[Delcarr]

I have looked around in the manual and in the car settings in the infotainment system but I am unable to find out if it is possible to set (or change) the temp at which the seat heater and steering wheel heater come on during remote starts. Anyone know if this is possible? (Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere in the forum....)


Pacific NW is cold this time of year... Brrr!

 

[Chipshot]

Most (all?) of us have found that they don't come on at all.

 

[freedomgli]

Most (all?) of us have found that they don't come on at all.

:grin2: nailed it

 

[chaadster]

Yeah, it’s the most absurd fail on this car that the remote start does not initiate seat heating, steering wheel heating, or rear window defrost. It defies all reason.

 

[Chipshot]

Yeah, it’s the most absurd fail on this car that the remote start does not initiate seat heating, steering wheel heating, or rear window defrost. It defies all reason.

Seriously, that's your biggest complaint? If so, I'd say you have it really, really good. Of course my car is garaged, so that may influence my perspective a bit.

What do I want? A button on the steering wheel that will clear slower traffic from in front of me. Weaving in an out gets old after a while. Cheers.

 

[chaadster]

Seriously, that's your biggest complaint? If so, I'd say you have it really, really good. Of course my car is garaged, so that may influence my perspective a bit.

What do I want? A button on the steering wheel that will clear slower traffic from in front of me. Weaving in an out gets old after a while. Cheers.

Given that it’s unlikely there is any other car in Giulia’s class in the USA market which does not fail to initiate those systems on remote, when you say I’’ve got it really, really good you must be referencing the generally poor quality of the car, because even the owner’s manual describes a system which works in the conventional way.

I can appreciate your lower standards of excellence, and am happy you are not bothered by this particular issue, but one person does not make a market, and from a business perspective, I’m wagering it does not behoove Alfa to stakes it’s claim on the undiscriminating, easily satisfied buyer.

Playing to pissy quality and assuming most don’t care is a failed strategy as we’ve seen in USA car makes in the recent past. I see absolutely no reason Alfa, indulging your pespective, should fare any better, particularly now that the Koreans, and soon the Chinese, will be intensifying competiton in Giulia’s segment.

But then, probably because I care deeply to see Alfa suceed, that influences my perspective a bit.

 

[lockem]

Most (all?) of us have found that they don't come on at all.

Has anybody tried this with the units set to international? Perhaps it is comparing degrees F inside the car to a degrees C threshold?

 

[Chipshot]

Seriously, that's your biggest complaint? If so, I'd say you have it really, really good. Of course my car is garaged, so that may influence my perspective a bit.

What do I want? A button on the steering wheel that will clear slower traffic from in front of me. Weaving in an out gets old after a while. Cheers.

Given that it’s unlikely there is any other car in Giulia’s class in the USA market which does not fail to initiate those systems on remote, when you say I’’ve got it really, really good you must be referencing the generally poor quality of the car, because even the owner’s manual describes a system which works in the conventional way.

I can appreciate your lower standards of excellence, and am happy you are not bothered by this particular issue, but one person does not make a market, and from a business perspective, I’m wagering it does not behoove Alfa to stakes it’s claim on the undiscriminating, easily satisfied buyer.

Playing to pissy quality and assuming most don’t care is a failed strategy as we’ve seen in USA car makes in the recent past. I see absolutely no reason Alfa, indulging your pespective, should fare any better, particularly now that the Koreans, and soon the Chinese, will be intensifying competiton in Giulia’s segment.

But then, probably because I care deeply to see Alfa suceed, that influences my perspective a bit.

Amen.

Maybe I'm just more of a naturally positive person than you (I'm definitely not easily-satisfied and have taken steps to rectify issues) and therefore able to focus on my car's admirable attributes. Have you considered replacing yours with a more pleasing vehicle? If no such thing exists, perhaps a comfortable pair of walking shoes?

 

[Eagle7]

Hey Chaadster, did you ever contact Alfa to inquire as to why they didn't include those 'must have' features you've complained about over and over? Do you think they might like to know just how important this is to their reputation? It was just pure dumb luck that Motortrend somehow overlooked this when naming the Giulia the Car Of The Year! Fortunately the electric heaters heat up quickly, especially the steering wheel once you're in the car. Imagine not having them at all!

 

[freedomgli]

It was just pure dumb luck that Motortrend somehow overlooked this when naming the Giulia the Car Of The Year!

The Giulia is a great car when taken as a whole. But it is clearly not without flaws. I've reported this design flaw (among others) to Alfa. They offered me no solution. So in the meantime, we live with it. That doesn't mean we should ignore the problems. I agree with chaadster that it does not behoove Alfa to stake its claim on the undiscriminating, easily satisfied buyer. Limiting their appeal to die-hard Alfisti who are willing to overlook design flaws and the competition is not a recipe for success. They can do better and I hope they do.

 

[sloboy89]

This is starting to sound like a BMW forum. If you don't like that your car doesn't function as promised in the Alfa documentation, have it repaired under warranty. If Alfa says that they can't do it, then you probably have a claim against the company, and you can figure out your next move. On the other hand, if you don't have a problem that the systems don't all function properly, that is your choice. Given that I don't live where it is extremely cold, I don't know whether this function works on my car, but I can certainly understand the frustration of someone that bought the car thinking that this would work. (Even in Texas, the salesman told me about this function as a selling point).

 

[Chipshot]

The Giulia is a great car when taken as a whole. But it is clearly not without flaws. I've reported this design flaw (among others) to Alfa. They offered me no solution. So in the meantime, we live with it. That doesn't mean we should ignore the problems. I agree with chaadster that it does not behoove Alfa to stake its claim on the undiscriminating, easily satisfied buyer. Limiting their appeal to die-hard Alfisti who are willing to overlook design flaws and the competition is not a recipe for success. They can do better and I hope they do.

Well said, and I agree completely. The competition is not standing still. Alfa must address shortcomings, and I hope when they do so all the things we appreciate are, at worst, left undiluted. While the dealer network will play a big role, Alfa can't ship flawed vehicles and expect dealers to fix them.

 

[Eagle7]

The Giulia is a great car when taken as a whole. But it is clearly not without flaws. I've reported this design flaw (among others) to Alfa. They offered me no solution. So in the meantime, we live with it. That doesn't mean we should ignore the problems. I agree with chaadster that it does not behoove Alfa to stake its claim on the undiscriminating, easily satisfied buyer. Limiting their appeal to die-hard Alfisti who are willing to overlook design flaws and the competition is not a recipe for success. They can do better and I hope they do.

Ah yes, Chaadster's wingman. Well it's rather presumptuous of you to automatically assume that because someone doesn't agree with you and your wingleader, they are "undiscriminating and easily satisfied". Motortrend declaring the Giulia the Car Of The Year certainly had to take into account that the car has much more to offer than to only die-hard Alfisti. I bought one, and I've never owned an Alfa before. I live in an area where the temps get down into the single-digits in the winter. Could I use the remote heaters starting? Sure, but it's not a show-stopper if they don't because they do work once I'm in the car. Much more important to me, was how the AWD performed in snow and ice. I bought this car as a daily driver, and it's performance under less-than-ideal conditions is superb.

Calling this remote heater start issue a "design flaw" grandly over-estimates it. Your condescending judgement of anyone who doesn't agree with you, while pretending to elevate yourself above them as someone who is elite and discriminating is more a problem of yours and your wingleader than any kind of flaw of Alfa Romeo's. There may have been a very good electrical reason as to why they didn't allow remote turn-on of electric heaters. It may have been a safety/fire concern from their legal department. What if the systems all turned on, and the engine died for whatever reason? Now you have three electrical units on and draining the battery without anyone in the car to turn them off. So now you have a car that won't start because the batteries were run down pre-heating things for the impatient. Possibly being stuck in the cold with a car that won't start was probably considered more of an issue than remote-starting the electrical heaters. Since all of this is controlled by software, they could easily activate it. Since they haven't, that tells me there's an issue they haven't come up with a solution for yet. They've committed billions to bringing this car to life. To accuse them of being slovenly, uncaring and careless is grossly unfair to all that they've accomplished. To bring out a brand new from the ground up car to life, and having it declared Car Of The Year, is no small accomplishment. I'm not a die-hard Alfisti or fanboy. I'm someone who recognizes and appreciates outstanding effort and achievement when I see it; not someone who throws scalding contempt from the grandstands if I see something that I don't consider perfect or perfectly done. No it's not perfect, but I didn't expect it to be because it's not a Rolls or a Bentley. It's a beautiful, fantastic sports sedan that you can buy for as little as $39k U.S.

Why don't you two contact one of the tuner companies and request an option to turn on the heaters remotely? It's software, so I'm sure they could figure it out. If you two are any indication, they'd make a fortune selling that as a featured product.

 

[freedomgli]

Ah yes, Chaadster's wingman. Well it's rather presumptuous of you to automatically assume that because someone doesn't agree with you and your wingleader, they are "undiscriminating and easily satisfied". Motortrend declaring the Giulia the Car Of The Year certainly had to take into account that the car has much more to offer than to only die-hard Alfisti. I bought one, and I've never owned an Alfa before. I live in an area where the temps get down into the single-digits in the winter. Could I use the remote heaters starting? Sure, but it's not a show-stopper if they don't because they do work once I'm in the car. Much more important to me, was how the AWD performed in snow and ice. I bought this car as a daily driver, and it's performance under less-than-ideal conditions is superb.

Calling this remote heater start issue a "design flaw" grandly over-estimates it. Your condescending judgement of anyone who doesn't agree with you, while pretending to elevate yourself above them as someone who is elite and discriminating is more a problem of yours and your wingleader than any kind of flaw of Alfa Romeo's. There may have been a very good electrical reason as to why they didn't allow remote turn-on of electric heaters. It may have been a safety/fire concern from their legal department. What if the systems all turned on, and the engine died for whatever reason? Now you have three electrical units on and draining the battery without anyone in the car to turn them off. So now you have a car that won't start because the batteries were run down pre-heating things for the impatient. Possibly being stuck in the cold with a car that won't start was probably considered more of an issue than remote-starting the electrical heaters. Since all of this is controlled by software, they could easily activate it. Since they haven't, that tells me there's an issue they haven't come up with a solution for yet. They've committed billions to bringing this car to life. To accuse them of being slovenly, uncaring and careless is grossly unfair to all that they've accomplished. To bring out a brand new from the ground up car to life, and having it declared Car Of The Year, is no small accomplishment. I'm not a die-hard Alfisti or fanboy. I'm someone who recognizes and appreciates outstanding effort and achievement when I see it; not someone who throws scalding contempt from the grandstands if I see something that I don't consider perfect or perfectly done. No it's not perfect, but I didn't expect it to be because it's not a Rolls or a Bentley. It's a beautiful, fantastic sports sedan that you can buy for as little as $39k U.S.

Why don't you two contact one of the tuner companies and request an option to turn on the heaters remotely? It's software, so I'm sure they could figure it out. If you two are any indication, they'd make a fortune selling that as a featured product.

.

And you are a brand apologist. Every enthusiast forum has them. VW and BMW owners especially.

 

[chaadster]

Additionally, we also know that entities from Alfa and FCA monitor the forum, participate in the forum, and assist forum members with problems, so when we see such defensiveness about acknowledging issues and attempts to shut down running them up the flagpole by making ad hominen attacks on others' character, particularly in relation to issues of this type where the car plainly does not function as described in the owner's manual, it is puzzling, and raises questions about why participants like Chipshot and Eagle7 cannot recognize frank failures. They may be beholden to the company or product in some way which prevents them from speaking with intellectual honesty.

 

[Chipshot]

Additionally, we also know that entities from Alfa and FCA monitor the forum, participate in the forum, and assist forum members with problems, so when we see such defensiveness about acknowledging issues and attempts to shut down running them up the flagpole by making ad hominen attacks on others' character, particularly in relation to issues of this type where the car plainly does not function as described in the owner's manual, it is puzzling, and raises questions about why participants like Chipshot and Eagle7 cannot recognize frank failures. They may be beholden to the company or product in some way which prevents them from speaking with intellectual honesty.

You're relatively new, so can be excused for not seeing complaints posted before you joined. Faults have been recognized and remarked on, though not in the repetitious repetitious fashion that is your style.

Have you ever heard the psychological term "projection"? If not, consider looking it up. You are the one making ad hominem (let me take this opportunity to compliment you on your impressive vocabulary, if not your spelling) attacks.

Do I remember correctly that you are in the whine business? I sincerely hope every single one of your customers are as satisfied as you wish to be with your car.

 

[chaadster]

You're relatively new, so can be excused for not seeing complaints posted before you joined. Faults have been recognized and remarked on, though not in the repetitious repetitious fashion that is your style.

Have you ever heard the psychological term "projection"? If not, consider looking it up. You are the one making ad hominem (let me take this opportunity to compliment you on your impressive vocabulary, if not your spelling) attacks.

Do I remember correctly that you are in the whine business? I sincerely hope every single one of your customers are as satisfied as you wish to be with your car.

My insincere hope is that all my customers would be as undiscriminating as you, so I could just easily sell a bunch of junk rather than mastering my trade craft.

But being sincere, one of the things I do for my customers is to take responsibility for *their customers* (i.e. the consumer) having a good experience, so if someone buys one of my wines at a shop or restaurant and gets a bad or otherwise off bottle, I empower the seller to make good by their customer with a replacement or refund knowing that I will in turn replace or credit the bottle to the seller.

That's what being intellectually honest looks like. I don't suggest to consumers they should lower their standards, or that they don't have a right to complain. I know how absurd it would sound to say, "Look, do you know how long people have been complaining about bad corks? Get over it," and I'd be ashamed to take such a base and vulgar tack.

I get that other people are different and not forthright, but to suggest the forum is not filled with multiple posts and entire threads complaining about issues from unfulfilled promises of AndroidAuto and CarPlay, to software update issues, to inability to disable auto stop/start and more, is precisely the kind of intellectual dishonesty I'm talking about which suggests you are beholden in such a way to Alfa or FCA that you are compelled to protect the brand's image.

 

[lost1750GTV]

I'm pretty vocal about design decisions I think are mistakes, big or little, but I really don't see this one as much of anything. more of a "nice if it does it, who cares if it doesn't" kinda thing.

 

[Eagle7]

Additionally, we also know that entities from Alfa and FCA monitor the forum, participate in the forum, and assist forum members with problems, so when we see such defensiveness about acknowledging issues and attempts to shut down running them up the flagpole by making ad hominen attacks on others' character, particularly in relation to issues of this type where the car plainly does not function as described in the owner's manual, it is puzzling, and raises questions about why participants like Chipshot and Eagle7 cannot recognize frank failures. They may be beholden to the company or product in some way which prevents them from speaking with intellectual honesty.

You're relatively new, so can be excused for not seeing complaints posted before you joined. Faults have been recognized and remarked on, though not in the repetitious repetitious fashion that is your style.

Have you ever heard the psychological term "projection"? If not, consider looking it up. You are the one making ad hominem (let me take this opportunity to compliment you on your impressive vocabulary, if not your spelling) attacks.

Do I remember correctly that you are in the whine business? I sincerely hope every single one of your customers are as satisfied as you wish to be with your car.

^^^ This.

Nowhere have I not acknowledged an issue. I just don't elevate something to a dramatic level, unless it's truly dramatic. You've already complained about this. There's no need to go on and on about it. That's what I'm complaining about. We get it. You consider this an 'egregious failure' on the level of the captain of the Titanic failing to slow down in time. The fact that it was included in the owner's manual, and then NOT actually activated should tell you something happened in final testing that forced them to not include the feature. Whatever it was, it must have been serious enough to warrant removing it. I can only imagine the complaints if they had gone ahead and included the feature, then whatever it was they were concerned about happened.

I'm reasonable. I understand things can happen. You aren't. Your claim that Chipshot and I are making "ad hominen" (sic) attacks on your character because of the issue is completely disingenuous and ignores what we're actually saying. It's your multiple complaining without spending equal (or any) time trying to improve the situation that we're criticizing. But then, you know that which is why you tried to deflect it back on us. Look in the mirror; it's you who aren't being intellectually honest. I've offered possible solutions to this issue... have you?

 

[AustinJRod]

I have looked around in the manual and in the car settings in the infotainment system but I am unable to find out if it is possible to set (or change) the temp at which the seat heater and steering wheel heater come on during remote starts. Anyone know if this is possible? (Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere in the forum....)


Pacific NW is cold this time of year... Brrr!

*sigh* amazing what has happened to your thread....anyway I have a suggestion. Before turning your car off for the night, have you tried turning on the steering wheel and seat heaters? I'm pretty sure I did this once by accident and when I got in the car the next morning they were on after a remote start. I'd have to test it out to be sure but it's a suggestion. I doubt the rear the defroster will work in this way but 2 out 3 isn't bad if it works :laugh: