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padamson1

Well-known member
Joined
May 6, 2011
Messages
308
Location
Portland, OR
lukati said:
Nice work! I will be getting a MY2012 with winter package. Any chance these issues are resolved now? How is the additional steering wheel/seat heating integrated into the overall car heating system? My hunch is, not at all, and it's just an additional system with its independent on/off switch.
I have the CWP in my LEAF. The seat(SH) & steering wheel (SWH) heaters are completely independent of the Climate Control with individual switches for each unit. You can barely see any power level change when Driver SH & SWH are active, which makes sense given most seat heaters draw <40W. There is only a noticeable load when all 4 SH's are on.

I have to admit that I thought the SWH was a waste of time before I tried it. Turns out its really nice to have warm hands and it inductively makes you feel warmer, although it gets too hot and I have to turn it off pretty quickly.
 
padamson1 said:
I have the CWP in my LEAF. The seat(SH) & steering wheel (SWH) heaters are completely independent of the Climate Control with individual switches for each unit. You can barely see any power level change when Driver SH & SWH are active, which makes sense given most seat heaters draw <40W. There is only a noticeable load when all 4 SH's are on.

I have to admit that I thought the SWH was a waste of time before I tried it. Turns out its really nice to have warm hands and it inductively makes you feel warmer, although it gets too hot and I have to turn it off pretty quickly.
Where are the switches for the 4 seats?
 
Electric4Me said:
padamson1 said:
I have the CWP in my LEAF. The seat(SH) & steering wheel (SWH) heaters are completely independent of the Climate Control with individual switches for each unit. You can barely see any power level change when Driver SH & SWH are active, which makes sense given most seat heaters draw <40W. There is only a noticeable load when all 4 SH's are on.

I have to admit that I thought the SWH was a waste of time before I tried it. Turns out its really nice to have warm hands and it inductively makes you feel warmer, although it gets too hot and I have to turn it off pretty quickly.
Where are the switches for the 4 seats?
Two front SH controls are in the typical location: on the center floor console (behind the cup holders directly under the 12v cigarette plug outlet). The two rear SH controls are in a location I've never seen used before: on the center side of the front seat backs, convenient enough that either front passenger can turn off the rear heaters after a rear passenger leaves which I definitely like. Each control has a high/low setting, low was so toasty I haven't even tried High yet.
 
padamson1 said:
Two front SH controls are in the typical location: on the center floor console (behind the cup holders directly under the 12v cigarette plug outlet). The two rear SH controls are in a location I've never seen used before: on the center side of the front seat backs, convenient enough that either front passenger can turn off the rear heaters after a rear passenger leaves which I definitely like. Each control has a high/low setting, low was so toasty I haven't even tried High yet.
Cool...! (Er... I guess that's a lame adjective in this case. Sorry. :roll: ) If you can ever post some photos of those controls, AND what the heated steering wheel looks like, I'm sure there are many here curious to see them.
 
Yanquetino said:
padamson1 said:
Two front SH controls are in the typical location: on the center floor console (behind the cup holders directly under the 12v cigarette plug outlet). The two rear SH controls are in a location I've never seen used before: on the center side of the front seat backs, convenient enough that either front passenger can turn off the rear heaters after a rear passenger leaves which I definitely like. Each control has a high/low setting, low was so toasty I haven't even tried High yet.
Cool...! (Er... I guess that's a lame adjective in this case. Sorry. :roll: ) If you can ever post some photos of those controls, AND what the heated steering wheel looks like, I'm sure there are many here curious to see them.

Here is the location of the rear seat switch...

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=6132" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Yanquetino said:
If you can ever post some photos of those controls, AND what the heated steering wheel looks like, I'm sure there are many here curious to see them.


Here ya go:

The heated steering wheel:

158f8829.jpg



The switch for the heated steering wheel is all the way to the upper right. Note: a 2012 will not have the lower row, center switch for turning the VSP on and off.

4973b6c7.jpg



The driver's seat heater switch in the center console. There's a matching switch adjacent to it for the right front seat. The entire rear seat is switched from a switch on the side of the right front seat (not pictured):

4b97fff6.jpg
 
In regards to TonyWilliams nice pictures. When activated the Hi & Lo text is backlit, which is convenient.

Also the the switches for the rear seat are backlit even when they're off, so you can see them easily.

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It's too bad the SWH and SH'ers can't have at least some minimal type of thermostat on them. Sounds like they are either on full blast or off. This is how all of the SH'er I've sat on work. They heat up too quickly and supply so much heat, that you quickly turn them off as soon as your buns stop shivering. Otherwise you have barbeque marks on your butt.
 
TonyWilliams said:
padamson1 said:
In regards to TonyWilliams nice pictures.

Genuine iPhone 4 photos :eek:
You're not making fun of my 3GS are you? :cry: :(

LakeLeaf said:
It's too bad the SWH and SH'ers can't have at least some minimal type of thermostat on them...
My wife's Audi A4 has SH's with 6 setting levels, that is nicer. The problem is that she often leaves it on the lowest level, forgets to turn it off, they stay on until she notices because she's in the car for a while or is wearing thin clothes, which has dried out (aged) the leather seats. In the case of the LEAF you'd reduce your efficiency unless the heaters reset every time you powered down (which I haven't checked yet).
 
Super neat feature, : if you preheat or remote climate control your car and the outside temp is 50 or below the heated wheel kicks on automatically !

also can anyone check the rear seat heater, is it just the bench cushion thats heated or is the seat back heated also?
 
I would also like to know if the heated seats are reset to off if the car is turned off.
I like this better. I have a Toyota with a simple switch that is either on or off, and I do not like the heating in the seats unless it is very cold. My wife uses it all the time.
In my BMW it has to be turned on every time, much better I think.
 
LakeLeaf said:
It's too bad the SWH and SH'ers can't have at least some minimal type of thermostat on them. Sounds like they are either on full blast or off. This is how all of the SH'er I've sat on work. They heat up too quickly and supply so much heat, that you quickly turn them off as soon as your buns stop shivering. Otherwise you have barbeque marks on your butt.
From the 2012 Owner's manual:
If the surface temperature of the steering wheel
is below approximately 68ºF (20ºC), the system will heat the steering wheel and cycle off and on to maintain a temperature above 68ºF (20ºC).
The indicator light will remain on as long as the system is on. [Page 2-45]

The front seats and the rear outboard seats can be warmed by built-in heaters. The switches located on the center console and at the side of
the front passenger seatback can be operated independently of each other.
1. Place the power switch in the ON position.
2. Push the LO or HI position of the switch, as desired, depending on the temperature. The indicator light in the switch will illuminate.
3. To turn off the heater, return the switch to the level position. Make sure the indicator light goes off.
The heater is controlled by a thermostat, automatically turning the heater on and off. The indicator light will remain on as long as the switch is on. When the vehicle’s interior is warmed, or before you leave the vehicle, be sure to turn the switch off. [Page 2-47]

And some interesting cautions WRT seat covers:
• Do not use the seat heater for extended periods or when no one
is using the seat.
Do not put anything on the seat which insulates heat, such as a
blanket, cushion, seat cover, etc. Otherwise, the seat may become
overheated.

• Do not place anything hard or heavy on the seat or pierce it with a pin or similar object. This may result in damage to the heater.
• Any liquid spilled on the heated seat should be removed immediately with a dry cloth.
• When cleaning the seat, never use gasoline, thinner, or any similar materials.
• If any abnormalities are found or the heated seat does not operate, turn the switch off and have the system checked by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
 
kmp647 said:
Super neat feature, : if you preheat or remote climate control your car and the outside temp is 50 or below the heated wheel kicks on automatically !

also can anyone check the rear seat heater, is it just the bench cushion thats heated or is the seat back heated also?
I believe it is just the bench cushions on the two outboard seats. But I can't remember where I saw that.
 
It seems that either we don't have good data on the battery heaters, or they are programmed different in Canada. Here's what Nissan Canada says:

On at -20C (-4F)
Heat to -10C (14F)
Cycle off
Repeat when reaching -20C again.

Also, it works all the time; whether the car is operating, or plugged in, or not.
 
TonyWilliams said:
It seems that either we don't have good data on the battery heaters, or they are programmed different in Canada. Here's what Nissan Canada says:
Also, it works all the time; whether the car is operating, or plugged in, or not.

It cant be like that, otherwise you would drain your battery over a few days parked anywhere in Winnipeg in winter.
 
Herm said:
TonyWilliams said:
It seems that either we don't have good data on the battery heaters, or they are programmed different in Canada. Here's what Nissan Canada says:
Also, it works all the time; whether the car is operating, or plugged in, or not.
It cant be like that, otherwise you would drain your battery over a few days parked anywhere in Winnipeg in winter.
You over estimate how much power it takes to heat the pack up and how well it retains heat.
 
dagged said:
I would also like to know if the heated seats are reset to off if the car is turned off.
I verified today that the SH's do not turn off when the car is turned off, e.g. they are still on when the car is restarted. It was actually obvious when I engaged the switch that it wasn't going to pop back up remotely, the switch is a pretty cheap mechanical rocker.
dgpcolorado said:
From the 2012 Owner's manual:
If the surface temperature of the steering wheel
is below approximately 68ºF (20ºC), the system will heat the steering wheel and cycle off and on to maintain a temperature above 68ºF (20ºC).
The temp sensor must be a new feature for 2012 'cause the steering wheel is definitely hot, well above 68deg. on my 2011.
dgpcolorado said:
also from the 2012 Owner's manual:
And some interesting cautions WRT seat covers:
• Do not use the seat heater for extended periods or when no one is using the seat.
Do not put anything on the seat which insulates heat, such as a
blanket, cushion, seat cover, etc. Otherwise, the seat may become overheated.

...
Do I count as insulation? 'cause the 'lo' setting gets pretty hot too, I never have it on more than a couple of minutes.

Maybe I'm just Frosty the Snow Man and am overly sensitive to warmer temperatures...
 
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