My P38 has heated seats which do not work.

When I switch them on I can hear a relay clicking under the dash so I assume wiring on that side is all okay. Is it a common problem that these fail?

The remainder of the car is in very good condition and apart from the satnav everything works!

Now that winter is upon us, almost, I would like to fix this if I can. I assume that it may well be the heating elements that have failed. Is this a common fault or could it be something else?

Thanks.

Elements fail because people will insist on sitting on very thin bits of wire that breaks them. There's a separate element in the seat base and backrest wired in series so as soon as the base element breaks it all stops. They can be repaired or fit an aftermarket pad.

There are a few elements on offer on Ebay from £30. Worth doing a continuity check beforehand perhaps?

There's a pair of two way connectors under the seats, one for each element. Check for continuity and you'll probably find at least one is open circuit. There used to be an excellent step by step repair guide but that was one of the things that was removed from .net and the saved pdf file doesn't seem to include it (or at least the copy I have doesn't). After fixing 4 breaks and still not getting continuity, I fitted an aftermarket pad.

Thanks for that. I will check tomorrow.

yes, usually the lower part is the one gone awry. pity to get to it you need to take the seat apart ... nice job for a rainy weekend though :-)
I've fixed mine and hope it holds, otherwise I will go the aftermarket way ...

Marty fixed mine by soldering in lengths of wire to replace the broken bits. He also fitted different erm.. thingies.. which made the seats heat up to a worthwhile temp. I wouldn't be without them now!

Yes, he does propose his ... thingies. They are big thingies ... and bring a lot of heat :-)
Thermostat it was called?