I mostly love my 2k3 SE, but I would love to meet the idiot that decided on the logic behind the seat memory so I could vent on him/her.

For what possible reason should the system be disabled if the key is in the ignition when the car is off? It is virtually useless because the key has to be removed before the memory function will work.

My car is kept in a secure garage, so we normally use only ones set of keys which stay in the car when its in the garage. I'm 6' 2"... If my 5' 3" wife was the last to drive the car, I can't just open the door and press the memory button without first reaching around the wheel and pulling out the key, which is almost impossible with seat up in her position. So I end up using the manual control anyway just to get in the car. It wouldn't be too bad if the auto entry/exit function moved the seat ALL the way back, but it just moves it an inch or two back... not enough for me to get in.

I understand the need for some of the interlocks, but this one is just plain IDIOTIC.

 

no it's not. and the maxima is not the only car that has that. it is to prevent some idiot from pressing the buttons while driving, getting squished or whatever by the seat and crashing into somebody.

 

he said "For what possible reason should the system be disabled if the key is in the ignition when the car is off?"

i dont see how you can crash into someone while the car is off

 

Exactly what I thought. Car off, what does it matter? Both our audi and benz both had great entering/exiting features. Both could be enabled without they key in place. Also, our Lexus was the same. I was very shocked I couldnt use the pre set without the keys.

 

one other little "feature" I dislike is you must have the exit feature enabled to use the seat position memory buttons. I'm sure many use the exit feature, but I do not. It seams the seat memory position buttons should work even if the exit function is disabled.

 

Dude, I'm in the same situation you're in.....I'm 6'1" and my GF is 5'3", so when I go to get in the car after she's driven, it's a pain in the *** to reach around the wheel to put the key in just so I can move the seat back using the pre-sets. I didn't know there was an exit feature...how do you use this???

 

I agree stupid design...i wish the nissan engineers were as bright as Acura engineers...they have a remote that will automatically set the seat to position 1 or 2 when the door is unlocked

 

Another Charlotte member

 

dude, simple solution - don't let your girlfriend drive the car.....

 

Y'all need some taller girlfriends.

 

enough said.

 

ok.......just admit it, you dont' have a girlfriend...it's really your mother moving the seat isn't it

 

..or, get a 6-speed and you won't have that problem.








cause you won't have that feature. lol

 

man...i wish all i had to complain about was my auto seat memory!

 

fyi, the switch only costs $32...i'm working with daveb on following the wire schematics to the memory seat so that we can add it to our cars.

also, fully loaded 6speeds were able to get memory seats.

 

really??? my 6 speed has the memory seats option

 

Day-um, everytime I get in my car it has a 6-speed in it...and the VIN # is for a 2002....so I guess you don't know what you're talking about.

And as for the GF issue, my GF knows how to grip my stick and go through the gears quite well....maybe you Auto guys w/ taller GFs need to find women that aren't so lazy and can ride stick.....

don't hate because your car & GF are slower and boring to drive....

 

sorry guys, I thought he was refering to the auto entry/exit feature. My bad - mine's got the button, but it don't work since I got a 6-speeder.

 

looked over the FSM and attempted to decrypt the schematics....

seems that the cancel switch is a normally open circuit and whenever a certain even occurs, the circuit is closed creating a ground, which then disables the memory switch. it lists the occurences, such as when car is moving past 4mph.

now, this is only a guess...but in order to disable any of these features, you'd have to avoid activating the cancel switch. which means you dont' want it to ground. somwhere inside the SCU (Seat Control Unit) when the cancel switch is activated aka ground is created, the memory indicators no longer function. my guess is that it's a domino effect. you enable cancel, which in turns disables the indicators. my guess is that the indicaator are a normally closed switch and they open up (cutting the loop) when the cancel switch turns on.

what does all this mean...like i said, to make sure that the cancel switch never turns on, i would cut the ground wire to the cancel switch. since a ground is never formed, the memory indicators never disable, which means they'd be functional at any moment, while car is moving, or as someone wanted, while the key was in the off position.

like i said, only when a ground is formed do the indicators stop working. stop the ground from ever working and the indicators will work 24/7.

so who wants to do this...i don't have memory seats (yet ) but i figure those that do, might wanna look into this.

 

I have the same issue and there is a very simple solution... Tell your significant other to press your memory button when she parks the car before she turns the ignition off. Much easier for her to move back while still sitting in the car than for you to have to reach in and turn ignition on while standing. Duh

 

On my '04, You can set up the key fobs to move the seat/wheel/mirrors when you press the unlock button. Each fob can be set to either driver 1 or driver 2. I learned about this from a thread in the 5th gen forum so I think it works on 02/03 as well. I know it doesn't do much for you if the key is in the car but...

 

Exit feature? I guess 6-speeds dont come with that option.

 

My g/f will do this when I plan to drive her car.

 

Well I'm 6'3" and the wife is 5' even. I'd hate to bump her setting while driving down the road with the ground being cut.

Like it's been said, she usually moves the seat back when she gets out & I leave it back when I get out.

 

I have a power driver's seat only, b/c I didn't get factory leather. If you got stock leather, then you'd have a driver/passenger power seats. Isn't the memory option a part of the leather package too?

 

Even with the car OFF, would you want to be the 6'+ person in the seat when the 5' 2" setting button is pressed? I'd think it would be an unneeded expense to put resistance detectors into the system (like the auto-up window) as a safety measure.

 

...but you can do that anyway -- as long as its in park if the engine is running or if its off with the key OUT. Why should the simple act of inserting the key into the ignition disable the memory? That doen't protect anything or anybody.

BTW - several people posted that they had to put the key IN to make the memory work. Not mine. Gotta pull the key out (if engine is off) or start it for the memory to work.

Seems to me that the only safety interlock that really is needed is the one that prevents it from working while car is in gear (or moving).

I guess its a good thing when this is my big complaint about the car!

 

For everyone that is *****ing, SHUT UP! I cant tell you how many times I DREAMED I had this feature on my car. There have been many instances where I have been to the dealer, car audio shop, detail place or what have you, and they have jacked my seat all around. I can never get it back in the magic position that i was in before. I also wish they had come out with a telescopic steering wheel a long time ago.

 

How About a Rewire to the Memory Seats?
If we can rewire the fog lights, why not rewire the Memory Seats?

 

Yup, but for some bright reason Nissan did not enable the auto exit feature on 6spds. Says so in the manual.

 

i always wondered why the exit feature doesn't work on my 6 spd.

 

Chill... I always dreamed about it too... then it was a major letdown once you realize it was designed by a fool and is virtually worthless once you've got it. I'm particularly ticked because I'm putting up with leather & auto A/C (don't care much for either) just because I wanted the damn seat memory.

 

i have regular A/C, i have cloth seats, and i'm wiring up memory seats. you don't always have to go with those options....

 

have you figured out the auto exit feature? I would love to have this...It's a great feature on my grand cherokee, especially after my wife has drive the car!

 

If you've added the memory yourself, nice work. Give us all a write-up. Maybe you've also discovered how to disable the "key in/engine off" lockout.

As far as a factory option, I don't know about the 2k2's, but on 2k3 SE's the seat memory only came with the leather package (which also includes auto A/C). It was not a standalone option from Nissan.