Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My late 90s Camry is still purring like a kitten.... but now I finally have a tear in the leather on the driver's side. I'm seeing leather repair kits on-line, but I just don't know if I am up to all that work.
I've considered covering it with clear Gorilla tape and then putting on a seat cover.
Curious if anyone has actually used a kit- and is it as hard as it looks? Would my other idea work?
I cannot give this car up just for a seat tear. I found a website that searches salvage lots around the country and it seems there may be some seats available.. but no idea on the cost - probably a lot I'm guessing.
Have you looked into an auto upholstery shop near you? If the seats are in good condition I'd have the shop do a matching repair. It would be worth it.
Have you looked into an auto upholstery shop near you? If the seats are in good condition I'd have the shop do a matching repair. It would be worth it.
Thanks ...I should look into this... they might just have to replace a couple of panels.
The rest of the seats look brand new- its just the driver's seat that is worn.
Have you looked into an auto upholstery shop near you? If the seats are in good condition I'd have the shop do a matching repair. It would be worth it.
Correct. Thank you.
Sometimes an automotive upholstery shop is difficult to find depending on where you live.
A good one can repair the leather seat. Or obtain a complete new leather material.
They take the entire seat out, remove the leather, and put new leather on.
Make sure the leather is same kind - there is dimple leather and smooth leather.
Some will make the replacement leather seat cover in shop and many others just buy the leather seat cover from a wholesaler.
You have to triple check that you are getting an exact replacement.
Last I checked cost was around $350.00 for one seat - replacement leather seat cover.
If it is the bolsters that have torn (the sort of raised sides that you slide across when getting in and out), they are most likely not leather. Very few "leather" interiors are entirely or even mostly leather. Normally, you have leather inserts on the parts you touch (seat and back) and the rest is made of more durable pleather (vinyl, synthetic leather, cultured leather - all sorts of fancy names for it, it is vinyl). If the tear is in the vinyl part, it may make sense to glue of tape it. Vinyl does nto sew well, so all they can do is glue on a patch, or replace it altogether.
You can get "leather" replacement seat shells (not just a "cover" you remove the old shell and replace it entirely) for about $800 - $1000. Or you can get 100% leather replacements for about $3000 - $6000. This is a very heavy leather. Better than what the manufacturers usually use (especially on inexpensive cars) and can last as long or longer than pleather. The original leather is thing, poorly grained and may not hold up as well as the pleather. However the pleather is usually used on the parts, like bolsters, that get a lot of abuse, or on less visible parts like the back side of the seats.
However using real leather on the bolsters, and back side of the seat, head rests, etc is not very sensible.
The advantage of doing the work yourself is you can put more money into better quality and less into the profits, advertising, insurance, rent, utilities, tools, administrative costs etc that an upholstery shop must charge you. A complete replacement is pretty easy. May take more than a weekend with some cars, but you get a better than original product installing with loving care and attention to detail you will not get from a stranger.
My late 90s Camry is still purring like a kitten.... but now I finally have a tear in the leather on the driver's side. I'm seeing leather repair kits on-line, but I just don't know if I am up to all that work.
I've considered covering it with clear Gorilla tape and then putting on a seat cover.
Curious if anyone has actually used a kit- and is it as hard as it looks? Would my other idea work?
I cannot give this car up just for a seat tear. I found a website that searches salvage lots around the country and it seems there may be some seats available.. but no idea on the cost - probably a lot I'm guessing.
I'm so sad!! Any ideas appreciated
I'd do the gorilla tape and seat cover until you decide.
Call around to some upholstery shops and ask if they can replace panel(s) in leather seats. Most of the time the seat covers come off all the way and they can stitch in new panels where the damaged areas are. It's not always an EXACT match, but usually pretty good. Much better than most of the repair kits, and definitely better than gorilla tape.
Local upholstery shop will get you in and out for $300-$400. They will replace the entire seat cushion (bottom) leather with either a custom made cover, or an original or aftermarket (depending on what, if any, is available). It will match, be done in one day, and you won't have to worry about doing anything yourself, which is not easy sometimes with stretching covers over seats. And if necessary, they will likely throw in new bolsters or any foam underneath which is deteriorating.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
