Seat reupholster - how much ?

[rfuerst911sc]

So now that I have completed my 3.8 engine build for my 99 996 C4 I need to repair the interior . Mainly the front two seats . Currently the interior is plain grey vinyl seats . I have black herringbone Coco mats so planning on a black/grey theme .

So I am thinking about black centers with grey bolsters/headrest OR black/grey/white plaid cloth centers and grey bolsters and headrests . I will also have the rear seats done so they match . Any ideas on what a shop will charge to make the covers and install ? I think I would stay with vinyl but not ruling out leather .

Just a weekend toy so doesn't need to be concours finish but I want it to look and wear good . I have a local shop ( 45 minute drive ) that I am going to visit but I would like a ballpark price before heading there .

[911 Rod]

Not cheap. We are talking 2 or 3 grand I would think. I've spent $500 just getting leather bolsters replaced.
Best bet is finding premade covers and have a shop to do the install. Katzkin does not do Porsche unfortunately.

[Scott Douglas]

My brother had these seats rebuilt from some that didn't look nearly as nice.
It ran in the $3k range.
I'm gonna say for a non-Porsche only shop you'll probably drop about $2k for fronts and backs in vinyl.

I could be wrong though.

[Superman]

There are one or two manufacturers of seat kits which are thought to make good products. In leather. Fairly reasonable, last time I checked. But then there is the problem of finding someone who can and will install them. My sport seats are (from memory) from the seventies. There are two generations of sport seats that could have come on a 911SC, I think, and mine are the earlier ones. They look a bit "heavier" than the later (Carrera-era) sport seat designs. Anyhoo....according to my research, my seats would need to be substantially disassembled in order to install the seat kits, and the mechanisms which must be disassembled are not simple to reassemble unless you pay great attention to their configuration during disassembly -or- the installer has substantial experience -or- BOTH. That said, an experienced, careful upholstery person could likely install those seat kits with relative ease.

[Superman]

World Upholstery
GAHH

These are the two seat kit vendors that come up. World Upholstery would be my pick. It looks like a leather seat kit for my car would be $1495 per pair.

[jyl]

I know someone who recovered E28 sport seats with a similar leather kit. It was a fair bit of work but not rocket science, and the results were good.

[OK-944]

I did these awhile ago for my '87NA 944 - with vinyl skins from Only944 (sourced from a manufacturer in Calif. using "Porsche Spec" vinyl)...costing under 400.00 for the pair. The process did entail lots of very tedious/careful work - which could not be rushed. Took me about 36 hours total I'd guess. At any rate...here is a "before" image, with the new skins in the foreground:


And after I'd finished...prior to using a hair dryer for a bit of touch up on a few minor wrinkles:


At any rate...the seats are holding up well.

[rfuerst911sc]

Yeah I figured at least 2k for a pro to do it . I have recovered one pair of seats in my lifetime . That was for a 944S I owned . It was a vinyl kit from a company called Inland Imports in California . Like most of you know it's just a lot of tugging/pulling/stretching . I used heavy duty zip ties and it came out great .

There is a company called Lseat I think they are in Texas . For around $600.00 you get a pair of leather front covers including an embossed Porsche logo . Reviews seem to be very good . I may need to revisit their website .

[mistertate]

What about Lseat.com?
Seen a few threads on them

[stevej37]

I did mine with a kit from ebay...lots of work, but it turned out fine.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by mistertate

What about Lseat.com?
Seen a few threads on them

Yeah I mentioned them above . I may go that route .

[stevej37]

I had to use the hog-ring pliers for mine.

[sc_rufctr]

Make sure you don't punch yourself in the eye installing new seat covers like I did.

[RANDY P]

I'm averaging about 250 per front seat for labor, done it 2x - on a Corvette and an Acura.

[sc_rufctr]

Posted just because. This car was shipped over from the US to have the interior re-trimmed.

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

I'm averaging about 250 per front seat for labor, done it 2x - on a Corvette and an Acura.

Where are you located ?

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Make sure you don't punch yourself in the eye installing new seat covers like I did.

That hurts just reading that ! Hope you are ok .

[ADDvanced]

I paid $800, but they reused half of the original covers, and just replaced the centers and seating surfaces, and bolsters. Sides/rear of seat are still original vinyl.

[KNS]

Gives one an idea of how ridiculously expensive upholstery is here in the US if it's more cost effective to ship your car overseas for the job.

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Posted just because. This car was shipped over from the US to have the interior re-trimmed.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

That hurts just reading that ! Hope you are ok .

In the end I was OK but I scratched my cornea. The pain was just incredible. I drove myself to hospital and felt really sorry for myself as I shuffled to casualty. At that time I didn't have a GF and lived on my own. It gave me a taste of what it would be like to be old and alone. Not cool...

Anyway here are some photos of the seats. The one on the left has been recovered with good second hand covers I bought on EBay (The color match looks much better IRL and this is the one I had an accident with). Total cost for the covers was around $320 AUD including shipping from the US. The seat on the right is OK for now. The rear seat is in much better shape.



The "new" seat base before I steamed and treated the leather.