no lights, just warming seats.
Don't know how long it takes as i haven't got mine yet, but i think it's a bit gradual.
Apparently they are not very robust and frequently fail, although this is just hearsay.
When i test drove my vr6 the drivers seat had been on no. 5 for a while and when i sat in it, it was uncomfortably warm. I was beggining to wonder if i had wet myself.