Rolexus600

So I've been in 2 different Lincolns lately as a passenger and I've been enjoying the cooled seats. It's stronger than the one I recall on a friend's 2003 BMW 745Li (but then again, I think it's considered "ventilated" as opposed to "cooled" on that BMW, if I'm not mistaken.)

So I get into a casual chat with a friend of mine who is a salesman for Mercedes-Benz and he volunteers that MB won't offer cooled seats and will only offer seat ventilation. When I asked why, he said that MB deems it an unhealthy option. When I asked what was so "unhealthy" about it, he confessed that he wasn't quite sure what their reasoning was.

Later in the conversation, he tells me he recalls hearing from a corporate product specialist at MB that cooled seats may directly effect a man's ********* and lower sperm count, cause complications, other problems, etc. He couldn't recall if that was MB's main reasoning for objecting to them but he knew that was something the corporate representative had mentioned in the past.

Did anyone else hear about this? The conversation alone was enough to make me think twice.



Michael

bagwell

unhealthy? BS....

btw - my IS350 had the ventilated seats and I was very disappointed; they were very very weak.

UDel

That is some very odd and almost laughable reasoning for not offering cooled seats that I have never heard of. I don't really buy it and it could just be salesman BS. From what I understand it is better sperm count wise for a mans ********* to be "cooler" then "hotter".

Rolexus600

I always thought the same.



Michael

RXSF

well i do know the region is very sensitive to temperature which is why a man's sack will expand or tighten in order to return to optimum spawning temperature. By that reasoning though, they shouldnt offer seat heaters either.

Och

iTrader: (3)

It could be that MB doesn't offer it because of potential liability. It might be clear BS to people with common sense, but when scumbag lawyers see an opportunity to make a buck, we all know what happens.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Well, we don't know why Mercedes Benz doesn't off it cooled seats. It seems the salesman in question stated he didn't know why, and only thought he recalled some conversation about cold ********* being a problem. With the information provided, we don't know what Mercedes Benz stand on the subject really is.

We know they can offer it if they wanted to. Cost of implementing it is not a concern.

RXSF

they do have ventilated seats, so its not an issue. As far as I know, ventilated and cooled seats is the same thing, but its just different degrees of how cold it is.

IS-SV

As usual the car salesperson has it wrong. It's the constant exposure to heat that can lead to problems.

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

That's very interesting. I assumed they came with cooled seats like most modern luxury cars do. I've never been in a car with cooled seats though.

Rolexus600

The Lincoln's seem to get FAR colder than my LS.



Here's a question...does my 2005 LS430UL have "Ventilated" or "cooled" seats?



Michael

IS-SV

The cooled seats in my Lexus are plenty cool, it's a nice feature.

JHStrange

Typical salesman speak. They dont have it therefore it's bad for you.

whoster

I think the correct term is "Ventilated" seats, as far as BMW/MB/Lexus are concerned.

Whether the the ventilation is "cold" or "cool" or "tepid" is up to the manufacturer to decide, but I can see "potential health hazards" being a reason for not offering "cooled" seats as opposed to "ventilated seats."

caddyowner

Ever since driving a loaner DTS with cooled seats, I decided this feature was a requirement for all future cars. My understanding of the ventilated / cooled differences:

- Cooled seats have a cooling unit (usually a solid state peltier unit in each seat) that pulls in cabin air, cools the air, and blows it out through the perforated leather in the seat. My Lincoln MKZ seat coolers would get so cold that I almost never set it above medium. The Cadillac DTS is also famous for real nut freezers. (The DTS seat heaters can also get very hot.)

- Ventilated seats use only cabin air, with no additional cooling. I believe they can either suck air into the seat through the perforated leather or blow air out of of the perforated leather. The Cadillac STS has ventilated seats that suck.

I believe my LS430 seats blow, first ventilated, and when turned further, cooled (but barely).