[Seaford]

Picked up my 2020 840 yesterday and am puzzled by the ventilated seats. I barely noticed anything even when turned up to ‘full’ other than possibly a small bit of movement at the small of my back and a lot of additional noise from the ventilation system.

Am I expecting too much or are they generally pretty useless?

[huwbee]

Hi got my new 840i gc with ventilated seats September 21. Have to say I love them, yes they do increase the noise in the cabin however they do give a very pleasant stream of cool air to your back and a@@e even on the lowest setting. My old 640 gc didn't have them. For me a great addition.

[mpop302]

I was expecting bmw to have cooled seats like our Escalade, but they’re just “vented.” I don’t really notice them working, but some members say it prevents swamp butt

[Tenac]

Originally Posted by Seaford

Picked up my 2020 840 yesterday and am puzzled by the ventilated seats. I barely noticed anything even when turned up to ‘full’ other than possibly a small bit of movement at the small of my back and a lot of additional noise from the ventilation system.

Am I expecting too much or are they generally pretty useless?

I was bummed when I learned this in my first BMW with it in the past. What I can say is yes it will help prevent the sweat and you will never really know but if you sit on them a bit sweaty already it will feel cold right away, so yes it works but its not AC blown in. I like them and use them but they are not a deal breaker option for me, if that helps with my opinion.

[mjr24]

Isn't there a way to code these so they are cooler? I am pretty sure you code the heated ones.

[Tenac]

Originally Posted by mjr24

Isn't there a way to code these so they are cooler? I am pretty sure you code the heated ones.

I think its the routing of the actual vents and fans, they don't connect to the air ducts.

[Nykrayz]

ventilated seats suck!!!!! in bmw
in my wifes x5m all they do is blow air i thought something was wrong but after reading other peoples post thats just how they are

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by Tenac

I was bummed when I learned this in my first BMW with it in the past. What I can say is yes it will help prevent the sweat and you will never really know but if you sit on them a bit sweaty already it will feel cold right away, so yes it works but its not AC blown in. I like them and use them but they are not a deal breaker option for me, if that helps with my opinion.

So far the 8-series ventilated seats work better here in AZ than my outgoing Lexus. I use the climate control app to automatically have it set to cooling based on temperature (kind of lacking in the threshold for AZ) or heated in the winter. Has worked like a charm and although not piped AC for cooling in the summer it definitely prevents "swamp butt" or more importantly when dressed up for work a sweaty dress shirt back. Not sure how well they'd work in a humid climate but in AZ worth every penny.

[claykin]

Originally Posted by Tenac

I think its the routing of the actual vents and fans, they don't connect to the air ducts.

Exactly this. The seat ducts take cabin air, not HVAC air. So, if your cabin is warm, the air blowing through the seat vents will also be warm.

[hinckley]

b

Originally Posted by mpop302

I was expecting bmw to have cooled seats like our Escalade, but they’re just “vented.” I don’t really notice them working, but some members say it prevents swamp butt

Originally Posted by mjr24

Isn't there a way to code these so they are cooler? I am pretty sure you code the heated ones.

Originally Posted by claykin

Exactly this. The seat ducts take cabin air, not HVAC air. So, if your cabin is warm, the air blowing through the seat vents will also be warm.

The way BMW's (and most European car makers') ventilated seats work is often misunderstood. It's an area where the American method is better imo.

mpop's Escalade and most other American cars blow cold air from the seat to the driver or passenger. Think of the air flow as flowing up from under the seat.

In most European cars, ventilated seats suck moist air from the driver or passenger thru the seat. Think of the air flow as flowing down from the top of the seat. And since cold air is not being blown, there's no cooler temperature to code.

Think of it this way - BMW offers heated and ventilated seats. Not heated and cooled seats.

[hersh67]

My old 2013 infiniti M37 had air conditioned cooled vented seats. now those were instant relief from burning leather on hot summer days.

now these bmws on the other hand seem to blow hot air all over your backside on hot days, making your discomfort even worse. the car's cabin has to be completely cooled down to appreciate the vented seats unortunately.

[Tenac]

Found this on how they work.

https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...93&postcount=9

[hoffmeister]

Bmw cooled seats are really subtle and a little underwhelming. Have been in every car ive had them in too. Oddly in my Ram it feels like im sitting on an air hockey table.

[TheGreatM8]

My 2022 M8 Comp has vented seats and they work 75% better than the 2019 X5 seats that I sold.

[M8Bimmer]

Do we not have rear seat heating floor vents in our M8 or 8 series?
I thought there was. But not sure honestly.

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by TheGreatM8

My 2022 M8 Comp has vented seats and they work 75% better than the 2019 X5 seats that I sold.

Yep as same for me with the wife's 2017 X5 vs my 2020 M850i coupe. It's likely not the performance of the seat blowers drastically improving but rather the cabin size differential.

[Humy]

How do you turn ventilated seats on? Are they on the M Carbon seats

[bloozemanAZ]

Originally Posted by Humy

How do you turn ventilated seats on? Are they on the M Carbon seats

You can turn on the fans via the hard button controls. Or with the climate control app set various ambient temperatures that when hit automatically engage heated or cooling in the seats which is my choice as a no-brainer vs messing with the controls.

According to this BMW blog post you get heated seats with the M Carbon buckets but for cooling it is completely passive, i.e., no fans to help move the air.

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by claykin

Exactly this. The seat ducts take cabin air, not HVAC air. So, if your cabin is warm, the air blowing through the seat vents will also be warm.

Exactly this. The fans in the seats draw air into the seat, rather than blowing air out.

[Seaford]

Originally Posted by Humy

How do you turn ventilated seats on? Are they on the M Carbon seats

No idea if they are in the carbon seats…in my 840 I hit the heated seat button and a screen pops up for both the heating and cooling functions.