Passat: Heated seat problem

Hello,

I have a 1999 VW Passat GLS (1.8T). The car is almost fully loaded with leather interior, heated seats, etc...

Current problem:

The drivers side heated seat no longer works. Passangers heated seat works fine.

The seat was working like a champ until I flatbeaded the car during a move last summer. Once I got to my new destination, the heated seat failed to work every time I tried except ONCE (timeline begin - noticed seat no longer worked last July, had it work once in October, it's never worked since). I've never been able to get it working again.

Before taking it to a dealer or private mechanic, I was wondering what items I can check w/ novice repair skills. I've seen references to fuses and possible connection issues under the seat itself. Could someone specifiy the fuse I should check (# and location) as well as anything I can check under the seat itself? Also, any other information would be helpful.

Thanks,

Will

Fuse #5 powers the modules for both seats so I doubt there's a problem with it. You can try checking that the black w/yellow trace wire at the seat element goes hot & the brown wire is grounded. Common problems are with the connection between the seat and backrest elements & elements burning out. You can use a multimeter to check there is resistance (I'm not sure of the spec, just not an open circuit) between each element.