[U235]

Trying to compare notes with those that live in cooler climates. It's finally got a little chilly in the mornings here in Texas. I can't figure out the heated seats on this car. I have them set to "High" along with the steering wheel heater.

Simply put, it hasn't turned on automatically. Granted, I parked in the garage and it wasn't cold when I started the car, but outside the temp was 49-50F. I then parked outside for a while and started the car back up, it was 57F outside (but still felt warm inside due to the sun), but the seats still didn't turn on. I could argue that it just wasn't cold enough, but then I found some other interesting things...

If I switch the heated mode to "Very High" it turns on. I actually even tried this last weekend when it was 90F, and they still turned on. So it seems "Very High" is just force on and not "turn it on super hot when warranted". Similarly, if I turn my passenger seat to "Very High" when nobody is in the seat, it turns them on. This is in contrast to the ventilated seats which do not turn on when in "Very High" when nobody is in the seat.

It's almost like "Very Hot" is just forced on/off rather than feeding into the auto climate. Likewise, not sure what "Hot" vs "Medium" means, I presume amount of heat, but I've yet to see these automatically turn on. Also, my ventilated seats are staying on even though it's cool outside.

In contrast, our 2016 XC90 and 2022 V60 Volvos have brilliant automatic heated seats/wheels. You can adjust the auto-mode to fire into any of the three heat modes, and it automatically turns on and off brilliantly. They turn on in 50F weather. I hate having to manually adjust things and am a fan of automagic stuff, I have no complaints about the Volvo which also lacks hard buttons, it seems to always be in the right mode, and I can adjust the amount of heat as "High" (the highest) is a bit too hot for longer journeys.

Regardless, it wasn't really needed, and I know people find heated seats sometimes bothersome, so maybe BMW is conservative on when to fire them when the cabin isn't very cold, but I like heated seats even when it's only barely cold.

Any cold weather people care to share their findings on how these work?

[LowerEast]

Originally Posted by U235

Trying to compare notes with those that live in cooler climates. It's finally got a little chilly in the mornings here in Texas. I can't figure out the heated seats on this car. I have them set to "High" along with the steering wheel heater.

Simply put, it hasn't turned on automatically. Granted, I parked in the garage and it wasn't cold when I started the car, but outside the temp was 49-50F. I then parked outside for a while and started the car back up, it was 57F outside (but still felt warm inside due to the sun), but the seats still didn't turn on. I could argue that it just wasn't cold enough, but then I found some other interesting things...

If I switch the heated mode to "Very High" it turns on. I actually even tried this last weekend when it was 90F, and they still turned on. So it seems "Very High" is just force on and not "turn it on super hot when warranted". Similarly, if I turn my passenger seat to "Very High" when nobody is in the seat, it turns them on. This is in contrast to the ventilated seats which do not turn on when in "Very High" when nobody is in the seat.

It's almost like "Very Hot" is just forced on/off rather than feeding into the auto climate. Likewise, not sure what "Hot" vs "Medium" means, I presume amount of heat, but I've yet to see these automatically turn on. Also, my ventilated seats are staying on even though it's cool outside.

In contrast, our 2016 XC90 and 2022 V60 Volvos have brilliant automatic heated seats/wheels. You can adjust the auto-mode to fire into any of the three heat modes, and it automatically turns on and off brilliantly. They turn on in 50F weather. I hate having to manually adjust things and am a fan of automagic stuff, I have no complaints about the Volvo which also lacks hard buttons, it seems to always be in the right mode, and I can adjust the amount of heat as "High" (the highest) is a bit too hot for longer journeys.

Regardless, it wasn't really needed, and I know people find heated seats sometimes bothersome, so maybe BMW is conservative on when to fire them when the cabin isn't very cold, but I like heated seats even when it's only barely cold.

Any cold weather people care to share their findings on how these work?

Did you set up the climate rules in the settings?

I don't have a 23, but in my 21 at least, there are menu options to select whether you want seat heating to come on automatically, below what outside temperature you want it to turn on automatically, whether you want steering wheel and / or seats to turn on, and what level of seat heating you want.

The same is true for seat ventilation, except you're setting a temperature above (rather than below) which ventilation will automatically activate.

[U235]

Originally Posted by LowerEast

Did you set up the climate rules in the settings?

I don't have a 23, but in my 21 at least, there are menu options to select whether you want seat heating to come on automatically, below what outside temperature you want it to turn on automatically, whether you want steering wheel and / or seats to turn on, and what level of seat heating you want.

The same is true for seat ventilation, except you're setting a temperature above (rather than below) which ventilation will automatically activate.

Hmm, I feel like I've scoured every menu and haven't seen anything that references a temperature. There's a body comfort setting, but it's not temperature specific.

[Missduvy]

Check Climate Rules. You can tell the car what outside temp should trigger the heated or cooled seats and steering wheel. If you haven't done that, they won't come on without manually turning them on.

[U235]

Originally Posted by Missduvy

Check Climate Rules. You can tell the car what outside temp should trigger the heated or cooled seats and steering wheel. If you haven't done that, they won't come on without manually turning them on.

Are you speaking from pre-LCI or LCI experience? I feel like it’s a major difference. If I overlooked something, I’ll be happy. I’d love to set an auto temp in the low 60F range.

[Missduvy]

Originally Posted by U235

Are you speaking from pre-LCI or LCI experience? I feel like it's a major difference. If I overlooked something, I'll be happy. I'd love to set an auto temp in the low 60F range.

I have a 2019 but am waiting for my new 23 to be built. Been reading the new manual online to see what's different. It looks the way to get to climate rules is a little different, but it's still there. Look at "automatic program" in the manual.

[xlover]

U235

so unless i interpreted it wrong idrive 8 is actually 1 step better than your volvo (or one step worse)... depending on your POV on algos making decisions for you

This is how i understand it

"AUTO" actually encompasses not just achieving temperature by controlling airflow intensity but a comfort level by adjusting heated seats/armrests, ventilated seats... The car uses exterior AND interior sensors to determine the right setting for each of these when in auto. you can adjust the intensity but that isnt a direct translation to the setting of the item itself but more of a statement around if you like more or less of of that item as part of making you comfortable, the car will still choose the actual setting based on interior sensors.

some examples: These arent actuals, i have no real insight into the models but more of a description of how the system setup up to think using hypotheticals

Person A has a 68 degree interior target, 40 degree exterior temp, and high heated seat preference will get setting 3 to start and Person B with low will get setting 1.
now if the exterior temp is 20 it might start at 3 for everyone but taper off quicker as the car warms up for person B with low heated seat preference
if the interior temp is set to 75 it might run the heated seats longer for both but taper sooner for person B

What you are not going to get is an ultra specific at temp X do Y, the car is trying to be smarter than that by considering more inputs.

how well bmw did remains to be seen as more idrive 8 cars live out in wild

EDIT: its explained here

they kinda skirt through it with a one liner when the example person switches to very high, that the user will see seating heating longer and more often

[Orient330iNYC]

Originally Posted by Missduvy

I have a 2019 but am waiting for my new 23 to be built. Been reading the new manual online to see what's different. It looks the way to get to climate rules is a little different, but it's still there. Look at "automatic program" in the manual.

my 2019 X3 had the trigger temp settings, turn on heated seats below X temp, turn on heated steering wheel below Y temp, etc.
doesnt look like it works the same way on the 2023 X7.
i can set the desired heat levels for the seats and for the steering wheel but not the trigger point. im guessing its going to decide?

[Ace6180G07]

There are no climate rules in the 2023 LCI. I actually looked for them when I first received this vehicle. It’s way different than my 2020 X5 where you could (like everyone else is saying) set up certain temps to activate it etc.

This was a pretty good feature. However the temps have dipped down the last couple of days here as well. If you are in Auto it will turn on the seat heater, steering wheel and armrests or ventilation of the seats according to the temp outside.

There must be a temp sensor under your butt in the seat that constantly monitors the temp. I leave it on Auto and set the seat heat for Medium. Once in a while they turn on and off and you can see the icons I. The dash light up next to the temp digits.

It has worked very well. I have no complaints so far. Seems to be intelligent enough for me.

[MystroX5]

Interesting. For the LCI, what about when you remote start the vehicle on a cold day? Does the heated seats automatically come on so the seats, arm rest, steering wheel, and door panels are warm before you enter the X7 in remote start mode?

I am trying to figure out how BMW changed the end result between iDrive 7 as we can set the temps of all those areas independently as well as separate from what the climate control air flow temp was set. This was very effective in hot and cold weather remote starts.
It was a set and forget concept and very effective when traveling from PA to Florida in the winter. Up north the BMW seats would be warm when remote starting from hotel room and then as we went south and warmer climates, the BMW would switch to ventilation seats and no heat when remote starting.

The only changes I ever had to make was the dash air flow temp from the extreme cold climate to the extreme hot climate for maximum heat or cooling power of the auto climate control.

Does the iDrive 8 still have the dash air flow temp BMW was known for that initially had the blue/red wheel on the dash to hiding it in the iDrive 7 settings.

[Ace6180G07]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Interesting. For the LCI, what about when you remote start the vehicle on a cold day? Does the heated seats automatically come on so the seats, arm rest, steering wheel, and door panels are warm before you enter the X7 in remote start mode?

I sure hope so. That’s how it worked before. If it’s going off of outside temp then it should work the same. I know what you are saying though… when I used to remote start in the winter everything was put on high. So when you got in, the steering wheel, seat and arm rest were boiling hot.

Time will tell…

[MystroX5]

Originally Posted by Ace6180G07

I sure hope so. That’s how it worked before. If it’s going off of outside temp then it should work the same. I know what you are saying though… when I used to remote start in the winter everything was put on high. So when you got in, the steering wheel, seat and arm rest were boiling hot.

Time will tell…

Yea, keep us updated because these are the little changes that will greatly confuse new owners, especially if they had any BMW vehicles in their past. We can post a sticky here to cross reference the iDrive 7 and iDrive 8 so owners can achieve similar end results using the different methods between the two systems.

[U235]

I think I just need to wait for it to get colder. I wish it were a bit more aggressive. As stated, "VERY HIGH" will turn them on if it's 90F outside

[Ace6180G07]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

Yea, keep us updated because these are the little changes that will greatly confuse new owners, especially if they had any BMW vehicles in their past. We can post a sticky here to cross reference the iDrive 7 and iDrive 8 so owners can achieve similar end results using the different methods between the two systems.

Confirmed. Used remote start this AM. And the seat heaters,arm rests and steering wheel all came on as usual (well that’s how the X5 worked anyways). So no change.

[U235]

Ok, bumping this. We finally had real cold weather, 39-40F. I had the steering wheel and heated seat set to "High", not Very High. We drove out and both heated seats turned on, but the wheel didn't. After a few minutes, the seats turned off which was a bummer.

I used voice control and said, "Turn passenger heated seat on." The car confirmed it turned it on. I checked HVAC settings and it was set to "Very High" now. Then, my wife complained it was too hot and said, "How do I turn this down to medium?". She then tried setting to medium, but the moment she left "Very High", they just turned off. So unlike pretty much EVERY car I've owned (20+) with heated seats, it seems this just operates differently. Here are my observations:

- Effectively "Very High" is always on and max heat, I've had them turn on when it was 90F outside in Very High

- The concept of Low, Medium and High appears to be a trigger point for when the seat turns on and how long it remains on rather than setting of a temperature.

- Outside of leaving it on "Very High", there's no way to keep the heated seat/wheel function on permanently. Use of "Very High" will result in very hot and possibly uncomfortable levels of heat for a long while.

- I've actually had the vehicle have both Ventilated and Heated seats on at the same time, showing the blue fan seat and red heat seat logos at the same time. Not sure if that helps circulate the heat, but that seems counter intuitive as well.

Long of it is, BMW needs to refine this system a TON. There should be a switch in the UI to just turn it on and allow Low/Med/High/Very High to serve as amount of heat.

Anyone had any better luck?

[xlover]

Originally Posted by U235

Ok, bumping this. We finally had real cold weather, 39-40F. I had the steering wheel and heated seat set to "High", not Very High. We drove out and both heated seats turned on, but the wheel didn't. After a few minutes, the seats turned off which was a bummer.

I used voice control and said, "Turn passenger heated seat on." The car confirmed it turned it on. I checked HVAC settings and it was set to "Very High" now. Then, my wife complained it was too hot and said, "How do I turn this down to medium?". She then tried setting to medium, but the moment she left "Very High", they just turned off. So unlike pretty much EVERY car I've owned (20+) with heated seats, it seems this just operates differently. Here are my observations:

- Effectively "Very High" is always on and max heat, I've had them turn on when it was 90F outside in Very High

- The concept of Low, Medium and High appears to be a trigger point for when the seat turns on and how long it remains on rather than setting of a temperature.

- Outside of leaving it on "Very High", there's no way to keep the heated seat/wheel function on permanently. Use of "Very High" will result in very hot and possibly uncomfortable levels of heat for a long while.

- I've actually had the vehicle have both Ventilated and Heated seats on at the same time, showing the blue fan seat and red heat seat logos at the same time. Not sure if that helps circulate the heat, but that seems counter intuitive as well.

Long of it is, BMW needs to refine this system a TON. There should be a switch in the UI to just turn it on and allow Low/Med/High/Very High to serve as amount of heat.

Anyone had any better luck?

Just curious why would you want the seat heater on constantly?

Does the seat still feel cold and the car isn't doing it's job or you just prefer it constantly roasting hot?

Isn't the idea to warm the seat to a comfortable temp then shut off? Do you really want the seat to be hot/roasting you?

[U235]

Originally Posted by xlover

Just curious why would you want the seat heater on constantly?

Does the seat still feel cold and the car isn't doing it's job or you just prefer it constantly roasting hot?

Isn't the idea to warm the seat to a comfortable temp then shut off? Do you really want the seat to be hot/roasting you?

Well I don't want it "roasting" me, hence why the "Very High" feature isn't really ideal. I do want it on at a low/med heat constantly when it's cold outside. I like to keep the HVAC temps a bit lower and rely more on the heated seat/wheel features.

[tewai]

Man WTH they did...one would expect flawless experience from a 100k $ car.

[TPATURK]

So is it my imagination, I live in Florida it is 93 degrees out, when I remote start or sometimes get in it feels like my heated seats are on. They do not show on but they are definitely heating up. I have the AC on Auto, Balanced. What am I messing or is my ID8 messing up. It is a 24 Alipina XB7.