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I picked up a used vinyl bench seat for my work truck. The vinyl is cracked and there's 2 small holes, the size of a quarter, that expose the seat bun.
Since this is for a beater work truck, it doesn't have to be pretty, but I do want to make the seat better. I was thinking....don't they make a repair kit for vinyl seat covers with holes in them?
Also is there anything on the market that I can apply to the seat vinyl that will make it soft again and not crack due to drying out?
Also is there anything on the market that I can apply to the seat vinyl that will make it soft again and not crack due to drying out?
Yes. It's called a seat cover.
Vinyl repair kits aren't going to hold up to butts plopping on the seat. Add to that extreme changes in temp and humidity, and it's only a matter of time before those repairs look worse than the hole they're supposed to fix.
I'd buy a nice seat cover, or if you want to really make it right, have the seat reupholstered.
While it's out of the truck, you might want to at least get a bid from an upholstery shop to do a simple re-cover in Naugahyde or similar. As has been posted, the vinyl has been damaged by sun and maybe ozone exposure, the material itself has failed in some places, unlikely you can repair it to any practical extent.
Even if the truck is a work truck and a beater, it's your bum that will be in that seat.
If it was already in the truck I would go with a seat cover, but since it's not in the truck, no downtime to do this right. Assuming you can find a good shop that will do what you want for a reasonable price...
Ok. Well I guess I could throw on a cheesy seat cover. It has had one on it for some time now until I removed it since it was ripped. In fact the seat itself is 26 years old and is in better shape than the 20 year old seat it's replacing.
I was almost certain they had something out there that fixed tears in vinyl. Guess not. Oh well.
I doubt an upholstery shop is going to fix it any cheaper than the $200 DIY kit.
...do a simple re-cover in Naugahyde or similar...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SAVE THE NAUGHAS!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Deez Nuttz
Ok. Well I guess I could throw on a cheesy seat cover. It has had one on it for some time now until I removed it since it was ripped. In fact the seat itself is 26 years old and is in better shape than the 20 year old seat it's replacing.
I was almost certain they had something out there that fixed tears in vinyl. Guess not. Oh well.
I doubt an upholstery shop is going to fix it any cheaper than the $200 DIY kit.
A shop isn't going to fix 20 year old vinyl. They've never be able to match up the color of the old vinyl, so they can't replace worn panels.
There are better quality seat covers than the stuff seen at Auto Zone or Walmart,
It's about like welding on a part that's got a bad case of metal fatigue - the weld may be sound and hold, but the rest of the part ain't, and won't.
LMC's kit - let us know how that works out. If you essentially re-skin the seat, you should be fine. Assuming the padding and foam, and the springs, are in good shape.
I'd still call around and get a couple of prices - at worst you will waste a few minutes, at best you may find a shop that will do it up better than you can (assuming you have no upholstery experience) for about the same money.
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