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Heated steering wheel & windshield

21744 Views 32 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  MuhammadAli
Any idea why these are not available for cars destined for the U.S. as opposed to CDA?
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Welcome to the Forum!

Any idea why these are not available for cars destined for the U.S. as opposed to CDA?
Welcome to the Forum! I see this is your first post.

I always wondered that myself since I live in the US.:)

Maybe someone else will have a better answer.
Acura does not generally let you add individual options like this to a vehicle. They package everything into a trim level and that's it. I think the reason you only get it on Canadian models is that everyone in Canada will want/use these features. In the US, many people will rarely if ever use them and will not want to pay for them.
I think what Syzygy said sums it up, for all the statesthat would need the heated windshield they would be outnumbered by all thewarmer US states.

Just doesn't make sense from a business point of view tostick them on all US made cars. Especially as inevitably someone would have topay for them to be on the US models and Acura aren't going to add it for freeso price would go up for all models including it on the US lineup.

All the little bells and whistles we get extra up here onthe Canadian models are features we use on a very regular basis….that heatedwindscreen has already started coming on automatically for me now the temp isdropping! Snow is near!
Acura does not generally let you add individual options like this to a vehicle. They package everything into a trim level and that's it. I think the reason you only get it on Canadian models is that everyone in Canada will want/use these features. In the US, many people will rarely if ever use them and will not want to pay for them.
Funny thing is Canada gets ventilated seats that help cool down your body. In Florida, all we get are heated seats?:)
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Funny thing is Canada gets ventilated seats that help cool down your body. In Florida, all we get are heated seats?:)
Really, no cooled seats? That is a surprise. I guess they know we Canadians can't handle the heat. :)
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Actually, it looks like only the Elite/Advance models have the ventilated seats, both here and in the US. I'm looking forward to that in the summer :)
Any idea why these are not available for cars destined for the U.S. as opposed to CDA?


It helps us warm up faster once we leave our igloos in the morning. ;)
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Actually, it looks like only the Elite/Advance models have the ventilated seats, both here and in the US. I'm looking forward to that in the summer :)
I got the I4 Tech. They didn't offer advance in my flavor. :)
Like it or not, the bean counters make the decisions until there is a huge cry from the public or loss of sales that can be attributed to a specific feature (highly unlikely). The business model that Acura uses seems to be based on making the minimum number of variations and limiting the number of options, and no custom orders.

So currently there are six variations for the US and a similar number for Canada, all being different partly due to regulatory requirements. Then factor in the exterior and interior color combinations, again not the same for US and Canada. The variations would explode if options were then added, not even considering the configurations for other countries.

Do I like it? No. Would I like a system like Europe where everything can be customized? Yes. Do we pay less with this model? I think so. Overall, I can live with their model.
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Funny thing is Canada gets ventilated seats that help cool down your body. In Florida, all we get are heated seats?:)
A little bizarre...
If it helps: i think they are ventilated seats, not cooled...so we live with cabin temp not a/c...subtle point i am sure. Perhaps it keeps you from coming to a boil? :)
I'm presently seriously considering a TLX. This is one of the things that bothers me. For a car in this class (price) not to include a heated steering wheel, power steering wheel adjustment and power folding side mirrors as standard equipment, let alone not even being offered, tends to cheapen it. My 2005 Maxima came with these items standard. It won't be a factor in my final decision, but it does put me off a bit.
You'll need to move to Canada. The heated steering wheel and the power folding mirrors are offered in the Technology package on the Canadian models. I knew the heated steering wheel wasn't offered in the US, but I didn't realize the power mirrors weren't as well.
Welcome to the Forum!

I'm presently seriously considering a TLX. This is one of the things that bothers me. For a car in this class (price) not to include a heated steering wheel, power steering wheel adjustment and power folding side mirrors as standard equipment, let alone not even being offered, tends to cheapen it. My 2005 Maxima came with these items standard. It won't be a factor in my final decision, but it does put me off a bit.
Welcome to the Forum! I see this is your first post.

Glad you could join us.:)

When are you moving to Canada. :D
Thanks.

Actually, my daughter's a student at the Univ. @ Buffalo. The thought occurred to cross the border during a visit and purchasing an elite model in Canada (the heated windshield sounds nice too). Don't know if that's possible or what kind of taxes are involved.

I'm pretty sure you guys drive on the same side of the road as we do. :)

Acura should rethink this one. We do have winter in the US.
Certain manufacturers won't honor the warranty unless purchased by a resident of the country its purchased in. It was a big issue when the Cdn $ was worth more than the U.S. $. Cars have always been cheaper in the US so Cdns were looking at purchasing in the US. Only a handful of manufacturers will honor the warranty in this case. I don't believe Honda/Acura is one of them.

http://www.apa.ca/CanadianWarrantyinformationonnewcarsboughtintheUS.asp#Acura


You're going to have to move here. ;)
Thanks.

Actually, my daughter's a student at the Univ. @ Buffalo. The thought occurred to cross the border during a visit and purchasing an elite model in Canada (the heated windshield sounds nice too). Don't know if that's possible or what kind of taxes are involved.

I'm pretty sure you guys drive on the same side of the road as we do. :)

Acura should rethink this one. We do have winter in the US.
Just remember that the speedometer is in KPH and the Temps are measured in Celsius. :)
I understand Acura's decision to not include the Heated Steering wheel in the US Advance package, but why not make it available as an optional dealer add-on? They offer a Woodgrain look Steering Wheel, 2 different wheel options, Illuminated Door Sills, Fog Lights, Back-up Sensors, Remote Engine Start (some of these options are standard on the Advance package), so why not make the heated steering wheel available as an option too?

I got my V6 SH-AWD Advance a couple of weeks ago (ordered in August) and I can't think of any reason a Heated Steering Wheel is any different than the Woodgrain Steering Wheel, Illuminated Door Sills or Fog Lights, they all require electrical work, so it's not like these are just being sold as a cash-and-carry options. Why can't they just make the Heated Steering Wheel available as an option, like the Woodgrain Steering Wheel?

They're already manufacturing (or sourcing) them and I would doubt the wiring would be completely different between the US and CA models that it couldn't be adapted. I'd even be willing to order it from Canada and have my dealer install it if they would, but the last time I asked, they weren't willing to do it, they were concerned about warranty issues. Anyone have access to the wiring diagrams for the US and CA steering wheels?
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It was -25 F in Casper Wyoming this morning - why would they need a heated steering wheel or windshield? - it's not Canada!
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Just remember that the speedometer is in KPH and the Temps are measured in Celsius. :)
Don't forget that the tire pressure is in kPa up here. Nobody knows what a kilopascal is, but that's what Acura uses in Canada and we can't change it to psi.
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