Remote Start / Heated Seats Issues

Doug_Scott · March 19, 2014

Just an update, the viper remote start I had installed does not turn on the heated seats when the truck is started with it so it didn,t help even though the run time is set at 1hr. They admit to having a problem with the software and are working on it (or so they say). So I guess i,m stuck with gm,s weak attempt at seat heating. I see some of you guys making jokes about heated door handles and the like and you know what it just isn,t funny. Let's see how people react when it gets really hot in the south and the cooled seats don,t cool. Am I being fussy about a small thing, no I am not, I do believe the seats should heat BEFORE I sit in them or don,t call them heated seats, they did heat in previous trucks. If gm wants to change the way things work they could say something before they sell it. Real world testing just doesn't exist anymore.

The reason I brought up the heated door handles was to point out how far people take things. GM never said the heated seats would be warm after x minutes with no person sitting in the seat. Did they even say it would get warm with someone in the seat after x minutes? Just because you expect it to do something, does not mean that it actually does. It is just your expectation. Personally, I would prefer the seat to be warmer when I got in on cold days, but, I also prefer it to just not be that cold in the first place. I have zero say in either matter. I came from an era where heated seats were not even thought of. Maybe that's the difference.

BTW, I much prefer the heated seats in my truck compared to the heated seats in a friends Mercedes ML320. the heater not only burnt the seat cover, it took out his $1500 leather coat, and would have taken out the entire truck and likely some others in the underground parking lot of his condo had someone not seen it time.

Canuck1 · March 19, 2014

Doug I have to disagree. There is an expectation that the seats will heat on remote start and warm up faster than they do, simply because they did in prior trucks. You are correct that they didn,t say anything about how the seats would heat, but they also didn,t say they were not going to work as previous seats did. And no I did not ask when I bought the truck but we all know what that answer would have been. The bigger issue is there will be no update to fix it without actually replacing the heating elements and that is not going to happen. So yes there is an expectation things will work as previous models did because that is all we have to go on when buying.

Doug_Scott · March 20, 2014

Doug I have to disagree. There is an expectation that the seats will heat on remote start and warm up faster than they do, simply because they did in prior trucks. You are correct that they didn,t say anything about how the seats would heat, but they also didn,t say they were not going to work as previous seats did. And no I did not ask when I bought the truck but we all know what that answer would have been. The bigger issue is there will be no update to fix it without actually replacing the heating elements and that is not going to happen. So yes there is an expectation things will work as previous models did because that is all we have to go on when buying.

I have an idea where we disagree. If I have an expectation that is not met, I put the blame on me for not checking better. Can't blame a salesman for not telling me something that he has no idea I may find important. When did salesmen become a source of information anyways?

To me, an expectation is something you expect because you do not know different. To know different, I would have to be told different. I know it is all semantics, but, I actually do feel it is my fault that what I assumed did not occur.

As for the heated seats, I went from sitting on a hard bench in 20 below weather, with the seat not softening up(maybe melting is a better term) in under an hour, to a seat that is still cold when I get in after truck has been running for 10 min, but seat feels noticeably warmer a minute or two later, and seat softens up at that time as well.

Funny how when I comment that auto lane change signal is too short, people say just hold the lever down. Mine was only a comment, not a complaint, because I know a forum cannot possibly fix a complaint.

Batcat · March 20, 2014

My expectations were founded on pass experience with my 2008 GMC. Remote start/heated seats worked great and my buddy has a new Dodge Ram with the feature and it works great. Soooo, when I decided to buy the new GMC with this feature, I just thought it would work the same. When the salesman demonstrated the Intellilink touch screen features he showed me how to enable and disable the heated seats during remote start. Now, what would your expectations be after that? He never mentioned your butt had to be in the seat for it to work. But, I suspect he didn't know that. He probably had the same expectations that I had.

Doug_Scott · March 20, 2014

My expectations were founded on pass experience with my 2008 GMC. Remote start/heated seats worked great and my buddy has a new Dodge Ram with the feature and it works great. Soooo, when I decided to buy the new GMC with this feature, I just thought it would work the same. When the salesman demonstrated the Intellilink touch screen features he showed me how to enable and disable the heated seats during remote start. Now, what would your expectations be after that? He never mentioned your butt had to be in the seat for it to work. But, I suspect he didn't know that. He probably had the same expectations that I had.

Sorry, no, it would not set my expectations to what yours were. Maybe it is just the way I was raised, or the generation I was raised in, but, comparing similar items on different vehicles is apples and oranges. Now, if my friend had bought a 2014 GMC with heated seats that got hot in 3 minutes regardless of someone on the seat or not, then I would expect that if I bought a 2014 GMC that the seats would work the same.

What about this, say your friend was driving a new Ford truck with the top option stereo/nav option, and you bought a new GMC truck with the top option stereo/nav option, would your expectations be that your truck stereo/nav system would sound, and work the same as the Ford's?

Interesting that you bring up what the salesman did or says, I cannot recall the last time I had a auto salesmen try to explain or sell something to me. Car salesmen constantly operate in a "conflict of interest" position.

I am not saying the heated seats in the new trucks are good. But, I am saying that given what I have been reading about them is setting my expectations appropriately. And to be honest, it is not the reason I am not considering a new GM truck. I can live with having a cold ass for a few minutes.

caseyjamin · March 27, 2014

I have had my truck in 5 times and the seat still does not heat up right

Isriam · March 28, 2014

If you owned a past GMC and it worked a certain way you'd expect the new one to also outside of stupid things like engines and obvious changes. If the heated seats were really a problem, wouldn't 2005+ vehicles have a recall to fix this "safety" issues people are defending?

I too find my truck seats take longer to warm up than my 2007 and 2012. Probably an unintended change that should be corrected.

Dnt · March 29, 2014

If you owned a past GMC and it worked a certain way you'd expect the new one to also outside of stupid things like engines and obvious changes. If the heated seats were really a problem, wouldn't 2005+ vehicles have a recall to fix this "safety" issues people are defending?

I too find my truck seats take longer to warm up than my 2007 and 2012. Probably an unintended change that should be corrected.

Look people you need to listen to doug_scott "you are getting exactly what you deserve". If you want a a truck that meets all your expectations then you need to build it yourself from scratch. Now GIT ER DUN little Pygmy's from New Guinea

Doug_Scott · March 29, 2014

Look people you need to listen to doug_scott "you are getting exactly what you deserve". If you want a a truck that meets all your expectations then you need to build it yourself from scratch. Now GIT ER DUN little Pygmy's from New Guinea

Those words were not said by me. Even the tone was not set by me.

If you owned a past GMC and it worked a certain way you'd expect the new one to also outside of stupid things like engines and obvious changes. If the heated seats were really a problem, wouldn't 2005+ vehicles have a recall to fix this "safety" issues people are defending?

I don't recall reading or saying that the heated seats in earlier models were unsafe, or would cause fires. I did however reply to another message where I gave a first hand example of what a heated is capable of doing, and what it did it in a vehicle that is marketed as being far superior to most other manufacturers.

One thing I really wish manufacturers would do is to simply list changes to new model year, both type of changes, and to honestly say why they made the change. If they did it to reduce cost, then just say so. If all manufacturers did this, there would be no reason to deceive, they would all look the same morally. I fail to understand how making a change that saves them a dollar, but creates animosity amongst their customers is a good marketing decision. Sure they saved 1 million dollars doing that, pretty sure if they left it alone, and raised the price by 50 cents they would have added a half million dollars extra profit, and not one person would complain, or even know.

Sometimes the smart people in charge have no imagination.

Isriam · March 30, 2014

One thing I really wish manufacturers would do is to simply list changes to new model year, both type of changes, and to honestly say why they made the change. If they did it to reduce cost, then just say so. If all manufacturers did this, there would be no reason to deceive, they would all look the same morally. I fail to understand how making a change that saves them a dollar, but creates animosity amongst their customers is a good marketing decision. Sure they saved 1 million dollars doing that, pretty sure if they left it alone, and raised the price by 50 cents they would have added a half million dollars extra profit, and not one person would complain, or even know.

Sometimes the smart people in charge have no imagination.

I agree with you. My post is in regards to people saying, its a change get used to it and get over it. We do not progress with that mentality. Imagine if every time someone created a poor product we just said oh well live with it.

crism · March 30, 2014

have read all the posts on this subject since i entered one. The weather is warming up here in SE and waiting to see how the ac wil work in the summer. First of all the 08 I had didnt have cooled seats but the truck was warm inside and the seats were warm in remote start, every one knows this. when it rained the windshield wipers came on automatically depending on the rain fall. When the rain poured the windshield wipers came on full blast.

the 08 GMC Z71 SLT has auto windshied wipers, remote start in winter had warm seats and heat blowing in cab wide open. In the summer, the cab was full blast recirc mode cooling down on remote start.

14 GMC Z71 I have now is down graded from these 08 features. When it is cold out side"30s" the truck starts up but nothing inside untill i manually set seats and temp. Rain? I turn on wipers to the setting wanted. Yes its sad when we expect all these lil extras to work like the 08 but I also paid $10k more.

I dont expect the ac on remote start to be any better. I asked the tech during our last cold snap if he would try the remote start heat settings on a new truck on the lot which he didnt do. bottom line is dont take for granted that the 14 would have the 08 features.

gotta live with it but they need to re write the owners manuals. setting the features in intellilink to do something and it doesnt is a reason to be concerned and a reason to have it in the shop.

2016 Sierra Owner · March 30, 2014

have read all the posts on this subject since i entered one. The weather is warming up here in SE and waiting to see how the ac wil work in the summer. First of all the 08 I had didnt have cooled seats but the truck was warm inside and the seats were warm in remote start, every one knows this. when it rained the windshield wipers came on automatically depending on the rain fall. When the rain poured the windshield wipers came on full blast.

the 08 GMC Z71 SLT has auto windshied wipers, remote start in winter had warm seats and heat blowing in cab wide open. In the summer, the cab was full blast recirc mode cooling down on remote start.

14 GMC Z71 I have now is down graded from these 08 features. When it is cold out side"30s" the truck starts up but nothing inside untill i manually set seats and temp. Rain? I turn on wipers to the setting wanted. Yes its sad when we expect all these lil extras to work like the 08 but I also paid $10k more.

I dont expect the ac on remote start to be any better. I asked the tech during our last cold snap if he would try the remote start heat settings on a new truck on the lot which he didnt do. bottom line is dont take for granted that the 14 would have the 08 features.

gotta live with it but they need to re write the owners manuals. setting the features in intellilink to do something and it doesnt is a reason to be concerned and a reason to have it in the shop.

Ok I'll go ahead and warn you now. The A/C will not work on remote start unless you leave the system in auto. If you leave it in manual of the off position it will not cool correctly.

Doug_Scott · March 31, 2014

Ok I'll go ahead and warn you now. The A/C will not work on remote start unless you leave the system in auto. If you leave it in manual of the off position it will not cool correctly.

Don't have access to a 2014 truck or manual, but, does the manual say you have to leave the truck in Auto for it to work on remote start? I would hope it does. I know the 2012 truck manual does say to leave it on Auto if you want it to work with remote start. It will automatically decide if it needs to turn ac or heat on when truck is remote started. I have not seen it work in person, but, I do wonder if the auto on remote start behaves same as Auto when you are in the truck and start it. When on Auto on cold days, it will not run the fan until there is some heat to push.

My 2008 G5 GT had wipers that when on the shortest pause, would switch to low speed once speed went over 80km/h. 2010 GMC SL does not do that. Oddly enough, the price was within $600 of each other out the door when both were bought new. Guess which one was cheaper...

chuckl1218 · March 31, 2014

The Owners Manual just says..."The climate control system will use the previous settings during a

remote start. The rear defog may come on during remote start based on cold ambient conditions."

I also found another setting in the Vehicle Personalization menus section that refers to

"Auto Fan Max Speed

This feature will set the maximum auto fan speed.

Select Low, Medium, or High."

The manual does not explicitly say you must use Auto with remote start. There are many sections in the Owners Manual like this where they explain a function but do not explicitly state examples of outcomes. Oh well.

2016 Sierra Owner · March 31, 2014

The Owners Manual just says..."The climate control system will use the previous settings during a

remote start. The rear defog may come on during remote start based on cold ambient conditions."

I also found another setting in the Vehicle Personalization menus section that refers to

"Auto Fan Max Speed

This feature will set the maximum auto fan speed.

Select Low, Medium, or High."

The manual does not explicitly say you must use Auto with remote start. There are many sections in the Owners Manual like this where they explain a function but do not explicitly state examples of outcomes. Oh well.

Trust me I got my truck at the end of Sept last year. It will not work unless you leave it in auto. I can go back and find the posts about this from last year and it was not just me having the issue. My 2009 would work whether the system was on or off. It would come on full blast with A/C till the key was turned. Just wish they would have left the HVAC and heated seats like they were in previous year trucks.