Re-upholster seats?

[Pitts Pilot]

I love my SL R230, but the seats are crippling both my wife and me on long journeys.

Seat comfort is a personal thing as some swear their car seats are as comfy as a sofa, whilst at the other extreme others need physiotherapy after a long run. Unfortunately, I fall in to the latter category

Having tried various types of extra foam supports, etc, can anyone recommend someone who does car seat upholstery?

I need a professional to look at the problem, and probably re-pad the seats with extra foam, etc, just to suit my particular backside! (and my wife’s ).

Thanks

 

[Ian Donkin]

I had a guy called Gary recover some seats for me in leather and I was very fussy / specific about the leather not sagging as is often the case...

Not only was his work of extremely high quality, but the leather hasn't sagged either in 12,000 miles of driving so I'd be happy to recommend him.

He even came and removed the seats, re-trimmed them and re-installed whilst I was on holiday and the price was very reasonable too - he's inside the M25 so probably good for your London location as well.

AutoLounge: All The Comforts of Home - Mobile | Contact

I hope this helps

 

[whitenemesis]

I can heartily recommend d:class, Dave there retrimmed my seats. Fantastic job and still looking fresh!

 

[developer]

Aren't forums ace?

 

[219]

You might need more than reupholstery of the existing seats .

Aftermarket seats , from specialist manufacturers such as Recaro might be the answer ; they also have orthopaedic seats in their range .

The advantage of fitting different seats would be that you can store the original seats and put them back when the time comes to sell your car , keeping the new seats for your next car .

One member , DRUK on here , has fitted SAAB seats to his SL for similar issues .

 

[Pitts Pilot]

I can heartily recommend d:class, Dave there retrimmed my seats. Fantastic job and still looking fresh!

I had recently found the d class web site and it seemed to be professional enough, although I had no idea what the quality of their work was.

Thanks, I'll take the car to them and ask for some advice

 

[Pitts Pilot]

Aren't forums ace?

Can't live without them

 

[Pitts Pilot]

You might need more than reupholstery of the existing seats .

Aftermarket seats , from specialist manufacturers such as Recaro might be the answer ; they also have orthopaedic seats in their range .

The advantage of fitting different seats would be that you can store the original seats and put them back when the time comes to sell your car , keeping the new seats for your next car .

One member , DRUK on here , has fitted SAAB seats to his SL for similar issues .

I was wondering whether just reupholstering would be enough, so your comments are spot on.

I suspect that I might need some "re-shaping" done to the seats, and obviously that's getting quite involved.

So I'll try d class, and if they say "no hope" or words to that effect, I'll consider going down the replacement seat route.

Thanks

 

[Pitts Pilot]

I've just had a look at the AutoLounge web site, and I'll give them a call on Wednesday and found out what they really mean by "re-trimming"!

Is it ‘surface trim’ or can they reshape and re-pad a seat. I’ll enquire...

Thanks for the advice

 

[Ian Donkin]

I've just had a look at the AutoLounge web site, and I'll give them a call on Wednesday and found out what they really mean by "re-trimming"!

Is it ‘surface trim’ or can they reshape and re-pad a seat. I’ll enquire...

Thanks for the advice

I've seen Gary make entirely new new seat bases and he added padding to mine when he covered them in leather (as part of his 'anti-sagging' process) - you can have pretty much what you want.

 

[haggis2768]

Buy an old citroen cx! comfiest seats ever!!

 

[Pitts Pilot]

I've seen Gary make entirely new new seat bases and he added padding to mine when he covered them in leather (as part of his 'anti-sagging' process) - you can have pretty much what you want.

That's very good news. Perhaps I won't have to buy new seats after all.

Can you remember, roughly, what he charged, and for what? (I'm assuming 2 seats for instance?).

Thanks

 

[Pitts Pilot]

Buy an old citroen cx! comfiest seats ever!!

Substantial funds have been put on standby

 

[Ian Donkin]

That's very good news. Perhaps I won't have to buy new seats after all.

Can you remember, roughly, what he charged, and for what? (I'm assuming 2 seats for instance?).

Thanks

I had two seats stripped and recovered to my choice of design with seat heating pads added also... The hide was about £220 and the heating elements £70 with the total job (these included) coming out at £525 or thereabouts.

As he works mobile / from a shed (quite literally) in his back garden, I don't think he has to carry the overheads that many do and this is reflected in his prices. He does however have all the right equipment (industrial sewing machine), has been doing this for years and years and I don't think his work can be bettered.

Please let me know how you get on.

 

[Newera]

Look up Tony Archer on Google to hear what people have to say about his work. Never seen a bad thing said.
http://www.tonyarcher.co.uk/

He usually does motorbike seat recovering, but has done a lot of classic car interiors and the like too. Knows how to work with gel padding too.
I paid 85 quid to have a bike seat re-foamed to add more support and covered in a mix of leather and suede and that [rice included the return postage!

Retrimming needn't be crazy expensive. He's fairly busy, but does a lovely job.