Short story is get used to it. Our cars have the slowest seat heat function I have ever had on a vehicle. Yes eventually it will get warm. This is a well known issue do some searches and you will see. No big deal just think about how warm it is during the summer lol..

 

Agree. This is my 4th winter and "perhaps" it's getting slightly better but the slow heating is caused by ~3/8 inch mesh between the heating elements and the leather. It is there to circulate cabin air for cooling. Mine takes 5 to 10 minutes to get hot to where I go from 3 bars to 1. But it does finally get hot.

Some have suggested the mesh gets thinner with seat time-perhaps. Good video by Car & Driver in the internals of C6 vs C7 seats:

 

I can detect the heat after about 30 seconds, once switched on. The heat is strong for me, and I've never had the need to run the seats on setting 3 (high).

 

Here in Florida I do use the seat warming function although very seldom. Yes, I can detect the heat but its nothing like true heated seats with embedded heating elements. The same if not worse with the cooling function which I use more often. Lower your expectations for these ventilated seats and you will be a lot happier. To answer you question directly, do not bring it to the dealer, if they were not smart enough to properly set your expectations when you bought the car there are not smart enough to know its working correctly!

 

My 2 other cars, quite common ones, have a perfect seat warming function but my C7 seats have quite zero warming effect... My wife doesn't appreciate a lot but after a control the dealer said me "there is current on the wires, so it works" ! :upset:

 

In a related matter am I correct the competition seats are only different from the standard seats by the back portion? In other words the seating area is the same on both seats? Wondering if the diminished heating element might be related to that fact..
Not that it is a big issue for me in So Cal but mine work but not to the level other vehicles i have owned do. As a matter of fact here in So Cal I would be better off with seat dryers rather than seat warmers. Seven weeks into the 2017 and it has rained 6 of them.

 

In a related matter am I correct the competition seats are only different from the standard seats by the back portion? In other words the seating area is the same on both seats?

There is one other difference (at least) between the Comp seats and the GT seats. The cushioning foam in the Comp seats, both for the back portion and that which we sit on, is 20% firmer; whether that might slow down the amount of time it takes for the seat heat to get through to us, do not know.

 

Thanks to all that replied. I see that it is not me and that I am not alone in my perception of the performance of the seat warmers. I won't bring it in to the dealer for the seat warmers only. I will wait until my next oil change at the dealer and discuss it with the service department at that time to tell me if it is working properly. By the way I do have the competition seats in my sting ray. If the foam is denser (firmer) then the standard seats, then it has more insulating effect and it may impact the seat warmer performance. But then the Sting Ray design team should of recognized that when sizing the heat warmers for the competition seats if they were paying attention to the design details. I suspect they used a common system to save cost and did not recognize the thermal design impact or decided to ignore it to save initial production cost for maintaining two heat warmer systems.

 

I have the same issue in my 2024 Stingray, so Let me know what your dealer has to say I was thinking of doing the same thing when I bring it in for an oil change. Thanks

 

I owned five Saabs from 1982-2013 and was spoiled by their bun warmers. Believe me, the Swedes know how to make them. Along comes the C7 and at first try my butt thermometer told me they weren't working at all--but really were, just not with any enthusiasm. They're better than none at all, but not much.

 

ptalar, I've used our seat maybe two times since new and it does take a long time to warm up, now the cooling fan during the NC summer days comes in handy so we don't melt into the seat!

SF
Rick

 

For those who have not used the fan function, it strictly is moving the same temperature air as is within the cabin. To save weight, unlike GM SUVs, etc., there is no air conditioning per se for our C7 seats.

If it is 80 degrees outside and your convertible top is down, the air that is going to circulate through the seats is going to be 80 degrees. Conversely, if you are in a coupe, windows up, and your have your air conditioning on for a while on a hot summer day and you are enjoying the cabin being cooled down to 60 degrees, that 60 degree air is going to cool your thighs, your butt and your back super nicely.