Wagan IN9438 12V Heated Seat Cushion with Lumbar Support (Black Velour)

Before purchasing I read the reviews here, noting several complaining about the frailty of the 12 volt power plug. I purchased this model in November 2011. I also purchased this model: Wagan IN9738-5 12-Volt Heated Seat Cushion for a few dollars less. Each item is installed in a different car and gets routine use here in the chilly state of Michigan. So far, we've experienced no issues with the power plugs on either of the cushions. This model ('velour' material) does feel a bit nicer to the hand, but that's the only difference other than the shape and size of the cushions.

The switch for Off-Low-High is the same for each model and works fine and seems durable. I suppose if it were to get jammed somewhere near the seat rail of the car seat, it could be damaged when sliding the seat back and forth, but that hasn't happened to us. If your car has the type of 12 volt power outlet that automatically goes off when the car is shut off, you don't have to worry about the cushion accidentally draining your battery. One of my cars is like this. In the other car, we must remember to either shut off the seat, or unplug it. Not really a big deal, and the plug seems durable enough to stand up to repeated unplug/plug-in use.

The low setting is all we've used so far, and that's been warm enough. Maybe in January and February we'll need the High setting. With these cushions, we've found we don't need to have the heater blowing on High or even Medium. On long trips, we can take off our heavy coats and be a bit more comfortable.

As for the lumbar support in this model...with the bulky clothing we wear in the cold months, I can't say I notice it. Alternatively, maybe I don't notice it because of the differences between the seats in the two cars.

Neither of our cars came with heated seats and these products are the next best thing to the factory option. I believe they are worth their current prices even if they only last one winter, but I don't foresee that being the case.

Bought it for my wife and she loves it. But there are a couple issues. First and most important is that it does not have an automatic shut off. Twice we went out the next morning and had a dead battery. The other is that our Suburban has a seat mounted seat belt and an arm rest so the back straps don't hold the cushion in place. We have solved this by using upholstery "twist pins"

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These work wonderfully. I bought two for my 3000 mile drive across the country and they keep you warm without ever feeling like you are on fire. And the very best part for absent minded folks like myself is that they automatically turn off when you turn the car off so you can't drain your battery!

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I bought 4 of these for family Christmas gifts after we purchased a new car with heated seats. These work the same way and each family member has been VERY pleased with the performance. My next purchase will be 2 more for the back seat in my car. Unless you have cold feet, a heated seat can be more comfortable than having the car heating system on. And for long trips the extra lumbar support with heat is a "back-saver."

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This is a nice seat cushion. It is more comfortable (and fits the contours of a modern bucket seat better) than the other (Wagan IN9738-5) seat cover we have in our cars.

The lumbar support is decent but minimal. It's a soft lumbar pad slightly thicker than the padding on the rest of the cushion. It won't really help much if your seat lacks lumbar support, but it won't hurt, and is nice to have. My car has sufficient lumbar support, and the addition of this pad doesn't make it too much--just an extra, nice cushy feel in the small of my back.

As other reviews have mentioned, the bottom straps are...difficult. There will most likely be no appropriate items for you to fasten the 4 little straps (with clips on the end) to. The little elastic straps are just not long enough. An easy solution is to tie strands of cord or twine to appropriate fixation points on the bottom of your seat, and then tie or clip the pad's little straps to your cords, adjusting cord lengths as necessary. One of the cheap plastic clips broke in half (it was not abused by me) while I was installing it, but it was not needed, as I just tied the cord to the elastic strap instead. The missing star in my rating is for the cheap clips and the poorly designed straps on the bottom cushion.

By the way, if memory serves me correctly, somebody noted that only the back (or bottom?) provided heat. Their cushion must have been defective. In my unit, heat is evenly distributed throughout the back and bottom cushions.

By the way, don't be stupid like I was and plug this into your cheap multi-port 12v adapter without checking to see if the adapter's fuse is robust enough to handle the load. Fried my cheap little sub-$5 2-port adapter instantly. Just gave me an opportunity to upgrade, I guess.

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