Well, enough on all the E46 seat threads - here's how it works with the slightly newer seats from '06-'13 3 series BMWs.
A few points: seems like E46 seats are quite pricey and in short supply in the Denver area - $600/pr from resellers, typically only in black. eBay pricing not much different, plus shipping.
I found a pair of black seats on Craigslist that were claimed to be E46 - but the production date was Aug. '05, which puts them as '06 seats and therefore, E90. A kid bought them for his Jeep and never installed them, so they sat in storage for 6 years, which means 6 years less wear. They are leather, power, not heated. They have side air bags, which I ignored. The missing corner trim piece (small) is $36 at the dealer.
I ordered the Torfab brackets, which are of the high quality and good execution raved about here - nicely done! As for the photos below, the seats came with the yellow wiring connector, which I took apart to reveal two fat power wires and two fat ground wires, all of which must be connected. Other wires I presume are for airbags, since I don't see any that appear to be for a heater.
The E90 seats have the 'timeout' feature where the power cuts off (to all but the lumbar support) after 15 minutes, so you have to turn off seat power and re-power them to get them to move. A pain. So, I added a power switch from Radio Shack to the front corner of the seat to allow this. I rarely adjust the seat, so I leave the power off and just power up the seat when needed and then turn back off.
The seats do have a wonderful range of adjustment, more fore-and-aft than factory. The headrest is more pronounced and is more 'in your face' (or more like 'in the back of your head') than the OEM ones.
So, yes - my seats don't match my interior color, and the wiring was a minor pain. Not sure if I will install the passenger seat or not.
I also removed the leg-cramping OEM FJ-62 'dead pedal' and replaced it with an inch-thick rubber block. Now, I have the same legroom I had in my '87 FJ60 - just the way I like it.
A few points: seems like E46 seats are quite pricey and in short supply in the Denver area - $600/pr from resellers, typically only in black. eBay pricing not much different, plus shipping.
I found a pair of black seats on Craigslist that were claimed to be E46 - but the production date was Aug. '05, which puts them as '06 seats and therefore, E90. A kid bought them for his Jeep and never installed them, so they sat in storage for 6 years, which means 6 years less wear. They are leather, power, not heated. They have side air bags, which I ignored. The missing corner trim piece (small) is $36 at the dealer.
I ordered the Torfab brackets, which are of the high quality and good execution raved about here - nicely done! As for the photos below, the seats came with the yellow wiring connector, which I took apart to reveal two fat power wires and two fat ground wires, all of which must be connected. Other wires I presume are for airbags, since I don't see any that appear to be for a heater.
The E90 seats have the 'timeout' feature where the power cuts off (to all but the lumbar support) after 15 minutes, so you have to turn off seat power and re-power them to get them to move. A pain. So, I added a power switch from Radio Shack to the front corner of the seat to allow this. I rarely adjust the seat, so I leave the power off and just power up the seat when needed and then turn back off.
The seats do have a wonderful range of adjustment, more fore-and-aft than factory. The headrest is more pronounced and is more 'in your face' (or more like 'in the back of your head') than the OEM ones.
So, yes - my seats don't match my interior color, and the wiring was a minor pain. Not sure if I will install the passenger seat or not.
I also removed the leg-cramping OEM FJ-62 'dead pedal' and replaced it with an inch-thick rubber block. Now, I have the same legroom I had in my '87 FJ60 - just the way I like it.
. I still would like to find a pair of earlier tan seats and wire them all up - perhaps someday.