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Old 07-26-2017, 11:46 AM
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Hutch66
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Default Ventilated Seats

My ventilated seats stop working. Both sides. 1100 miles.

Service and the dealership is saying it is working fine?

I'm like WTF? No, it's not and I don't want the car back till it is.

When I 1st got it, it blew, ventilated great. Now, it's a dribble to down right KAPUT.

Be careful out there, guys.
Old 07-26-2017, 12:25 PM
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capecodvette
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Originally Posted by Hutch66
My ventilated seats stop working. Both sides. 1100 miles.

Service and the dealership is saying it is working fine?

I'm like WTF? No, it's not and I don't want the car back till it is.

When I 1st got it, it blew, ventilated great. Now, it's a dribble to down right KAPUT.

Be careful out there, guys.
No issues with my ventilated seats. 2016 Stingray Z51 convertible, built 10/15
Old 07-26-2017, 12:26 PM
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l2vette
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My passenger side has never worked. I cant bring myself to letting the dealer touch my car.
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Old 07-26-2017, 12:37 PM
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NSC5
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Hutch, which seat surface do you have? Some leather protectors/conditioners will clog the ventilation holes in the seating surface.

I have competition seats with suede inserts and the ventilation works very well. Peltier junction coolers in the seats would be nice but the ventilation alone works well as long as the interior temp is set cool enough.
Old 07-26-2017, 12:39 PM
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I specifically wanted ventilated seats. For the track and street. I had them in my CTS-V and remember how great, how comfortable they were and requested in this car.

Anyways, service called. She has been great. Service and sales are saying they work fine, she is the one saying, no, they are not.

They are going compare it to a new one a little bit later.

I'll keep you guys posted. I'm only trying to warn others if there is a potential problem out there with these seats.
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Old 07-26-2017, 12:41 PM
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Originally Posted by NSC5
Hutch, which seat surface do you have? Some leather protectors/conditioners will clog the ventilation holes in the seating surface.

I have competition seats with suede inserts and the ventilation works very well. Peltier junction coolers in the seats would be nice but the ventilation alone works well as long as the interior temp is set cool enough.
I don't know which seats but they are suede in the middle.
Old 07-26-2017, 12:48 PM
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For many, they have never had vented seats so the first time you experience them, you "feel" them much more than someone who already had this option in another vehicle. Another issue for many is the type of clothing you wear. If I have on a light pair of shorts, I can feel the cooler air; however, with a thicker short or pant, I have had times where I don't feel the vents at all. Increased temps inside the car will affect the fans. Try using the AC on the floor instead of the dash in hot weather to force cooler air up into the fans. Keep the seats as clean as possible and vacuum them regularly and turn on the seat vents without sitting in the seat and use the back of your hand to see if you detect any air movement coming through the seat. If the fans are working, not much the dealership will do as they can't increase the fan power. Lastly, the air channels in the seats can only retain their shape to a set point so some of the heavy drivers may be occluding these channels from sheer body weight. JMHO
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Old 07-26-2017, 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Hutch66
I don't know which seats but they are suede in the middle.
I have tried both and the suede seemed to have better flow than the perforated leather.

I hope the dealer finds the issue and straightens it out for you. I had a 2008 CTS as my daily driver and the ventilated seats were a little better cooled than those in the Z06 but close enough not to matter. I usually leave my seats on the second setting which provides plenty of airflow.

When I ordered my 2014 ATS ventilated seats weren't available in it and that was almost enough to make me go with a third gen CTS but I hate what they did between the second and third generations; it looks like the front and rear of the third gen CTS were designed by two different committees.
Old 07-26-2017, 01:03 PM
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put a piece of paper on the seat if it blows up they are working
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Old 07-26-2017, 01:11 PM
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The effect is really subtle. They're ventilated, not air conditioned. It's just a fan. It blows whatever air is beneath the seat up into it. Try pushing the A/C air to the floor and you may feel it more. If it's on any but the highest setting you probably won't feel it at all. Doesn't mean it's not working.
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Old 07-26-2017, 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by -HAIRBALL-
For many, they have never had vented seats so the first time you experience them, you "feel" them much more than someone who already had this option in another vehicle. Another issue for many is the type of clothing you wear. If I have on a light pair of shorts, I can feel the cooler air; however, with a thicker short or pant, I have had times where I don't feel the vents at all. Increased temps inside the car will affect the fans. Try using the AC on the floor instead of the dash in hot weather to force cooler air up into the fans. Keep the seats as clean as possible and vacuum them regularly and turn on the seat vents without sitting in the seat and use the back of your hand to see if you detect any air movement coming through the seat. If the fans are working, not much the dealership will do as they can't increase the fan power. Lastly, the air channels in the seats can only retain their shape to a set point so some of the heavy drivers may be occluding these channels from sheer body weight. JMHO
I'm a pretty thin guy. On avg. I cycle about 30 miles a day.

But thanks for the subtle way of saying I'm fat.






Thanks for the reply guys.

All I know they were excellent when I first got the car. You could really notice it on the highest setting. In fact I would keep it at one or two cause three was too much. Now, they suck or are simply not working.

Last edited by Steve Garrett; 07-31-2017 at 10:15 PM. Reason: Merged Posts
Old 07-26-2017, 02:33 PM
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Glenn Kline
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Originally Posted by Hutch66
My ventilated seats stop working. Both sides. 1100 miles.

Service and the dealership is saying it is working fine?

I'm like WTF? No, it's not and I don't want the car back till it is.

When I 1st got it, it blew, ventilated great. Now, it's a dribble to down right KAPUT.

Be careful out there, guys.
Mine have never worked well and when I asked the dealer to look into it, they said they were working fine. They just suck. When I have the top down, I can't feel anything. Keep in mind they are vented seats and not connected to the AC so as the ambient temperature rises, you will feel less cool air blowing through.

Also since they did work better, it may be worth checking under the seat to make sure nothing worked its way there or behind which could block the airflow.
Old 07-26-2017, 03:48 PM
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BELVIN20
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There is a good possibility that they are working, but since hot weather, you would not know it since the seats are just ventilated. There is a trick to make them work better. Turn your AC on, press the recirculate button, then press the button that sends the AC to the dash & floor. You will notice a noticeable improvement in the ventilation to the seat since you are blowing cold air to the floor where the seat gets it air. Even works with the top down (if you have a Vert), yes I do cheat, AC on with the top down, but Never have windows up.
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Old 07-26-2017, 04:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Hutch66
I'm a pretty thin guy. On avg. I cycle about 30 miles a day.

But thanks for the subtle way of saying I'm fat.
nobody mentioned this yet ....Be sure to have the flow arrows set to blow both high/above and low/below.

Throw in a couple 40 milers twice a week and less of this
Just adding a little levity......
Old 07-26-2017, 04:47 PM
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My experience is that the ventilation and heating features are weak and suck in general.
Old 07-26-2017, 05:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Panhead51
My experience is that the ventilation and heating features are weak and suck in general.
Mine work but do not compare to my DD a Ford Explorer Sport. Those seats are heated and air conditioned. I didn't realize the Vette was just ventilated at first. They are ok when its really hot out and the tops off it does move the air behind my shirt a little to help with sweating. I have my 2017 GS going in next week for a few issues one is the driver button for venting on full the middle line is not illuminated. Never was from purchased but I have a service appt for multiple issues so that got thrown in.
Old 07-26-2017, 06:09 PM
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it's a car. stuff goes wrong.

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Old 07-26-2017, 08:28 PM
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Bill Dearborn
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Originally Posted by l2vette
My passenger side has never worked. I cant bring myself to letting the dealer touch my car.
So you would not get something fixed under warranty because of the rare possibility somebody might damage your car??????? Are you going to inform the person you sell the car to that you didn't perform proper maintenance when it was required?

Bill

Check Fuse F30UA in the under hood electrical center. It is a 15 Amp fuse that supplies power to both seat blower controls. If the ground at G301 has gotten loose or corroded that can also reduce blower speed or stop it.

Bill

Last edited by Steve Garrett; 07-31-2017 at 10:16 PM. Reason: Merged Posts
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Old 07-26-2017, 08:45 PM
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Someone once said that both the seat heater and seat ventilation can turn themselves down or even off, after a while. Can someone verify or refute?

We've only used the ventilation (suede seats) for a few minutes, it didn't blow us away (groan) but seemed nice.
Old 07-26-2017, 09:14 PM
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My best advice to you is to vacuum the seats. all the little holes in seat cover get plugged up quicker then you think. this is the man thing I do when people come In saying the seats don't work. In the end its a fan it either works or it doesn't. Also the type of clothing you wear makes a huge difference.


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