Leather Interior 'kits'

[Nibbo]

Hi All

Just wondered what people make of these?

Are they a good quality? The seller seems to think these are effectively OEM.

Are they easy to fit; i.e. slip off the old cloth and then slip on the leather, or will there be stitching to do etc...?

Finally, are the saloon and the estate ones the same?

Opinions much appreciated as always.

TIA

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
You can buy similar directly from MB, I should,nt think you would need any stitching, but if it was me i would pay for someone to fit them professionally, as in my experience the covers can need a lot of manipulation to get them to fit right and wire clips and stays will break on removing the existing covers.
Estate rear seats are normally different to the Saloon, whilst the front seats are normally the same.

 

[Nibbo]

Hi,
You can buy similar directly from MB,

Thanks Andy, not sure of the MB price but these kits are going for about £50-£60.

Think I agree with the professional fitting bit though.

Cheers

 

[cleverdicky]

I got a set of these last week for my C180. Got the aventguard type, and came the next day. If you phone the guy he's really helpful and they do fittings as well as loadz of other stuff. Down near west country if same firm.

Had an old friend round at the weekend who know about yarns, leathers etc. and repairs rugs and tapestries for a living. He said leather was top notch and real. Excellent quality. Double stitched too.
Haven't fitted them yet, waiting for the warmer weather
Mind I did see a set for a discovery fetch nearly 500, so watch yourself if bidding.

 

[Mudster]

Damn these are good value for money.

What would a pro charge to fit a set? Is it a days work? Two days work?

 

[219]

I'm AMAZED how cheap these are ! Merc charge MUCH more just for a single cover for part of a seat . I've just enquired about cost/availability of a new set of covers for my W126 .

Fitting is not difficult - I've rebuilt seats from various cars : last year I rebuilt 2x W201 front seats in a couple of hours per seat .

Just today I rebuilt the drivers seat from my W126 to replace the base with broken springs with the base from a passenger seat found in a breakers yard . Removing seat from car , dismantling ( remove motorised base , separate backrest from base , remove runners , remove leather cover from base ) , then reassemble everything in reverse order and reinstall in car took me again a couple of hours .

Stripping the donor passenger seat from the car in the breakers and separating the backrest which I didn't need took only 15 minutes or so ( 4 bolts to unbolt seat from car + 1 bolt for seatbelt runner ) then 4 bolts to split backrest from base .

I'd expect it would take me a full day to recover a full interior . It can be a bit time consuming as there can be a lot of bolts to undo and electric seats need to be plugged back in and motored to and fro to gain access to some bolts part way through the process .

Removing/fitting covers is actually the easy part ! As long as you keep springs compressed they are quite easy to remove and refit - there are some locating pegs in places that need to be taken out first , but these are easy to spot too .

I previously posted a pictorial 'how to' in the W201 section of the Mercedes-benz Club forum , including conversion to orthopaedic front seats .

Personally , I wouldn't pay someone to do this job when I could do it myself in a day , certainly over a weekend , without any difficulty .

 

[SilverSaloon]

i've enquired about R107 - hopefully he can do the size/pattern

 

[Nibbo]

Thanks for the replies guy's. Keep us posted as to the results of your enquiries.

 

[compress ignite]

Leather Seat Covers

cleverdicky,

'Have you the Telephone Number?

Thanks!

 

[cleverdicky]

01206 211682

-dkschweizer

 

[Carpet]

Hi has there been anymore news about this? I'd been looking at the coupe kit and have called DK twice for a fitting costs with no reply.

There's a good thread on these kits on a UK Skoda forum. They do look good.

I know that for Seat, this company supply the "Official" aftermarket leather kits for the cars that don't come with leather as an option. They're sold and fitted by the dealers in some EU countries.

 

[The Dent Guy]

..... I'd been looking at the coupe kit and have called DK twice for a fitting costs with no reply........

Is that "SportCoupe"?

Do they supply perforated centre panels?

And two tone leather?

If so, i might go for this below.

 

[Dodge]

WOW!

Excellent value, I had my interior retrimmed on my old TT Supra, that cost £1400 5 years ago. Mind you it was a bit special, but even so great value.

 

[cleverdicky]

I've fitted mine now, though only the seats so far. Theres other paterns for doors etc, and a few 'odd bits' I dont no where they go. I must say, STUNNING and best quality I could have ever expected. Have absolutly no regrets buying them. I put avent gard covers and fit perfect. Though a word of warning.
I'm no seamstress and have never done upholstery but did re cover seats in an old ford 20yrs ago so had an idea what to expect.

Some tips for fitting.
Take each seat out to fit. MUST.
All plastic clips on to wires through sponge so be careful. Bugger to unclip. Use a screwdriver and gently tease each clip off.
Head rest guides VERY difficult to remove at first. Good torch. Look for spring clip inside hole and lever in, pull guide out.
Finish each seat and feel for holes for head rest guides. Then use a thin screwdriver to make sure ! Use instinct and judgment. DO NOT CUT HOLES WHERE MARKINGS ARE.
Dont rush, expect minimum a couple hours for each seat. (took me a week @ couple hours each day!)
Expect to make a mess and do indoors on old carpet somewhere quiet. Def' no kids or pets.
You will need tools like long nose pliers etc.
After doing one and see how its done you will develop a knack for clips, edging etc.
Look carefully how the originals are done.
Some bits seem impossible. Hardest for me was head rests and arm rest. Felt like trying to squeeze a basket ball inside a condom (least I was used to that ! )
I personally have never been so exhausted in my life after doing these. My hands and arms still ache now, but I'd say still worth it.

 

[Nibbo]

Any chance of a little piccy cleverdicky?

 

[Carpet]

RE: The clips and the needle nosed plier, I've seen several people elsewhere insist that you own a pair of hog clip pliers.

One of my rear covers has a habit of unclipping itself and I was putting it back on the other day but couldn't see any of these hog ring, just the black plastic strip than runs around the edge opf the trim. Are the front seat covers held on by rings and are there any clips within the seat cover away from the edge?

Did DK give you a price for them to fit?

 

[cleverdicky]

No price but I suspect a lot more than they cost. Besides I wanted to do them. Wierd I know, but just the satisfaction.
I've heard of hog clip pliers, like some sort of tool that pulls wires through. But I don't have or no where to get. After having a go I cant imagine doing it any other way anyway. Each pattern of a seat has a wire thread inside a long loop of material. Where the clips are to go I carefully sliced a piece under the wire so the clip was able to hook on. This gives the 'pulled in' look. The edging has a plastic strip you need to tug like mad and tease the plastic over so it slips on. If you dont get the whole length it will shrink back off lose.
Sadly no pictures. I did think at the time and gutted I couldn't. Phone (camera) died a couple of weeks ago and haven't replaced it yet. I'll take some of the fineshed job once I replace it.

 

[lynall]

I had all the covers off my drivers seat to replace the heater elements and never needed hog ring pliers.
Loads on e bay.

Lynall

 

[cleverdicky]

Guys, dont know who's got what car but the same firm / guy is selling another batch on ebay. Here's one link to the same set I got. There's plenty more, at least you'll have the details and chance to browse 'sellers other items'

Mercedes C Class (W203) saloon 04MY Leather Kit New on eBay (end time 13-Sep-09 21:00:00 BST)
current bid is just 30 quid !

 

[117]

Hi guys,

have just received a DK Schweizer kit for my 2003 c class coupe, and started to fit, however I have encountered a problem with the fitting. The plastic clip that runs around almost the whole length of the cloth cover on the rear bench seat and clips it to the metal frame and seemingly pulls it tight is not present on the new cover.

I have 2 questions

Will I need to transfer this plastic strip to the new cover, and if so how as the stitching to attach looks tiny!

Also is this kind of strip present on the front seats also?

Cheers guys.