Yep. My 2016 was made around April/May I believe - so the next gens. Shortly thereafter came revisions (I assume premium although nomenclature isn't clear) - adjusting headrests, changes to cushioning which I got in my 2017 (made March/April). I wish it still came with the ventilation which was removed because of issues before I had a chance to order.
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The real reason for scrapping ventilated seats!
- Thread starter buttershrimp
- Start date
Yep. My 2016 was made around April/May I believe - so the next gens. Shortly thereafter came revisions (I assume premium although nomenclature isn't clear) - adjusting headrests, changes to cushioning which I got in my 2017 (made March/April). I wish it still came with the ventilation which was removed because of issues before I had a chance to order.
mknox
Well-Known Member
Ditto my '09 Cadillac CTS. The ventilated seats worked very well. One thing I especially liked with a black car and black interior was that if I remote started the car and it was above a certain temperature, it would also turn on the seat coolers with the HVAC so they were nice and comfy when I got in. (They would also automatically activate the seat heaters and defrosters if the temp was below a certain point too).
3s-a-charm
Active Member
Well, clearly a lot of people disagree with me
. I actually had a guest in the car yesterday who said he could feel the seats working... but I still don't feel anything. Maybe, as was pointed out, I don't sweat enough to notice. Is there a way to test the operation of the ventilated seats??
mal_tsla
Member
It's super obvious that they're on on 3. If you can't tell that they're on at 3, they might be defective. I feel air movement under and behind immediately.
I imagine you could test it with some cling wrap.
I imagine you could test it with some cling wrap.
There's a YouTube video in which a guy shows that plastic wrap sticks to the seat when fans are on 3 but falls off when fans shut off.Well, clearly a lot of people disagree with me
I have ventilated tan leather seats in my model S 90D delivered in December 2016. Last November we noticed the front passenger seat was stuck in upright vertical position. So I called the service center and took the first available appointment which was three weeks out on December 13. On the day my car was at the Buena Park service center I got a text that the car was ready to pick up with no info. When I went to pick up the car they tell me they have to order a new seat which will take 4-6 weeks. In late January I called to check on the status and was told they expected the seat January 30. I requested an appointment since the first ones available are three weeks out. When I drop off my car on Wednesday February 7 I can see they have a big line of cars in the service. My advisor says they have the seat but they probably will not be able to get to it until Friday.
On Friday I get a text that they completed the annual service and my car is ready to pick up. When I walk in the cheery receptionist tells me my car is ready and they have ordered my new seat. Of course my reaction caused her to run off to get the advisor. He comes out and tells me they had the wrong seat and they have ordered a new one which will take 3-6 months!
I am already three months into this fun adventure on not being able to comfortably seat a passenger in the front. I am guessing that they may not of ordered a ventilated seat, but there was no real explanation. We were thinking of going on a couple of spring road trips but it looks like it will not be in the Tesla.
What should I do? I am thinking of calling the service manager Monday and requesting a loaner until they can fix this annoying problem. I wish I had kept my 2012 model S instead of upgrading a year ago.
On Friday I get a text that they completed the annual service and my car is ready to pick up. When I walk in the cheery receptionist tells me my car is ready and they have ordered my new seat. Of course my reaction caused her to run off to get the advisor. He comes out and tells me they had the wrong seat and they have ordered a new one which will take 3-6 months!
I am already three months into this fun adventure on not being able to comfortably seat a passenger in the front. I am guessing that they may not of ordered a ventilated seat, but there was no real explanation. We were thinking of going on a couple of spring road trips but it looks like it will not be in the Tesla.
What should I do? I am thinking of calling the service manager Monday and requesting a loaner until they can fix this annoying problem. I wish I had kept my 2012 model S instead of upgrading a year ago.
We have a ventilated seat (Drivers side) that developed a very noticeable crease/fold and Tesla said they would replace. Ordered a little while ago. They called us in the last week or so and said it had come in and asked if we want to schedule for replacement or wait until our March annual. We gave them the option thinking it's probably a big item to store and they said not a problem either way. We elected one trip in at annual. Guess reading your post we should call back and verify it's the correct one before any more time goes by. Don't recall how long it was from time they ordered to when it came in.
BTW our driver and passenger ventilated seats work great. The 3 setting is strong on ours. Fan works well pulling the air through. We use the cooling alot when we first get in the car when we've been out in the hot summer sun, then after we feel cooler, will lower it to stay cool against the seat. Never feel sticky back, butt or legs sitting in the seats. Of course we also turn the AC is on to cool the cabin which keeps it comfortable. Only when we have the sun beating down on us from the front glass does it seem necessary to up it back to 3 at that point. I hate sticking to seats. I am concerned when our Model 3 arrives that they will have a stick factor. We drove a loaner MS in the fall with the vegan seats and while soft and comfortable felt their could be a problem without ventilation.
As for the topic question, I do believe they were phased out due to dwindling material supply and desire to simplify seat production (no motor and wiring to power needed). From our experience they work great but certainly have read many others saying that wasn't their experience. Either a ventilating problem or owners not knowing what to expect from a wicking system. I still want this as an option and we'd be willing to pay extra for it. If they've changed the wiring set up for car, doubt it will come back. So we want to hold on to this car as long as we can especially living inland.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if the seat back comes as matte. Then they will tell you they ordered the wrong seat, then the wait begins again.
f you have a chance, post a photo that shows the crease/fold. We have a bit of diagonal crease in both front seats. My other concern is the new seat will not match the existing seat.
Matte back and vent seats? Was that ever a thing?
Would be ok with that if they would replace back two seats as well ha
We held off doing anything about it for the same reason. Apart from the surface look it's been super comfortable and venting has been great. The passenger side, which gets used almost as much, no issue with. Think it's just how this one was made and/or the leather on it. We expect some imperfections in leather but this was beyond what we expected. My husband is the primary driver and he's not a large guy at all. Tesla looked at it and immediately said it could be replaced so no issues there and very happy with their response. Here's our driver seat.
I don’t know given all the changes but if not, then it may be a matte back non vented seat ha. Either way it’s going to be a wrong seat!
Our MS with the ventilated seats has a matte black back. Wasn't it just the X that had that glossy back for a while?
3s-a-charm
Active Member
I work out 4x per week and come out completely sweaty (yuck) and still hear the motor noise of the ventilated seats and yet feel no difference at all from on to off - no less sweat, no cooling (I get it isn’t supposed to cool) and no airflow. I’m an intelligent person so we can probably rule out some of the obvious “have you tried’s”... I am still not feeling a difference. I love the look of the perforated leather over the non-perforated and I haven’t spent a lot of time (sweaty) in a non-perforated vegan seat but my perforated seat doesn’t seem different from fan off to fan at 3.
The saga continues--my wife rode in the passenger seat tonight--she thinks it is now stuck in a worse position than it was before the "repair".
In our first model S we developed bubbles in the touch screen before the warranty expired. When they replaced the touch screen they broke some of the wood veneer. Ours was Lacewood which was discontinued fairly soon after introduction. For that appointment they dropped off a loaner at my office and took my car back to the shop. They called me and said they found some Lacewood but it did not quite match the original. They thought I should come look at it before they returned the car--they seemed quite worried in fact. I drove to the service center and it was fine. I think I liked the new Lacewood as much as I liked the old. At least they cared about us back then. Now they just send a text--your car is ready to pick up.
In our first model S we developed bubbles in the touch screen before the warranty expired. When they replaced the touch screen they broke some of the wood veneer. Ours was Lacewood which was discontinued fairly soon after introduction. For that appointment they dropped off a loaner at my office and took my car back to the shop. They called me and said they found some Lacewood but it did not quite match the original. They thought I should come look at it before they returned the car--they seemed quite worried in fact. I drove to the service center and it was fine. I think I liked the new Lacewood as much as I liked the old. At least they cared about us back then. Now they just send a text--your car is ready to pick up.
SMAlset: Your seat is much worse than ours. Ours has a small diagonal wrinkle/crease from the front inside corner to the middle of the seat. The other seat has the same thing but mirror image. So it has something to do with the assembly process but a slightly different problem than yours.
Mark Z
Active Member
When ventilated seats were in the early Model X, the wrinkles were considered normal by my detailer. Quality leather was the reason he said. Tesla replaced the one seat that had excessive material that mounded.
I enjoy the extra cool on hot days that the seat fans provide. Low humidity in SoCal adds to the cooling effect.
I enjoy the extra cool on hot days that the seat fans provide. Low humidity in SoCal adds to the cooling effect.
I had a crease and they cheerfully replaced my ventilated 12/2016 MS driver's seat. The replacement had motor issues, but they repaired that without replacing the whole seat.
Today I spoke with the service manager. He expressed concern and apologized for the inconvenience I am experiencing. He said he would check with the regional parts department and see if they can expedite the seat order. He should know in 2 weeks or so if it can be expedited (don't they have a telephone?).
I explained to him the I planned to take my wife out for Valentine's Day. One of us will be sitting in the back seat (probably me). We have already tolerated this for three months. When we took our friends to the theater we had to tell them they cannot sit in the front seat. Sometimes I take an employee with me on appointments, and it is awkward to tell them they have to sit in the back seat. It looks really great when I tell a client they have to sit in the back seat.
After listening to my complaints, he said he gets it and he will see if he can get me a Buick to drive in a couple of weeks. Tesla use to take care of customers--not anymore.
I explained to him the I planned to take my wife out for Valentine's Day. One of us will be sitting in the back seat (probably me). We have already tolerated this for three months. When we took our friends to the theater we had to tell them they cannot sit in the front seat. Sometimes I take an employee with me on appointments, and it is awkward to tell them they have to sit in the back seat. It looks really great when I tell a client they have to sit in the back seat.
After listening to my complaints, he said he gets it and he will see if he can get me a Buick to drive in a couple of weeks. Tesla use to take care of customers--not anymore.
