Heated steering wheel

[sportse]

For those with the heated steering wheel in their Jazz - how are you finding it?

I’ve tried mine many times but it only starts to go hot, then goes cold for ages before maybe going a bit lukewarm some time after.

You can leave it on for half an hour and not really know if it’s on or off. The light is on when you press the button.

I’ve tried it on 9 degree mornings when the car has been parked outside but it doesn’t really do much.

The heated seats are great but I’m finding my heated steering wheel to be not much use - maybe I have a faulty one?

[Steve P]

Mine sounds much like yours.

I had my dealer look at it when I had my car serviced recently, and they said it was working as it should, they even let me check a new car on display which which was the same.

I've not had a car with a heated steering wheel before, so either they're all like this, or Honda don't do them very well.

Either way, the small amount of heat from it is better than nothing at all , especially on really cold days when the initial heating phase really helps.

[Downsizer]

What’s wrong with a pair of gloves in winter?

[richardfrost]

What’s wrong with a pair of gloves in winter?

Caramel brown leather, white string back, kept in the glove compartment. Ah-ha!

[sportse]

Mine sounds much like yours.

I had my dealer look at it when I had my car serviced recently, and they said it was working as it should, they even let me check a new car on display which which was the same.

I've not had a car with a heated steering wheel before, so either they're all like this, or Honda don't do them very well.

Either way, the small amount of heat from it is better than nothing at all , especially on really cold days when the initial heating phase really helps.

I’ve had loan car Volvos with heated steering wheels, on those the wheel warms up quickly and stays warm.

They also had three heat levels, much like the heated seats.

It’s an unusual standard feature on the normal EX as the Crosstar EX doesn’t have it.

[Jazzik]

Perhaps Honda is concerned that sweaty hands will damage the leather on the steering wheel and is deliberately keeping the temperature very moderate? 

[Kremmen]

I've had heated seats on quite a few cars now and never used them apart from an initial test.

When I did try them out they took so long to warm up that my body heat had done the job anyway. Plus when they did get warm it felt like I'd wet myself.

I don't think I've ever worn gloves while driving. I prefer to feel the controls and what the touchscreen would make of them ?

[sportse]

Perhaps Honda is concerned that sweaty hands will damage the leather on the steering wheel and is deliberately keeping the temperature very moderate? 

I found a complaint about Mazda heated steering wheels - apparently they programmed theirs to be not very good in case they got sued by someone who left it on all the time!

[Wonder]

Hello,
in February there was a particularly cold evening, I was out working and my hands were frozen, when I got into the car I turned on the heating of the whole car and also of the steering wheel,
the hands (fingers) after a few moments had already returned to move decently and soon they were in place, a very pleasant sensation, I felt like I was in the Caribbean.
It is the first time that I have a car with a heated steering wheel, and I must say that it was a pleasant discovery, so I cannot compare it with other cars, but it seems to me that it works well.
(sorry for the english i used google translate)

[Bristol_Crosstar]

I've had heated seats on quite a few cars now and never used them apart from an initial test.

When I did try them out they took so long to warm up that my body heat had done the job anyway. Plus when they did get warm it felt like I'd wet myself.

I don't think I've ever worn gloves while driving. I prefer to feel the controls and what the touchscreen would make of them ?

The heated seats on the Jazz warm up quickly even on the lowest setting, they use less power than the climate control so you save on petrol. OK for short journeys on a cold day but I'd still use the climate on a longer drive.

I've never had a heated steering wheel, not sure of the point (for me) as my car's always garaged anyway so not so cold even in winter, wasn't bothered that the Crosstar didn't have one.

[stiggysawdust]

The heated steering wheel appears to be thermostatic. I haven't used it recently but I did find it brilliant during the colder weather and now would not be without it.
The heated seats are also superb and were one of  the reasons that I chose the Jazz EX over the Yaris.

[sportse]

Yes, the heated seats on the Jazz are great.

I used to have a Toyota Auris hybrid and the heated seats on that weren’t much good unfortunately.

[richardfrost]

I drove a Range Rover 15 years ago with air conditioned seats. Other cars have that now. Not Fords though 😉

[sportse]

Some of the weirdest hire car options I’ve had are in Southern Spain - I’ve had several cars with heated seats and a few with heated steering wheels!

I’m not sure why they have those in Spain, where air conditioning is much more important.

[Zaier]

As other stated, I'm pretty sure it is thermostatically regulated, and probably you haven't feel it heating up a lot due the environmental temperature.
I've used it the whole last winter with much pleasure, when taking the car in the morning with 0°C or less, I could remove the gloves after a minute or so and the steering wheel was very confortable, it never became too hot for me, that's another suggestion of it's automatic regulation.
By comparison, during this mornings, the car is around 12-14°, so I use it, but I feel very little heat in comparison to thet winter.
The heathed seat in comparison are much faster and much warmer, I turn them on them at the lowest setting for less than a minute (also in winter) and then shut them off, otherwise I'll start sweating.
My wife in comparison, use the lower setting for an unlimited ammount of time