Re-upholstering seats, how much?

biosurfer1 · 10-05-2003, 02:09 PM

my seats are about ready to be re-upholstered. how much is this usually? actually the only parts that are in bad condition are the leather(?) sides, rips and so forth. can they replace the original material or will they have to go with cloth?

thanks for the help

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Materials are cheap, labor is high. I had just the inserts redone on mine here in San Diego and the cost was $200.

And now I'm having my 911 repainted, interior re-installed, windows oulled out and re-installed, a new trunk board made and have the A/C serviced...all for $1200.

Of course, that is being done in Mexico....

biosurfer1 · 10-05-2003, 02:51 PM

mexico huh? is this the first time you've had stuff done in mexico? how is the worksmanship? i would assume there isnt much of a warrenty?

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Nope. No warranty. They live on their reputation. I had several reccomendations for the shop I picked.

James

914GT · 10-05-2003, 03:23 PM

A shop here in Tucson is doing both my seats for $350. That includes all new materials and new foam where it's ragged-out. I'm going with vinyl on the sides & headrest (that's the original material on the 914 seats), and cloth on the seat cushions. The cloth looks very close to the original German vinyl pattern found on the cushions and door panels. There's no way I'm putting black vinyl back on those seat cushions as hot as it gets here. You'd be surprised at some of the vinyl materials now, some feel and look nearly identical to leather, and actually hold up better in the heat.

I forgot to mention, the $350 also includes the center console padded cover.

Biggy72 · Biggy72's Garage

I'm relatively sure that some places will do it for cheaper than that. I had the bench seat in my truck done for 200 and the carept done for another 75. That looks alot more complicated than the seats in these cars.

914GT · 10-05-2003, 03:36 PM

I know you can find places that will do it cheaper, however the place I went to does a lot of excellent quality classic car work and they have a great reputation. But I could have taken the seats to Nogales, Mexico and probably got them done for half that price. But if the stitches pulled apart a week later I'd be pissed.

Amark · 10-05-2003, 03:48 PM

Guy,

What shop is doing your seats?

I had mine done by a shop over in Midway Business Park on Speedway. They also re-upholstered my dash pad and dash face. Used a vinyl that is flat black with very little grain, almost looks like leather. I went with black cloth on the seat cushions from a 95 Mustang. Black vinyl seats don't work very well out here.

I talked to Jason (AZ914) a couple of weeks ago. He said he has seen your car and was telling me how nice it is. I guess we are on the same side of town, I am at Pantano & Wrightstown.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Usually, the quality in Mexico is excellent. Again, these guys live on thier reputation. The price of labor makes these places less expensive, not a cut in quality.

James

M. Hendrix · 10-05-2003, 04:20 PM

I wish I was where you are.

M

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

What you talking about Miles. The Southern Boarder is real close for you too!

914GT · 10-05-2003, 06:27 PM

James, I didn't intend to imply they do poor quality work in Mexico, I've seen some really nice upholstery work done across the border. I just didn't want to drive 90 min. to Mexico without knowing a reputable shop and instead decided to pay more to a business across town that had some recommendations.

Mark, I took mine to J & F Auto Upholstery on S. 12th Ave. My brother-in-law who works for Tucson Fire Dept. said the guys in the dept. had a lot of work done over there. For my vinyl I picked the leather-like stuff with a grain almost identical to the original. Hey you live about 5 minutes from my place - I'm near Broadway & Houghton. You'll have to come out sometime, it'll be awhile before I can drive mine but at least it looks like a car from the outside.

Amark · 10-05-2003, 06:43 PM

Guy, I would like to come out some time to see your car & the famous spray booth.

914GT · 10-05-2003, 08:40 PM

Mark - you mean my 'queso rico' paint booth? The outdoor sign for the SW dairy farmers association, in Spanish, made a pretty good spray booth. Pictures of cows, cheese, and green chiles decorate my garage. No wonder I'm always hungry when I'm working out there. Drop me an email and let me know when you want to come out.

fetus · fetus's Garage

I just paid $200.00 a piece at Geisens in Laguna Hills. I did find another shop that would of charged me $350.00 for both in Costa Mesa.
Ahwell...

Steve

Biggy72 · Biggy72's Garage

boy the shop I go to is a lot cheaper, and he does really nice work, but that's clear up here in washington.

sammyg2 · 10-06-2003, 06:34 AM

I bought the materials from world upholstery and did the seats myself.
Factory look, relatively cheap, and not that hard really if you take your time.

krk · 10-06-2003, 09:05 AM

It too did the kit form -- bought the kit from Automotion (ok, it was a while ago). Like Sammy said, it's not that hard. I spent a lot of time on the first seat (you use glue, so I wanted to be very sure I understood how it all went together before applying glue to things). The second seat was a snap, and the results were totally factory. I have no recollection what the kit cost. Don't forget to add $3 for the glue. lol.

kim.

biosurfer1 · 10-06-2003, 09:10 AM

i just checked and the kit is 175 per seat...for that much, i'd rather have some place do it...would be good experience though

robphelan · 10-06-2003, 11:15 AM

I paid $250 for the seat kits at world upholstery a couple of years ago and had a local shop put it all together for $100. I'm not in Mexico, but close enuff.