Ok, so it's a luxury...but, still, i was wondering if any of you have this problem:

I turn on the heated wheel and it gets pretty dang hot pretty dang quick. Then, after about 5-10 minutes, the warmness goes away and at about 15 mins, it's completely gone. The indicator light is still on, but no heat!

The manual says it shuts off after 30 minutes. But the indicator light is still on when this happens so i don't think it's a premature system shutoff issue.

Any ideas? It's getting f'ing cold up here in NH!

On the same token, it seems to take a while for the heated seats to warm up too...but when they do, i have to shut them off after a few mins cuz my **** burns. Out of the two settings (Roasty Rump and Flaming Fanny) I prefer the Roasty Rump....

 

I noticed the same exact deal with my wheel. Baffling. But then, I've not RTFM on this subject.

 

The manual basically says... turn on and enjoy for 30 minutes. At which time i'm assuming it's suppose to allow you to turn it back on if you wish.

I have tried to turn the switch off and back on again to see if it retriggers the system, but it doesn't.

Anyone else with heated wheels, do they stay on for more than 10 mins?

 

I noticed that if I turn it off before it turns itself off, I can turn it back on in a few minutes and get more heat. If I let it turn itself off, it doesn't want to come back on, as you've noted.

 

I can offer an advice, (i also have the heated steering), this is basically like a toaster that overheats, when it reaches a certain temp it shut itself off automatically(due to its internal resistance), i you let it go and cool down it will rearm itself and warm enough your hand to toast them again

 

I have experienced the same thing with my heated steering wheel. I'm sure there is a sensor that kicks it off if it gets too hot...and as Narrator said, that sucker really gets hot! Given the heat output, I have to hold different parts of the wheel as it is hot to the touch. When it gets that hot, I'll actually shut it off because I don't want it getting any hotter, which happens to be before it has a chance to shut itself off. Then, as it starts to cool down, I'll turn it back and can enjoy heat for a longer time.

The seat heaters are nice as well...sometimes I'll use them when my lower back is sore, even when it is not cold outside.

BTW, I'm sure most probably know this but both of these luxuries have a heavy draw so I wouldn't use them if the car is off or if you are taking lots of short trips turning the car on and off. It will eventually draw down the battery...especially if you have the seat heaters on when trying to start the engine.

 

It does get really hot at times, so I usually keep mine on for about 5-6 mins max.

 

mines shuts off too but its never been an issue for me because by that time the car heater has warmed up the inside of the car so the steering wheel isnt cold

 

Great info guys. Thanks a lot. It's now the all conclusive thread about heated steering wheels.

My heat takes a wee bit longer than 5 mins to get going but i think with the "shut off before it gets too hot" method that maxfli and succint mentioned, i should be able to find toastiness nirvana.

I did have one question about the draw though. My girlfriend is alllll about the heated seats, so the passenger side is almost always on when i start my car after she's been in (notice i said PASSENGER....bahahahah)... Should i be making sure that both the seats are off when starting? I didn't realize that was a bad thing. I knew it drew from the battery, so i try to only use it when i need it (which will be every day now that the good ole nor'easter weather is on it's way).

They should have made the heated seat switches like they made the heated steering switch so you have to turn it on manually. But those with auto starters would have even more to whine about... heh....

Thanks again for all the good info....who knew, a thread with good info and noone chiming in to make a smart (__)__) comment!

 

Narrator -- it is not bad, per se, to start your car with the seat heaters on. However, it is harder on the battery because it is a deeper draw.

With the key in the "accessory" position, everything that is normally left on when you shut your car off will draw power (radio, fan, radar detector in my case). When you turn the key and the starter is engaged, power to all those things gets cut, with the exception of the seat heaters (switch light stays on and dims when the starter is engaged) and exterior lights (headlights/brakelights, etc) and the starter draws power. So, to make things easier on your battery (ie. starting the car in the morning when it is 5 degrees outside), make sure all those things that can draw power are turned off.

Because, as your battery ages and gets weaker, it will crank slower and slower. If you have a weak/old battery to begin with, trying to start your car one cold NE morning with a bunch of accessories on may leave you hearing nothing but the "click click click click click" of a dead battery.