Goldstar wrote:

What Cass said, same as heated steering wheel

Should be illegal to build a car without a heated steering wheel

madnessgonemad wrote:

Yes, thanks, I saw the Wiki but the Westminster isn’t in there. I think they are an SE but no adaptive cruise or homelink but have the better audio. That would suit me nicely as I had adaptive cruise before in a Jag and on motorways cars nipped in front causing a harsh slowdown every few seconds!

It's easy enough to switch it off  2011 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE - 'Black Betty'
2000 4.0 P38 HSE - 'Green Goblin' - Gone.
Audi..Mini..BMW..

I will never ever buy another car without air cooled seats. Once you've used them, you think how the hell you've been without them. I have them front and rear and my daughter especially loves it. Only had my fatty just over a year now and used the cooled seats last summer when it was really hot, a fantastic option me thinks.
I do like the heated steering wheel too, leather gets very cold in winter. Nothing worse than driving with cold hands.

Thanks for the help everyone.
It sounds as the cooled seats are really worth having. The serious search starts now!

They are! Just make sure they work!!! Pain in the arse otherwise 2009 (2010 MY) 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography
2007 TDV8 Vogue SE
2005 BMW E63 645ci
2024 Porsche Macan

How good is the heating function on the cooled seats? Is it as good as the heated-only seats?
On cold days, those heated-only seats (coupled with the heated steering wheel) are bliss!

myself i would always look at getting a car with cooled seats (thumps up from the wide as well)

Cooled and heated seats are done by air, so they do take a little longer to get warm when engine is up to temperature rather than those with just heated seats as they are element heated. But having cooled seats are an absolute godsend in very hot weather. No more Betty swollox that's all i can say.

Quote:

How good is the heating function on the cooled seats? Is it as good as the heated-only seats?

Have got my RR now a Westminster with the heated/cooling.
I already find the cooling really nice. It seems to be more effective underneath than on your back. I don’t know if that is normal.

There is a filter underneath the seats you just unscrew if your hands are thin enough. I gave my seats a good re-dye and full leather treatment the other week and while i was there i took the filters out and gave them a good vac, refitted and seems the air coming through the seat backs is so much better. Although the filters didn't look filthy or full of dust, i noticed after vacuuming them the colour seemed lighter and now does the airflow. Worth a try for a few minutes work.

I've also read in another post on here somewhere that an air pipe in the seats flatten, restricting the airflow but i believe you have to dismantle the seats to get to the pipes. Hope this helps madness.

Thanks for that, I’ll have a look

I have the Westminster, (2012)which has heated and cooled seats.. but had the firmer vogue leather seat type.. easily recognised, as trimmed with traditional piped seat edging. This was a spec I was eating for the right car for…This was in untidy condition when bought, piping split, and small tear on leather…. I had a chance through eBay, to change the seats to the Autobiographhy/vogue se style which are the softer semi aniline type, again with heating and cooling. Which are easily recognised by having no piping, but with more modern double stitched seams in contrasting stitching. I got the rest of the interior too, so it became a very worthwhile upgrade with the door panels and dash inserts…. But the cooling function, is definitely good. -not tried it with shorts yet, and I’m too old to walk around shirtless, so enjoying driving with AC on, cooled seats on, and remaining very comfortable. The super soft aniline leather is beautiful to sit in. It’s worth waiting for the car you really want rather than compromising. The winter driving with heated seats and wheel is fantastic too. What else is a man to want after driving these fantastic cars. In adverts, look at the pictures, to see if the badged ‘vogue SE’, is an SE really and not a blag-badge, by seeing six round dials on the lower section of the dash, and not two missing at the bottom… and it should have the stitched edges on the seats. The westie will have cooled seats, but firmer ‘piped’ comfort.

There’s a great thread on the forum relating to why the heated/cooling function fails on the seats, and how to fix. The peltier unit does the heating and cooling, and a fan blows the heated/cooled air into the seat ducting. Over time and with use the plastic duct between the fan and the peltier unit can crack and separate, so the peltier unit doesn’t receive the fan air and overheats/fails. The fix seems to be just to replace with OEM parts - not cheap, but effective. My 4.2SC AB had this problem on the driver’s seat and I fixed it in an hour with a spare unit. As others have said, one you’ve had the heated/cooled seats and heated steering wheel, you’ll really miss them on another car. Worth finding the right car, factor in a coupe of hundred £ to fix an unserviceable seat if negotiating.

fanders ---------------------------------------
2009 4.2 SC Buckingham Blue
2021 Hilux 2.4