Heated Seat Discussion (merged threads)
11-21-13, 08:22 PM
#32
Contacted Lexus corporate and they’ve stated there’s no way to increase the temperature of the heated seats via programming, which I do not believe, as these cars are computer driven and same can be done on BMW’s, albeit not something dealers willingly tweak.
Nevertheless, corporate stated the surface of our seats should reach a maximum of 43 Degrees Celsius or 109 Degrees Fahrenheit, to which I doubt mine come close!
I do not trust dealers and would like to know how to go about testing this on my own. I’d rather not place a thermometer that’s used to tell when someone has a fever on the dirty seats. Can someone please check your heated seats to see if they reach this temperature? Otherwise, any updates? What have your dealers said?
Nevertheless, whatever the temperature our seats actually get, based on the feedback here, I believe same is insufficient and encourage everyone experiencing same to notify Lexus. You can either call them at: 800-25-LEXUS (53987) or e-mail them here: http://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/ask.
Thanks.
Nevertheless, corporate stated the surface of our seats should reach a maximum of 43 Degrees Celsius or 109 Degrees Fahrenheit, to which I doubt mine come close!
I do not trust dealers and would like to know how to go about testing this on my own. I’d rather not place a thermometer that’s used to tell when someone has a fever on the dirty seats. Can someone please check your heated seats to see if they reach this temperature? Otherwise, any updates? What have your dealers said?
Nevertheless, whatever the temperature our seats actually get, based on the feedback here, I believe same is insufficient and encourage everyone experiencing same to notify Lexus. You can either call them at: 800-25-LEXUS (53987) or e-mail them here: http://lexus2.custhelp.com/app/ask.
Thanks.
Last edited by dbs600; 11-21-13 at 08:33 PM.
11-21-13, 09:23 PM
#33
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Buy an IR thermometer temp gun, turn on the seat to the low setting and see how warm it is after 5 minutes. Then increase the setting to two and three to check their temps. It's more accurate than placing a traditional thermometer onto the seat, plus that's just weird.
109F is not that hot, people just see that number and think it's hotter than it is because they associate it with weather temperature, but is not the same.
109F is not that hot, people just see that number and think it's hotter than it is because they associate it with weather temperature, but is not the same.
11-22-13, 11:34 AM
#34
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I have an F-Sport, seats don't get very hot. In my 06 IS I had to turn the seats off after 10 mins, they were roasting. With this car I can leave them on forever and I barely notice they are on.
11-22-13, 02:00 PM
#36
The pursuit of F
IR Tested - Nowhere near 43 C
So I did the measurement with the IR thermometer. Had both front seat warmers to Level 3 while driving the car for about 30 minutes and ensured it was at that level the whole time since it drops to Level 2 after about 10-15 mins.
Environmentals:
Internal cabin HVAC temp set to 22.0 C
Exterior temp: 6 C
Results:
Driver's seat, having been seated on 30 mins, highest surface temp: 32.5 C
Passenger's seat, no one seated on it, highest surface temp: 18.1 C
Disappointing to say the least. My body heat is warming the seats more than the other way around as evidenced by the results. Surface temp is nowhere near 43 C Lexus stated to dbs600.
I called my service rep just now and he is aware of the issue and explained it's due to the dense foam and injection process of the F-Sport seats. Nonetheless, he suggested to bring the car in and I suspect that the more "complaints" come in, the better the likelihood of a TSB will be issued at some point. For now though, I expect the official response Monday to be is "it's as designed".
I'll post an update next week after my service appointment Monday.
Environmentals:
Internal cabin HVAC temp set to 22.0 C
Exterior temp: 6 C
Results:
Driver's seat, having been seated on 30 mins, highest surface temp: 32.5 C
Passenger's seat, no one seated on it, highest surface temp: 18.1 C
Disappointing to say the least. My body heat is warming the seats more than the other way around as evidenced by the results. Surface temp is nowhere near 43 C Lexus stated to dbs600.
I called my service rep just now and he is aware of the issue and explained it's due to the dense foam and injection process of the F-Sport seats. Nonetheless, he suggested to bring the car in and I suspect that the more "complaints" come in, the better the likelihood of a TSB will be issued at some point. For now though, I expect the official response Monday to be is "it's as designed".
I'll post an update next week after my service appointment Monday.
11-22-13, 02:38 PM
#37
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The injected foam process is only used on the F Sport seats, not the non-F Sport seats. It's the injection process, not the fact that it's Nuluxe, that prevents them from being ventilated. I have the non F Sport seats, which is why I was able to get Nuluxe and ventilation. It was, quite honestly, one of the biggest reasons I opted to not get the F Sport package. Hope that makes sense.
11-22-13, 06:02 PM
#38
Lexus Champion
Good to know. So it's not the injection process as I'd been told, but rather a packaging decision. Thanks for the correction.
11-23-13, 07:59 AM
#39
Buy an IR thermometer temp gun, turn on the seat to the low setting and see how warm it is after 5 minutes. Then increase the setting to two and three to check their temps. It's more accurate than placing a traditional thermometer onto the seat, plus that's just weird.
109F is not that hot, people just see that number and think it's hotter than it is because they associate it with weather temperature, but is not the same.
109F is not that hot, people just see that number and think it's hotter than it is because they associate it with weather temperature, but is not the same.
So I did the measurement with the IR thermometer. Had both front seat warmers to Level 3 while driving the car for about 30 minutes and ensured it was at that level the whole time since it drops to Level 2 after about 10-15 mins.
Environmentals:
Internal cabin HVAC temp set to 22.0 C
Exterior temp: 6 C
Results:
Driver's seat, having been seated on 30 mins, highest surface temp: 32.5 C
Passenger's seat, no one seated on it, highest surface temp: 18.1 C
Disappointing to say the least. My body heat is warming the seats more than the other way around as evidenced by the results. Surface temp is nowhere near 43 C Lexus stated to dbs600.
I called my service rep just now and he is aware of the issue and explained it's due to the dense foam and injection process of the F-Sport seats. Nonetheless, he suggested to bring the car in and I suspect that the more "complaints" come in, the better the likelihood of a TSB will be issued at some point. For now though, I expect the official response Monday to be is "it's as designed".
I'll post an update next week after my service appointment Monday.
Environmentals:
Internal cabin HVAC temp set to 22.0 C
Exterior temp: 6 C
Results:
Driver's seat, having been seated on 30 mins, highest surface temp: 32.5 C
Passenger's seat, no one seated on it, highest surface temp: 18.1 C
Disappointing to say the least. My body heat is warming the seats more than the other way around as evidenced by the results. Surface temp is nowhere near 43 C Lexus stated to dbs600.
I called my service rep just now and he is aware of the issue and explained it's due to the dense foam and injection process of the F-Sport seats. Nonetheless, he suggested to bring the car in and I suspect that the more "complaints" come in, the better the likelihood of a TSB will be issued at some point. For now though, I expect the official response Monday to be is "it's as designed".
I'll post an update next week after my service appointment Monday.
It's unbelievable how ineffective our heated seats are.
Please keep us posted; now we're armed with numbers, there's little they can deny.
11-23-13, 08:58 AM
#40
Lexus Test Driver
i hate to break this to you, but your never going to get an accurate reading with this method. the fact is once you get off a seat it no longer has the insulation of your backside to maintain the heat in the seat.
I've installed aftermarket seat heaters in my truck and unless your sitting on it they never get hot.
you really need a physical thermometer to sit on between you and the seat.
I've installed aftermarket seat heaters in my truck and unless your sitting on it they never get hot.
you really need a physical thermometer to sit on between you and the seat.
11-23-13, 02:23 PM
#41
The pursuit of F
Bass Mech, the readings on the driver's seat were taken less than 10 seconds after I got off it with the cabin heater running to "help" minimize external heat loss. Agree it's not fully accurate and we do need to account for some heat loss, however, I did take some readings with the thermometer and my rear on the seat (haha) and the highest temp on the seat was close to body temp 37 C. If I get a chance, I'll run the same test on my RX for comparative purposes, which has much warmer seats.
11-23-13, 04:28 PM
#42
The pursuit of F
RX seats measured 8C+ warmer
So the RX seats are noticeably warmer under similar testing conditions as I did with the IS. Passenger seat (unseated) read at a max temp of 26.7 C and driver's was 41.2 C, over 8C more than the IS. What we need to take from this experiment is not the absolute values as there is a margin of error due to heat loss, instrument precision, ambient temperature, etc, but we can use this data for comparison purposes, much like EPA fuel economy numbers should be used to compare between cars. The experiment simply reinforces the weak heat transfer/sensation to the seat surface as experienced by several of us with the F-Sport seats in N. America.
11-23-13, 08:11 PM
#43
So the RX seats are noticeably warmer under similar testing conditions as I did with the IS. Passenger seat (unseated) read at a max temp of 26.7 C and driver's was 41.2 C, over 8C more than the IS. What we need to take from this experiment is not the absolute values as there is a margin of error due to heat loss, instrument precision, ambient temperature, etc, but we can use this data for comparison purposes, much like EPA fuel economy numbers should be used to compare between cars. The experiment simply reinforces the weak heat transfer/sensation to the seat surface as experienced by several of us with the F-Sport seats in N. America.
Thank you very much!
Definitely bringing this up again on my next service visit, which should be soon, as I want the latest firmware version.
11-23-13, 08:17 PM
#44
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11-24-13, 08:31 AM
#45
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Finally got cold enough last night for me to turn on the heated seats of my F-sport. Compared to my previous 2 RXs, I wouldn't even use the word warm -- I barely felt anything even at the highest setting
