Center Console Seat Heater Buttons
 

Almost got sideswiped today while driving and I've only had my BRZ for a week. Some idiot turned into my lane when I was inches away from him. Luckily for my cat like reflexes, I was able to swerve around him and dodge it. However, unluckily, sweet tea spilled in my car. It spilled right into the heat seater button console. I tried soaking as much as I could with napkins but there are still some deep in the crevices.

Does anyone have any knowledge of how that is put together? Can I just replace the button console if it gets sticky when it dries? Will potentially damage other components? Will it leak all the way to the flooring?

Any help would be great. Thanks!

Id just take it apart and give it a good wipe down, if it starts acting funny or not working, take it in to have it replaced under warranty. Look under the DIY section for threads on how to take it all apart, there should be a few of them.

Appreciate it man. I'll take a look in the DIY area.

You can definitely replace individual switches if it comes down to it. They just clip into the center console and have individual harnesses.

Checked in the DIY section...no love there. No instructions on how to remove the heated seat button console.

Thanks Schtebie!! That's a relief. So the area I marked in light blue...there is no crack there where the tea could've leaked through? Also is it possible that the sweet tea could've found its way under that center console and onto the floor of the car? Or could it have intruded anywhere else?

Sorry for all the questions...just PO'ed and worried since this is only a 1 week old car :(

I guess I am lucky that the sweet tea happened to spill perfectly in that nook that houses the heated seat buttons.

Thanks!

That seat heater switch area is completely molded as one piece with the center console, so there aren't really any cracks for the tea to escape through. As for the switches themselves, the raised bezel part of each switch is part of the assembly itself and the switch snaps into an opening cut for each.

I wouldn't worry so much about tea getting beneath the console - the tolerances are pretty tight.

If tea managed to get trapped anywhere, it'd be between the switch bezel and that recessed flat area and inside the switches themselves.

You are the man! So I made a little diagram to summarize what you said and maybe help others in the future. So the teal arrows is the only place liquid can penetrate; the yellow area is molded; they gray lines are molded too? The switch button literally just pulls up from there? Is the harness connected directly to the switch itself?

I think I'll bring it to the dealership to have them just replace the switches then. I can't imagine it being expensive for the part and from your explanation labor shouldn't take long. Thanks again!!!

I actually ordered the BRZ center console for my FR-S for a future retrofit with heated seats, the console and buttons could be found on parts.com at a fair price. There's 6 screws that hold the console in place, and 2 panels by the knee pads that are held in place by yellow tabs. But you'd have to remove the shift boot bezel and the hand brake cover to remove the entire piece.

Everything inside the gray lines is one piece. It doesn't look that way on the surface, but the switch assembly includes the switch bezel.

Ahh I see how it works. Finally lol. Now can I pry that switch assembly out from the top without disassembling? Or do I have to take apart the whole console. Thanks!

The cleanest, least damaging way would involve taking apart the center console and popping the switches out from underneath. You could try to pry it out, but you'll undoubtedly leave gouges in your brand new console...

Blah might have dealer do it. They will probably charge me though. And also hope that the spilled sweet tea that dripped through the crevices won't attract ants...too paranoid? lol

I think you should be fine as long as you cleaned up what you can see.

Check here for how to take apart the center console:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13583

Take it to the dealer? My brother had some soda spilled in his seat heater switches and the driver one was sticking. You can pop them out from beneath after popping out the e-brake boot and reaching through there. Should take no more than 20 minutes start to finish including taking apart the switches and cleaning them out with some contact cleaner.