2004 V70 Seat Upgrade from Manual to Automatic (It Works!) -

[crimsonv70]

Hey folks,
I did a lot of digging around and searching and could not find a lot of useful info for this (non-850s) so I thought I would share what I did.

I have a plain old stock everything V70 - non-turbo non-AWD. No extra cup holder, seat warmers, or anything like that. I like the added features of the XC models though (interior anyway) so I've been slowly adding them to my model.

My next big project was I really wanted an automatic seat for the passenger. I ended up finding one at the local junkyard and...it works!! It's simply a plug and play, didn't even need to add a relay or fuse for the computer to see it. Here's what I did (for install):

*Step 0* see note at the bottom to make sure you have all the wiring in your volvo!

1. Disconnect battery (and wait at least 20 minutes so you don't risk triggering air bags)
2. Remove the 4 plastic caps over each end of the seat rails. The first 2 you'll need a flat head wedged from the front, the other 2 you (behind the seat) you wedge with a flathead from the sides facing each other. You can use a good amount of force - these clips are pretty damn sturdy and even if they crack a little they still fit on super snug.
3. Remove the 4 giant bolts under each clip (I think they are 14mm, but don't quote me on that).
4. VADIS and other places say you need to ground the frame to avoid static electricity from setting off air bags. I just used a jumper cable from the chair rail to the bottom frame of the car. That is all the "official" Volvo tool for this is - a glorified jumper cable.
5. Tilt the chair towards the center console to reveal the bolt that holds in the seatbelt
6. The bolt is a little bigger than T40 I think, but my T40 star bit did the trick. Just be careful not to strip it, it has a lot of thread lock!
7. Set the chair back down and examine the plug in the bottom front of it. There is a black plastic cover that folds out towards the center console. You will see the wires in there after it folds out. There is grayish plastic on the top and bottom of the plug. Slide that to the right and it will push out the plug towards you (there are plastic guides on it. Use a flash light and care, it should take almost no force at all). Then you can pull out the plug easily.

Install everything in reverse order, reconnect the battery, and you're done!

**Note: your plug should have a bunch of wires - Red and Black for power, as well as blue, orange, and some others - maybe half a dozen total. A manual chair only has 2 plugs and uses only 4 of those wires. It looks like Volvo likely included all the wires for all the models, but it is worth checking!

Hope this is helpful to someone. I was sure worried I would do all this work to find out it was not compatible Pleasantly surprised

[Clv70]

This sounds promising maybe for me to upgrade my 2000MY to the higher XC seats...and electric would be nice too.
What other creature comforts have you packed in to your car?
Thanks,
Chris.

[Simon Jones]

Pretty sure there's no difference in seat height between V70 and XC70. It's the suspension that makes for a better view of the road

[4candles]

When i got my XC (now sold) it definately felt a bit higher on the seat, could it be that the manual seats lowest setting is actually lower than a leccy one?

[crimsonv70]

Originally Posted by Clv70

What other creature comforts have you packed in to your car?
Thanks,
Chris.

First thing I added was the auxiliary 12v socket in the cargo. That thing has been a life saver since it always gets juice from the battery, I use it to charge small electronics all the time, including my phone while I'm shopping or something. The wire harness is already there, just drill the plastic interior for where it goes and add a relay to the REM, there's instructions on the web.

I then added the extra fold-out cup holder next to the radio....that was pretty easy. The stock hole there looked so lame heh.

After that I modded my radio to have AUX input...pretty nice so I don't have to use a noisy tape to input my MP3 player.

and lastly, of course was this automatic seat. My next project is going to be the siren replacing - and I'm going to a wire a small battery wired into the trunk that is accessible and replaceable easily.

[owyn]

Originally Posted by 4candles

When i got my XC (now sold) it definately felt a bit higher on the seat, could it be that the manual seats lowest setting is actually lower than a leccy one?

They do indeed, I've had manual followed by electric in both my V70's and the manual goes lower.

I prefer the lower position but I've got used to being a bit higher up.

[crimsonv70]

Thanks for the replies everyone!
Does anyone have any experience doing these repairs on a V70?
Has anyone removed the windscreen cowl or know of a good guide / how to?

The videos on YouTube are awfully blurry and shaky, it would be great if someone could make an image guide. I will try to do one myself but some guidance would be nice in the meantime.

Ive already done a couple image guides, so hopefully people appreciate those (I try to help just as much as I ask for help here).