DB22

I used my cooled seats for the first time yesterday and I was not impressed:

1 they are noisy
2 they do not cool
3 they vibrate more than a massage option.

My Acura has the "useful" option, the Audi is terrible unless I'm missing something?

tenspeed

You are right, they do not cool. They draw outside air into the seat and discharge out the bottom.

The noise and vibrations are undocumented features.

DB22

When you say "they draw outside air" I assume that you mean from inside the car and not outside air? I understand that they do not cool but the source to the cooling fans should be fed by an air con duct under the seat, at least that is how normal car operate, Audi must have a new physics defying methodology!

Mike_L

I keep them on all the time, at the highest speed, and have never had noise or vibration. Wonder if something is wrong with yours.

last911

You've got it backwards. Audi cooled seats blow air out of the seating surface. My Porsche sucks or pulls air into the seating surface. The Porsche system works quite well. To prove the air flow to yourself, place a tissue on the seat cushion and turn on the seat cooling. Your Audi will try to raise and blow the tissue away. The Porsche airflow takes advantage of your perspiration on the skins surface or in the clothing you're wearing. This provides the cooling effect. The Audi system does very little other than make a blowing noise.

snagitseven

Actually, they draw air from the car's interior and if the A/C is on, there's a bit of cool air circulated to the seat bottom and lower back. As has been discussed in several threads, for better or worse, they are designed only to reduce body moisture and not to operate to the extent of the heated seat feature (which can get HOT in my car). I actually think they perform reasonably well for that task when it's hot outside and the A/C is on and cooling the interior. If the A/C is off, only the same ambient temp of the interior can be felt.

As to noise, in mine the fans can barely be heard only when the radio is off with the car at a stop and I feel no vibrations. Perhaps the OP has a defective fan?

Swabian

Agreed that the feature is weak in our cars. The cooled seats in my Cadillac will make your legs cold after a while.

keithl

I have never had any vibration and oh high do hear them a tad, but they are weak at providing any really cooling effect.

agjil

This is one of the options where Audi really needs to improve.
I suppose you meant the ventilation seats, and I find them pretty much useless.
Why on earth Audi made them so weak is beyond me.
They could have easily installed a larger/stronger fan.

keithl

I had cooled seats in mynInfiniti and you knew when they were on, they worked very well. The Audi I just do not even bother as the low groaning sound when on high is more annoying than any minor benefit they may provide.