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For south Louisiana it was pretty cold yesterday, 45 degrees. Wife and I went grocery shopping in her Hyundai Kona with me driving. The front seats have built in heaters with three heat settings. I could feel the heat in less than a 1/4 mile from home. Felt great especially after all got out to fill the gas tank. My car doesn’t have this feature. I’m considering going to Walmart or Autozone to get a heated car seat cushion. I know most of those available in these stores have the massage as well as heat. I also know they don’t heat up as fast nor as hot as the built in seat heaters. Starting tonight the temperature is getting into the 30s. I’m working 3pm-11pm shift starting tonight. In cold weather it takes a few miles more before my car’s heater is blowing warm air. I figure I could turn on the seat heater at the start of the drive and turn it off roughly halfway to work when the heater is blowing hot. The outlet in the car is not powered when the car is off so no danger of forgetting to turn it off.
For future winters are there any particular models of seat heaters you would recommend? I would prefer models that don’t have a massage feature. Ease of installing and removing is a plus since normally our winters are mild. Fast heating is also a plus. Don’t need the high heat toasting my backside like some models. Just want warmth until the car’s heater warms up. For those familiar with built in car seat heaters my wife’s Kona has three heat settings and I’m fine and toasty with the lowest setting. She has spinal problems, arthritis, and nerve damage so she keeps it on its highest setting. She rarely ever rides in my car now that she has her Kona but I would consider getting a seat heater for the passenger seat for those rare occasions she may ride in my car. Oh, anther feature that would be a plus is to not move around when getting in and out the car. This is a problem with the cheap ones available at big box stores. One other question. Are there any that are seat back only? Wife sits on a seat riser cushion in my car. Would only need the seat back to heat up for her. She’s only 4 feet 10 inches tall and this helps her to see outside my car and to make it easier for her to step out.
I've owned two cars with this one installed by the dealer (actually a partner shop, but installed as part of the purchase): https://www.quadratec.com/products/2...BoC-ccQAvD_BwE. It was solid and threw heat high enough up the back for me. I love heated seats, but it's often only available on the more premium trims (along with a suite of other features I don't want/need), so I've managed to negotiate aftermarket seats installed on the factory seat as part of the purchase of the vehicle. It's fairly inexpensive and it's less clunky that something that slips over the seat or requires a power inverter as it wires into the car's electrical system. I've never tried this DIY, but I can't imagine it's that challenging.
I "treated myself" to a new car this past fall that has a cold weather package complete with heated seats (three different settings), heated steering wheel, and heated windshield. It's all nice (a little overkill), but the heated seats in my new car aren't noticeably better than the $99 aftermarket heater above.
Bought this car seat heater at Walmart yesterday. It was the only one in the store I went to.
Pluses
1. Three heat settings and high heat did get too hot for me.
2. Grip liner on backside kept it firmly in place with no sliding.
3. Was easy to install and operate.
4. Looks pretty good on the factory seats.
Minuses
1. Has a cooling setting with built in fans but your body blocks much of the air vents and the fans are loud and vibrate.
2. There were no instructions included. Some online reviews revealed some people installed it upside down.
3. Took about 5 minutes for me to feel the heat. In those 5 minutes my car’s heater was warmed up. Having the seat warm did help me to feel more comfortable faster than with the car heater alone.
4. Price was about $40. The price would have been a bit lower if it was built without the cooling features.
CAUTION: make sure your add-on seat heater has a built-in Auto-Off timer.
I got a basic seat warmer for my girl friend who had late shifts in a hospital. She'd get into her car in the middle of the night and it was very cold. BUT, she kept leaving it on and getting out of the car, and it would drain the battery. Fortunately, I'd earlier given her jumper cables and she knew how to use them.
CAUTION: make sure your add-on seat heater has a built-in Auto-Off timer.
I got a basic seat warmer for my girl friend who had late shifts in a hospital. She'd get into her car in the middle of the night and it was very cold. BUT, she kept leaving it on and getting out of the car, and it would drain the battery. Fortunately, I'd earlier given her jumper cables and she knew how to use them.
My vehicle’s outlet is off when the vehicle is off. Would like it to be on even if it’s a lower output for charging devices when the car is off.
....... it was pretty cold yesterday, 45 degrees. .......
Thanks for the laugh.
Cheers.
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