BMW X7 Seat Heater Fails: Owners Report Random Shutoffs

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my BMW X5 2018 last winter. I have some experience working on cars as a hobby mechanic, but heating systems aren't my strong suit. The symptoms were exactly like yours, the seat heater would either not work or cut out right after turning it on. Took it to my regular workshop and they diagnosed a faulty heating mat in the seat cushion. The repair cost me 390 Euro, including parts and labor. They had to partially disassemble the seat to replace the heating element. Before I can give you more specific advice, could you share: Does this happen on both front seats or just one? Have you noticed any warning lights on the dashboard? Does the issue occur more when it's really cold outside? I also own an X3, but never had heating issues with that one. Let me know those details and I might be able to help further!

Thanks for sharing your experience! Mine's doing the exact same thing but only in the driver's seat. Just hit 111507 KM at my last service, and it's been working fine until recently. No warning lights on the dash, and it happens regardless of the outside temperature. I'm hoping it's just the heating element like in your case, would rather deal with that than some electrical gremlins. Probably gonna take it to the dealer next week, but wanted to get some real-world feedback first.

Hey again! Thanks for the additional details about your X7's seat heater problem. Now that you mention it's only affecting the driver's seat and there are no warning lights, it sounds even more similar to what I experienced with my X5. In my case, it was definitely the heating element, these things tend to fail right around the 100,000 KM mark, which matches up with your mileage. The fact that it's temperature-independent also points to a hardware issue rather than an electrical problem. When my workshop replaced the heating mat, they actually showed me the old one, you could clearly see where it had burned out. If you're taking it to the dealer, they'll probably run the same diagnostic test they did on mine. Just a heads up, while the dealer might charge more than my independent shop did, they'll have the exact OEM part in stock, which is what you want for these heating elements. One thing I learned from my experience, if you're planning to keep the car for a while, it might be worth having them check the passenger side heating element too, even if it's working fine now. These things often fail around the same time, and you might save on labor costs by doing both at once. Let us know what the dealer finds! Always good to share these experiences for other X7 owners who might run into the same issue.

Thanks for the detailed follow-up! That's really helpful info about the heating elements typically failing around 100K, makes me feel better knowing it's a common wear item. Appreciate the tip about checking the passenger side too, might save me another trip to the shop down the road. I'll definitely post an update once I get it looked at next week. With these luxury cars, it's always good to know what others have gone through with similar issues. Thanks again for sharing your experience, it's exactly the kind of real-world feedback I was hoping to get before heading to the dealer!