I don't use these often but you know how the IS can cool and heat the seats? Well, I'm not feeling it that much. The passenger especially. When I first got it, it worked great but after a long while, it doesn't seem to be that effective anymore. Does the cooling rely on the AC unit turned all the way up or are they on separate controls? It takes a hell of a long time to notice any difference.

Anyone else that has an IS experiencing weak temperatured controlled front seats?

 

Mine for fine... most of the time i keep my a/c on the lowest and on 75 degrees the air is noticeable when coming through the seats but isn't meant to be like blasting it through since its just small fans... just enough to keep you from sweating on your back really...

 

the seat are just a fan....so u need to have the ac on toward your feet and head so the seat fan can get some of that cool air and blow it through...

 

Yeah I noticed they were weak when I TEST DROVE the car, the salesman said its cause I was in the sun, I said.. dude, I dont drive in the shade so whats the point ?? I guess pointing the AC down at your feet area would make a difference, but I was disappointed with the cooled seats. Couldn't buy the car without'm. So I feel like the premium package i paid for all went towards the birds eye maple accents, haha..
BTW I'm over 5'11 210lbs so maybe i'm just to fat to feel a difference

 

man I dont feel anything really either. When I first got the car I could feel a little something when my hand was right over the surface of the seat, but now not really much of anything. I am wondering if its only to cool the surface of the seat as opposed to blasting your butt with cool air

 

I don't think it was ever designed to blast your butt , or with the AC on full blast we'd all be human popsicles . It was designed to add a little comfort to our backsides, and that's about all.

 

i agree, id ont feel much either =( especially when the black leather is 100 degrees

 

Yeah, it's been known they are weak. They are not supposed to blow cold air... just "air." Further, your body gets used to the feeling after the first few minutes, making it seem even weaker.
Personally, I use it to keep sweat down. And for that it is decent.
The one thing I don't like though is the switch to turn them on and off. The sideways motion is counter intuitive to every switch in the car. And the finger has to twist an akward motion to get the thing from 3 to 0 or 0 to 3.
Oh well, things could be worse.

 

If we had AC seats it would be a different story, but we don't.

They just vent air but if it's 100 degrees out, there is no cool air to vent.

I find the vented seats most effective when the AC is also on and our seat helps circulate that air to our bottom and back.

 

NOtice? It's one of the key features that attracted me to the car.

 

As others have said, the seats are ventilated, not cooled. I appreciate the seat heaters in winter, but find the ventilators to be a complete waste of time.

 

Actually I find the ventilation to make a bit of a difference. I'm less "sticky" on my backside for my extended commute than if I turned them completely off. It's not going to cool you down if the car is 150 degrees, but it does prevent sweat from forming when I drive for an hour or more.

It is just ventilated air apparently from a very different source than the A/C. There was an old thread IIRC that detailed how difficult it would be to get the A/C air into the seat. Cooled seats? Try a Caddy CTS.

 

The seat ventilators actually work well in the summer granted your HVAC settings are not on the FACE only or upper dash vent settings. If you have it on BI LEVEL or Floor level, you will be quite surprised how well the seat ventilators work on a hot day.

 

i was about to start a thread about this too. i've noticed that they don't work all the time.. so the question is, do i need to have the a/c on to use the vented? when i use the vented seats, and don't turn on my a/c, it seems like they don't even work. i turn it on and put my hand over the seat after about a 1hr drive, and they're not even blowing any air! other times i could feel it blowing through my pants. i want them to work all the time.. not just sometimes!

and what is IIRC and HVAC?

 

I have also been disappointed with the seat cooling system and feel that it is so inadequate that I don't even bother using it. If Lexus does not change the system to make it actually worthwhile to use, they might as well not even offer it. BTW, you can always NOT use it if you don't like it.