Ventilated Seats option is quietly removed from the "Premium Package"

[ABC2D]

Last night (01/12/2017) Tesla quietly removed any mentions of ventilated seats from the design studio (both X and S models) and that's a concern for me (please do not bring up the effectiveness of the ventilation, that's not what this post is about).

My X is confirmed but not in production yet and the MAIN reason I ordered the "Premium Package" was because of the ventilated seats for always hot and humid Florida (again, please do not bring the effectiveness of the ventilation, I've tested numerous Xs and aware of others complains. The ventilation is fine for me). I checked my ordered specs page and the "Premium Package" is listed just as "Premium Package" without any specification of the included options and features! So, theoretically, Tesla could build my X without ventilated seats and I would have no recourse!

I did take screenshots of the design studio with my options as ordered - with ventilated seats:

Here is the Premium Package with ventilated seats removed:

Removal of ventilated seats greatly devalued the Premium Package and if I choose to drop it - I'd have to pay $500.00 for the change! WTF!

I will contact Tesla for clarification, but dont feel the reply would be a reliable indication if I'll get ventilated seats or not. My opinion at this point that it's really a crapshoot if I get them or not.

So, do you think I'll get the ventilated seats?
Do you have any advice?

 

[Yggdrasill]

They'll likely waive the $500, if you can't get the ventilated seats.

I do think it's disappointing that Tesla is removing the ventilated seats. You can get ventilated seats on a Hyundai Ioniq...

 

[ABC2D]

Just got a reply from my Delivery Specialist:

"Congratulations on the order of your Model X! Fortunately, the removal of ventilated seats only applies to new orders. Your Model X will be built with the ventilated seats. Please let me know if you have any additional questions regarding your order."

Still, keeping my fingers crossed

 

[andrewket]

I would expect Tesla will deliver cars ordered prior to yesterday with ventilated seats.

 

[RollinMS]

Just got a reply from my Delivery Specialist:

"Congratulations on the order of your Model X! Fortunately, the removal of ventilated seats only applies to new orders. Your Model X will be built with the ventilated seats. Please let me know if you have any additional questions regarding your order."

Still, keeping my fingers crossed

Awesome, I'm in the same boat. In fact I'm still in the 7 day change window. I guess we'll just see . . .

 

[AMN]

I don't understand. If they polled current owners as to what features to ditch, this wouldn't be in top 5.

 

[dropd]

Counterpoint, if I could have built a car with PUP without ventilated seats, I would have been inclined to get the PUP. Seats with lots of tiny holes and 2 toddlers is not a good combo.

 

[GoTzillaR]

Just got a reply from my Delivery Specialist:

"Congratulations on the order of your Model X! Fortunately, the removal of ventilated seats only applies to new orders. Your Model X will be built with the ventilated seats. Please let me know if you have any additional questions regarding your order."

Still, keeping my fingers crossed

That's what I got from my DS as well.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

I agree precedence shows Tesla usually delivers as ordered or better (as long as you are not talking of Performance model specs... . I would assume they have factored in the ventilated seats to current orders.

I hope the OP allows for one angle at the fuction of the ventilated seats, since it is pro them... These were a very misunderstood feature IMO. I guess a lot of people have not had experience with suction seats, so they were expecting a wrong thing. I am sad to see them go from future orders.

I also had suction seats in my Audi A8 and I liked them a lot too. Removal of air from the skin is actually the premium feature in Audis, those seats blowing air at you have been their low-end version in some models. Suction seats are very premium feeling too, they are not meant to feel like you are sitting on a fan... they are meant to be subtle, keep moisture and air moving away from your skin.

Removing them could be about the durability issues with the white vegan seats. Or, if one wants to be hopeful, it - together with limiting interior options - could be about "selling out" the current interior stock before introducing some entirely re-done interior. I find that a bit unlikely to be related to the seats though, Tesla has rarely done wholesale remakes, choosing to change single features instead at different times...

In any case, this with the rather lackluster 5 seater is really showing Tesla's interior are going to the wrong direction. This is no way to make premium interiors...

 

[andrewket]

I don't understand. If they polled current owners as to what features to ditch, this wouldn't be in top 5.

My educated guess: The performance of the ventilated seats is sub-par. I expect we'll see a v2 with AC cooled seats in the future.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

My educated guess: The performance of the ventilated seats is sub-par. I expect we'll see a v2 with AC cooled seats in the future.

While this is possible, a useful data point is that several German manufacturers (Audi included) went the other way on this: after introducting blowing seats first (and later offering them as a lower-end option), they went to suction (similar to Model X) as their higher-end option.

I think the idea is not cost, but the preference of many customers to not have stuff blowing on them directly (which is why many premium interior go out of their way to have vents blowing away from customers too).

What suction seats do is remove moisture and air away from your skin, through your clothing, instead of just making for a cooler (colder) seat - and doing so in a very delicate, non-intrusive manner.

Maybe this is an expectation difference between Euro and U.S. cars too.

 

[polymathic]

Counterpoint, if I could have built a car with PUP without ventilated seats, I would have been inclined to get the PUP. Seats with lots of tiny holes and 2 toddlers is not a good combo.

You could have, actually. You could have gotten PUP with cloth seats, or asked for PUP without ventilation by asking you DS.

 

[andrewket]

While this is possible, a useful data point is that several German manufacturers (Audi included) went the other way on this: after introducting blowing seats first (and later offering them as a lower-end option), they went to suction (similar to Model X) as their higher-end option.

I think the idea is not cost, but the preference of many customers to not have stuff blowing on them directly (which is why many premium interior go out of their way to have vents blowing away from customers too).

What suction seats do is remove moisture and air away from your skin, through your clothing, instead of just making for a cooler (colder) seat - and doing so in a very delicate, non-intrusive manner.

Maybe this is an expectation difference between Euro and U.S. cars too.

It sounds good in theory, but the amount of suction we get from our X seats is almost unnoticeable. Bjørn has a youtube video where he used a sheet of paper to demonstrate how little suction there was. I think I'd prefer AC seats, but I could be wrong.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

Counterpoint, if I could have built a car with PUP without ventilated seats, I would have been inclined to get the PUP. Seats with lots of tiny holes and 2 toddlers is not a good combo.

Same.

While I considered asking for a special order to do PUP but without the perforated seats on our Model X order two weeks ago, 1) that's a hassle and takes me away from the ease of one-click car ordering, and 2) there's a chance they slip up and the factory misses the exception and still builds it with perforated seats and I'm stuck with it.

With two young kids, my wife and I very much do not want the perforated seats and it would have been a deal breaker to end up with them.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

It sounds good in theory, but the amount of suction we get from our X seats is almost unnoticeable. Bjørn has a youtube video where was using a sheet of paper to demonstrate how little suction there was. I think I'd prefer AC seats, but I could be wrong.

I won't argue your preference of course. Just pointed to industry precedence in Tesla's class.

Tesla improving seat cooling performance is of course a completely separate discussion. I was merely talking the cool your seat (blowing) vs. cool you (suction) aspect of seat cooling. Tesla simply sucking at sucking is a different topic.

It could be argued blowing cold air at your nether regions is not good either so that may be one reason for this too.

 

[dropd]

You could have, actually. You could have gotten PUP with cloth seats, or asked for PUP without ventilation by asking you DS.

I directly mentioned to a DS at one point that I liked the PUP but was concerned about the ventilated seats and it was never suggested to me that they could make it work. Oh well, Tesla lost some profit and I'm happy with the car as delivered without PUP.

 

[mikevbf]

This is interesting timing for me. Just yesterday I had the frustrating experience of after having my Model X in the body shop for over a month due to parts delays them telling me they might have it for who knows how much longer because of some back ordered bolts for the seats. They needed to remove the seats because shattered glass got in the little holes and because the bolts are not allowed to be reused after removing them. Maybe they removed the ventilated seats to increase reliability and avoid the headaches that I am experiencing now.

 

[outie]

A luxury car with no option for ventilated seats. PUP price remains the same with the removal. More profits yay.

On a side note, are there people who will not consider a Tesla because of the lack of ventilated seats?

 

[GoTzillaR]

Same.

While I considered asking for a special order to do PUP but without the perforated seats on our Model X order two weeks ago, 1) that's a hassle and takes me away from the ease of one-click car ordering, and 2) there's a chance they slip up and the factory misses the exception and still builds it with perforated seats and I'm stuck with it.

With two young kids, my wife and I very much do not want the perforated seats and it would have been a deal breaker to end up with them.

I have perforated seats since 2012 in my Audi with 2 young boys (5 and 2), and I never got any problem.

 

[GoTzillaR]

On a side note, are there people who will not consider a Tesla because of the lack of ventilated seats?

I had considered other cars because of their massage function.