I have had my 2007 mini for 1 month now, and I have a question for anyone who can help.

I got the package with the heated seats, and frankly they have a serious design flaw if you ask me. I was told by the dealer that they won't heat up unless the car senses that it is cold enough for them to be on. So just because I feel it is cold enough, the car won't agree. Has anyone else had this problem or am I just getting scammed?

I have had heated seats in other cars, and it was on demand heat. This design I just don't get.

Lilo

 

Hi Lilo and welcome aboard! Unless this is a design change for the 2007 model, that is ca ca....the heated seats heat up as soon as you hit the button. Either warm or nuclear hot

Donna

 

Welcome--
In both our '06 S and '07 Cooper, they come on when you want regardless of the ambient temperature.

 

Welcome, Lilo!

Look behind the stickshift/gear selector: there should be a little button that has an image of the seat. Push the button and you will get the higher temp, push again, for the lower. A green indicator light will let you know your heated seats are on. I often have the a/c blasting as well as have the heated seat on to keep my back limber for long-distance driving.

Okay, I just went to www.MINIUSA.com and did a search on heated seats. Here is what they say: To help keep the blood flowing on those colder days, our two-stage heated seats are available as an option in your MINI. Just hit the switch once for "toasty" or twice for "ahhhhhhhh."

The search further indicated that there is also a three-stage heated seat option: To help keep the blood flowing on those colder days, our three-stage heated seats are available as an option in your MINI. Just hit the switch once for warm, twice for toasty, or three times for "ahhhhhhhh."

Either way, you have a button to push to engage the heated seats. Look in your Owner's Manual for a diagram and description.

Hope that helps!

 

Thanks for your input so fast. Trust me I know where the button to turn on the seats is, and they worked fine the second I drove it off the lot. Now however they don't register. I was told that the new 2007 have changed in design so that is why the car must feel it is cold enough for them to work. This seems insane to me. I plan to call Mini Canada and speak to someone and get to the bottom of it. I'm not feeling the love for my car at the moment as the outside window switch broke within 2 days. This is a brand new car !!

 

Hi, Lilo.

Billie

 

That sounds a little crazy to me. I would also be disappointed if the car got to decide how cold was cold enough. I hope mine's as they were on our 04, ready whenever!

 

Hi Yourself.

 

Hi Lilo! Im sorry to hear about your window switch. I have an '02 MCS and the seats come on regardless of what temp it is. I hope you can get the bugs worked out of your new car!

 

Welcome to NAM! Glad to have a newbie aboard. I'm thinking (without knowledge -- dangerous proposition!) the 'activation' temp might be a programmable option! (by dealer). Also, it might be a fuse! I had my rear motion sensor quit, and turned out it was on the same circuit as the power steering, and they had to put in a higher rating fuse, per a factory advisory, at the dealer. No charge to me. Hope you get your issues resolved. We do have a great little car!!!

 

Maybe the Canadian version of the new MINI has a different seat-warmer?? Seems rather unlikely, but it is possible. I think the dealership is not handling your concerns in a professional or acceptable manner. Can you go to a higher level of corporate to register your dissatisfaction?

 

Welcome to NAM. I use my seat heaters to warm my muscles before I play soccer and sooth them afterwards. I would hate to have a car so smart it thought I wanted heat when the temperature is low. I'm sure it is programable because the temperature sensor itself can be calibrated. Let us know what you find out.

 

I am in Texas, so our seats come heated about 10 months out of the year. But, welcome to NAM.
Smile for miles.

 

Welcome! My heated seats come on when you turn them on...nothing to do with the actual temperature around the seat. LIke 4xAAA said...if your in the south your seats are heated liked it or not. I am looking to get seat covers for mine later this year when we move back to Texas.

 

thanks for all your input. All of you are right, the outside temp has nothing to do with the heated seat working. I spoke to the BMW dealer today and they were doing a bit of double talk. I am still not getting the satifaction I want from them, and the seats do no work as they should. They are trying to tell me it is a personal preferance thing as they do work, just not hot enough for me. No one who has sat in those seats can feel any heat. The fight continues!!!

 

Not only great for cold days, those seat warmers have a secondary function as well. Great for stiff backs!

 

Hi and welcome to NAM. I have a 02 MC and the seats heat up in less than a minute. I'm sorry to hear that you've had a couple of problems with your new MINI. Hopefully, your dealership will be able to correct things for you. Good Luck.

 

My heated seats decide for themselves when they want to come one. The dealer gently reminded me that I must have "accidently" hit the button and turned it on. I gently reminded them that I did not, because the green lights would be on. In the mean-time I'm sweating up a storm as I motor around town. Has anyone else had this problem. he dealer thinks I'm a nutter. But my spouse has complained about it as well.

 

My problem is the opposite, as per the original post.

You may have to do what I did and get the sales person to sit in your car, then sit in another of the same make and year to compare. My dealer didn't believe me when I said my seates didn't heat up at all, even though they insisted they work. Of course no one in the shop sat in the seats to prove this. You have to fight this kind of stuff like I did. Don't take what the dealer says as gospel. My seats are still not hot, and they have no idea how to fix them, but they know it has to be done, and I'm not going anywhere.

 

Seat Update!!!!

The heated seats are fixed!!! Here is the funny part, they are connected to the outside mirror switch. Can you believe that??? When my switch was broken, it somehow broke the connection to the seats, now that it is fixed, so are the seats. This is what BMW told me and they are right, I have hot seats and they didn't do anything else to the car. So the new 2007 are a tricky lot.

 

Welcome Hot Pants! Enjoy the ride!
jason