[iamvanja]

Was just in a friends' new Mazda CX5 and ventilated seats were actually cooling.

Made me realize mine in my F06 are barely doing anything (i feel slight vibration, but little to no air).

Wondering if there is a problem with my seats or this is just how it is.

[Trian]

It depends on temperature. If it is hot you should feel the air movement that is cooling. If it is just medium temperature you probably will not feel much of anything

[zener]

They are very good to have. I have them on my e65.

[Unspec]

They work well. When I have a sweaty back during the summer, it really helps keep it nice and dry. It works REALLY well in conjunction with the heated seats - you get the warmth of the heat, but none of the sweat.

[iamvanja]

That's really interesting. I wonder if mine are clogged somehow.

[Qsilver7]

More than likely, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your BMW's ventilated seats. This is a much discussed topic across multiple BMW forums.

BMW seats are "ventilated" not "cooled". The 8-9 fans embedded in the seats circulate air through a permeable layer below the seating surface and their design is more about evaporation of sweat/moisture than it is about blowing cooled air onto the passenger.

See the info below for a better understanding of the operational design of BMW's ventilated seats...they are more about evaporating perspiration/moisture...which is another way of keeping passengers comfortable. It also works well with damp clothing (rain/snow/sweat/etc)...and can work in conjunction with the heating feature if ambient temps are cool & damp....or if you get a chill from being wet/damp...the ventilation and heating features of the seat can work together to make the passenger comfortable.

I also find selecting an IHKA air distribution that will direct cooled air to the floor vents helps the ventilation feature since there are floor vents directly below the front seats. If you send cooled air to the floor vents, then that air gets incorporated into the movement of air by the fans embedded in the seats.

[DaWhole9]

As stated. BMWs seat are ventilated. Its about keeping you dry and comfortable. They are not cooled seats. The air is not cold. Mine work great.

[iamvanja]

I understand the difference between ventilation and cooling, but i was concerned that i did not feel any air coming out of the seat.

Based on your description Qsilver7 it seems that the circulation is mostly happening inside the seat and leather perforation is mostly for moisture to escape.

[Hoa]

If the fan have an issue, Carly, BimmerLink and ISTA will display a code. Something like one or more fan bot spinning at the right RPM

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by iamvanja

I understand the difference between ventilation and cooling, but i was concerned that i did not feel any air coming out of the seat.

Based on your description Qsilver7 it seems that the circulation is mostly happening inside the seat and leather perforation is mostly for moisture to escape.

Most owners with ventilated seats will probably say you won’t feel much air coming “out” of the seats. But in the warm seasons…I do use the air direction feature of the IHKA control panel to blow some of the air from the floor vents. Since each front seat has a vent right below it…air from those vents can get pulled into the air circulating within the front seats.

Unless it is like 95° F and the car has been sitting in the sun for hours…I can actually feel air movement between front edge of the seat and the thigh extension section of my seats. But again, I have air blowing from the vents directly below the front seats.

My f15 X5 doesn’t have the ventilated seats…and during those hot days…the seats in the X5 are not as comfortable. You don’t get that wicking action that helps evaporate any moisture/sweat from you back and backside…and it can almost feel like the heated seat feature is turned on. When I get into the 6 series with its vetiilated seats…the experience is different…even though I don’t feel any cool air blowing on me…the seat doesn’t feel as uncomfortable.