had any issues for the past year. You know what's funny? My Astra had almost the same mileage when this happened, around 168,000 KM. Guess these heating elements have a pretty predictable lifespan in Vauxhalls! If you're thinking about getting it fixed, I'd say go for it. The comfort during winter drives is totally worth the investment. Just make sure they give you a warranty on the new heating mats. Mine came with a 12-month guarantee, which was pretty reassuring. Let me know how it goes if you get it fixed!

Thanks so much for all this detailed info! It's really helpful to know it's a common issue around this mileage. I'll definitely keep that tip about the heat settings in mind once I get it fixed. Think I'll book it in next week, these cold mornings without seat heaters are getting old fast! Good to know about asking for a warranty too, I'll make sure to check that when I take it in. The 4-5 hour repair time sounds manageable, I can probably get it done while I'm at work. Really appreciate you sharing your experience with this. You've saved me a lot of worry about what I might be looking at cost and repair-wise! I'll update you once it's fixed. Thanks again for all your help!