My 2004 LS 430 seats do not get cold, or even cool. They do not feel as there is any change in them when I turn the AC on to them. Is there anyone else having similiar problems or can anyone suggest a possible remedy ? Thanks

 

I have had my 2004 for 5 years and it has been diminishing over time. I replaced the air filters and the fans under the seat are running fine.

I am convinced the breathable material under the leather gets compressed and clogged with debris over its lifetime.

My relative has 2006 with 15K miles and I can feel the gentle breeze when I pull away from her seats, I try that on mine and nothing.

It is meant to be very soft, but now in the summer I do leave with a sweaty back when I never used too.

 

Don't expect to play air hockey on top of it. It just is not powerful that way, not even when the car is brand new. It does cool a bit when its working but not in a way where it will freeze your butt off.

 

Unfortunately our LS's have one of the poorest a/c seats out of all the Lexus line-up. On the other hand the heated seats are awesome. I gave up on my a/c seats...

 

Its a long shot but you might try adjusting the seat back and lumbar and seat cushion length to see what positions (if any) provide better flow. I have also thought about removing the filters. I keep my car clean so I am not sure what the filers would pick up - they are bright white and look brand new after 4 years years of run time at this point

 

Check to make sure the fans are running and have no died. Check any filters they may have and replace.

 

good fans and clean filters still offer very little air movement,, I was thinking of pulling the seat to see if a higher volume fan could be installed and wired in on a direct switch for control,,

certainly an item they should have never let out of the factory operating like they do,,

Derry

 

Now that's an idea. Maybe a larger low RPM computer fan so it won't be loud.

 

I don't think you can re-engineer the seat cooling. It is not what we think of as conventional, i.e., it does not use freon. The cooling system is similar to what is employed in small cabinet wine coolers. They are completely electronic and have no compressor or freon. My wine cooler failed and I found that the fan quit working. No way to fix. Just throw the $120 unit away and purchase another. Also, note that these wine coolers don't get real cool.

I doubt that you will have any success in trying to improve the cooling by trying a higher volume fan. It may be that your fan has failed.

I found that my front seat filter were very dirty. They are located just under the front of the seat and subjected to dirt being kicked up every time you get in and out of the car. Nothing in the manual tells you about scheduled maintenance. My cooling improved which I replaced them. I am happy with my cooling.

My suggestion is that you only turn them on in the summer when you need them and don't just leave them on all the time.

 

I just took my 2006 LS430 to the dealer today, about seat not getting cool when the its air cond is turned on, both driver and passenger sides, and after driving/turning air cond on for 30 minutes or so. The dealer was telling me that the fan under each seat simply recirculate air in the car, under the seat. He lay down a very thin plastic sheet on top of and covering the whole seat surface; and we can not see the plastic push up at all. Yet he said the fan is working; and this is after he took the filter under the seat out. But he said, he see the same result on new car. I hope he is not avoiding to fix the problem since the car is still under CPO warrantee. May be I'll take the car to another dealer to get a second opinion.
HK

 

Just as a reminder, the seats are "ventilated" and not A/C or chilled. The point is to keep air circulating between your body and seat to avoid heat buildup.

 

Sorry Grand LS4, jayclapp has it right.
The seats are cooled by a "Peltier Chip" as used in portable Coleman coolers and wine coolers.

I forget the particulars, but the maker of the cooling module in our seats is a USA company, readily seen on the outside of the cooling module IIRC. Just loosen the 4 seat bolts and tip your seat back to get a good idea of how the system is configured.They even have a website that invites new OEM's to incorporate their wares.

It might be worthwhile to contact them and see if they have any ideas as to why the majority of LS430 owners are so unhappy with LS430 seat cooling. Maybe get a group buy on upgraded chips. Although I bet they'll say the issue is low air flow, not in their jurisdiction.

My wacky idea, not acted upon due to old man's stiff back syndrome, is to steal cold air from the floor duct and pipe it via flexible hose to the filter face!