Do you use the seat memory in your car?
 

Having a discussion with a friend on options in new cars....

Just wondering how many people have vehicles with power seats that have multiple memory locations- i.e. you save your seat position and mirror positions by setting a button, and then you and your wife/others have their specific button to press when they get in the car to set everything the way they want it.

I've never shared a vehicle with someone thus these kind of features seem ridiculous to me. Extra weight, extra stuff to break after 5 years when the warranty is up. Friend swears by it. Says his car automatically moves the seat depending on the key fob being his or his wife's. How lazy are we that hitting a button was to difficult so we had to make it wireless?

This is why modern car seats weight 95 lbs instead of the 20 lbs they could be. That's why a 1980's Honda hatchback gets 45 MPG while a new Honda Civic gets the same or less...


But anyways... back on topic.... is this one of those must have options nowdays?

Wife has it in her Tahoe.

She's short, I'm no giant but I can barely get behind the wheel when the seat is set for her.

So rather than trying to shoe horn my way in so that I can move the seat I just hit my setting when I open the door and byt the time my butt is ready to hit the seat it's in position.

I like it a lot.

I am very particular about my seating position in my cars and get irritated to no end when I pick it up after an oil change or when it's been dropped by a parking valet and it the seat is slid all the way back.

It's one of those options that you need to have to appreciate.

Convenient? Yes
More to break? Yes



That being said, it's not any extra weight in a modern car. ALL the electric systems are hooked into each other via CAN these days. The extra software to make that system work after all the power steering wheel/power seats/power pedals is trivial so if you've already got the hardware why not have it?

For the record I drive a '91 crx and it has 2 electric motors. One for Heat/AC and One for the sunroof. Hell it doesn't even have power steering, and the ONLY thing the computer does is run the fuel injection and ignition systems.


Edit: Monkey brings up a good point. A good friend here is 6'3" and his wife.. ~5' even. Before he steps into any car his first move is to lift the slider handle, and shove the seat ALL the way back. For his family the auto settings are almost a necessity.

My wife and I use ours all of the time.

Not a 'must have' but it was really nice when I had it.

Use it all the time between my Volvo V70 and wife's 528i.
A very nice to have. Like stomachmonkey, I'm also very particular about my seating position.

My new M3 has it. I see it as one more thing to break. If you're the only one who drives the car, it's useless.

If you're the only one who drives the car, you don't use it and it doesn't matter if it breaks. Plus it won't break because you never use it.

I think it's great. What does a microchip weigh? 1/2 a fking gram??

Yeah, but knowing BMW, the same module which controls the seat memory probably also controls the odd-numbered piston return springs.

I use it in our BMW, very handy when my wife drives the car.

Besides the seat adjustments, saves the settings for the exterior mirrors and the tilt/telescope of the wheel.

Very convenient to revert to our individual settings with a single button.





Tim

My wife's Volvo 960 has it. The car is 18 years old with about 175,000 miles, so if it was going to break it probably would've already. The controller is very light and it doesn't add but a couple of ounces to the weight of the car.

I programmed my position into #2 and use it all the time. She never bothered to do hers, but she's not a car person in the slightest.

Have it.
Use it.
Love it.

I like it! All of my mirror, seat and steering wheels settings are assigned to the FOB as well so if my wife drives it, my FOB sets it back before I get back in.

We have it on our truck and it is very convenient since we share the truck. I wouldn't say it is a deal breaker on a car, but I do appreciate it.

My key fob is #1, just putting that out here...

I use mine but only because the 'forward' button on mine is flakey.

I hate new cars, this is a 2000 Volvo V70.

I usually be very specific about how I sit while driving, to have the most comfort and convenience I want. Wife is different size and sit different way. If the car is a family car, multiple users, you will see how convenience this feature is.

My Boxster has two motors in the seat, one to power adjust the seat bottom and one to adjust the seat back angle. OK, not so bad.

There are new mercedes/BMW seats with 7+ motors/actuators. And a 1 or 2 separate computers housed under the seat for memory and control.

I just find it strange how I read a lot how people would 'never go back to a car without their memory/power seats'. It takes less time for me to adjust my seat fore-aft position with the hand lever than it takes for a power seat to move the same distance.

I'm also considering a Lotus Elise as my next daily driver... so, I guess I'm just one of those people.

My wife's car has it. It is tied to the key fob. All I have to do is open the drivers side door and the car knows it is me and sets the seat, the mirors, steering wheel, and I think it will even change the radio to my preference. I have driven her car less than 10 times since we bought it. I prefer my mid 1980s vehicles.

You should drive it more often! That G35 deserves a proper workout!

My wife and I have our own cars, but do occasionally drive the other person's car. It takes a bit to get the mirrors and seat back to exactly how I like it. There are times when it would be convenient to have that sort of feature. Since I drive a sports car, I'm happy to do without to save the weight and cost, but if I was driving a premium car, and the car had it, I'd darn sure use it.

I took it to the autocross track once. It was fun but my 911 is way more fun.

I still tease her about having a mega HP car to go 4 miles to work at 35 MPH. After two years she almost has 10,000 miles. I prefer my El Camino with 286,000 miles.

Do your arms get tired running the hand cranked windshield wipers and fuel pump?

Ya, but all that time alone really helps keep up with those interstate speeds!SmileWavy


yep forgot about those, but the point is the same, the car does exactly what I need it to, get me from point a to point b economically and with some fun without any extras.

you guys are forgetting the electric radiator fan too, maybe 2 if the car has AC.

See, you're already WAY out there with the extra motors and computer. What you really need is one of these.

1972 Honda CVCC
http://thisoldhonda.org/pictures/pic_1_civic78.jpg

I'm pretty sure this car's probably only got 3 motors to your 5 and no computer. (unless you had the optional AC or optional rear window wiper)

I think we all also need to ditch the AC. It's about as evil as it gets, not only is it HEAVY, and almost certainly going to stop working eventually, but it's got the parasitic loss from being belt driven. Just about the only way that it could be worse is if it also siphoned off gas for some reason.

the acura's not only remembers your seat location and rear view mirrors and steering wheel but also all your radio stations and nav set up.. with a hit of the unlock button. abit overkill but the wife likes it. we had seat memory in our volvo 855 and it outlasted the auto trans.

I never used AC while in Missouri, where we regularly see 100 degree heat and humdity during the summer. My Toyota's AC blew warm, and I didn't trust running the 924S's as I didn't know how old the belt was.

I dealt with it. Even when wearing a suit and tie.

I saw a woman get out of her SUV at work today, and saw water dripping down under the engine bay indicating the AC was on.. it's like 72 degrees outside. WTF. How much fuel is wasted in this country every day by people who drive around with their AC on when it isn't needed?

Sorry I'm having one of those days...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1280945723.jpg

This is my brother's daily driver. It has a starter motor, and a windshield wiper motor. The fuel pump is mechanical. No computers and no extras.

I believe the answer to your question about my A/C is: It is, it did and it was :p The only car I've ever owned that had working A/C was my GTi that my wife now drives, but it was a brand new car when I bought it. The CRX has A/C but no belt, and no freon. Only occasionally do I really miss it, and then I do the math and realize it will be almost as expensive to refub it as it was to refurb my MFI pump!:eek:

Glenn,
If it got 40mpg and was as fun to drive at the CRX then I'd be seriously considering one!

Prior to my kids driving, really didn't even know it was there in my F-150...my wife and I rarely drive each others car.

Now? Love it! Use it everyday I'm home.

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with manual seats in a car as well. It's waaaay more important to me whether a vehicle has good seats than how they adjust. I'm driving an '82 MB that has excellent seats with fore/aft, height and rake adjustments, all manual. Since no one else ever drives it, it's a moot point.

My response was more to the point that if a car or truck already has power seats, the addition of the memory feature adds no discernible weight or complexity. I've never seen it break on any old German or Swedish car I've owned. And it's damn nice to find the perfect adjustments for everything and then lock them in. :cool:

Got rid of the wife....no longer need the memory thingy. If I remember....it even remembered my radio stations. Coolshytski......

Checking the manual, there's an optional autosuck, doan know if I got's it, the wife sure didn't have it installed....had to get a GF to get it activated....

My wife's minivan (2010 Sienna) does not have memory seats, just powered. The only way you got memory was with the top of the line. It's very useful since she's shorter than me. We had it in the old van and I miss it but I manage. My BMW has it and I get the seats back EXACTLY where I want them after the few occasions when she drives it.

I love it! at least 3 times a week when I drive my wife's SUV
Extra weight? Yes but that SUV is already a pig

Both of our BMW's have it and we use it very frequently. As others have said, it is not needed, but really nice to have.

Honestly.... I'm not driving the 944 right now b/c it needs a compressor clutch... But its been ~105 here everyday this week.... That translates to damn miserable...


And memory seats? What're those? ;)

My truck and my wife's Jeep have manual seats.

The 911? I wanted enough headroom for a helmet when I installed the OMP race seats, so I eliminated the sliders, put the seats where I liked them, and bolted them in. How's that for a memory seat?