Mark944na86

So: What is the procedure to strip the leather cover off a seat, do a repair to some stitching that has separated, and then getting the repaired seat leather back on the seat? Has anyone done this?

A local leather upholsterer quoted me $200 to remove the seat cover, do the repair, and reinstall. I suspect given the small amout of repair work required, all the work is in the removal and reinstallation. So what is involved? Is this difficult?

bulldog24

Depends on your patience and skill with the hogring pliers. It's not that difficult to strip them and get them back on. I would think the stitching is more of a specialized skill.

rickb20

If you decide to tackle this you're probably not going to be able to get the seat covers off without ripping the seams a bit more if they have shrunk (as most of our seats do) over time.

I would thoroughly treat the leather in an attempt soften it so that removal/replacement is easier.

If you decide to take it to the installer see if he'll knock half off the price if you bring the covers already removed from the seats for him to repair and reinstall.

KuHL 951

If you can warm up the seats first they will come off much easier. Even a heat lamp in a large cardboard box helps. I also suggest your shop install a nylon binding tape over the repaired seam or it will tear again, Porsche should have done it originally. When you reinstall the covers, dust the foam plugs with talcum powder first and they will slide back on much easier. I think the key to getting them back on right is slipping your hand under the covers anywhere they look like they are wrinkled or cockeyed. Do it right before you hog ring them or they will always shift at the edge of the bolsters. Sometimes you can 'massage' the covers to re-shift the foam after they are installed.

catamax944

I agree,only problem i see is putting those wire rings back on.Here are some pics of mine,it had aprox. a 3 inch tear in the bolster(not separated stitching),did it myself in about 3 hours.

Mark944na86

Looks like a good repair!

So what's this about "wire rings" and "hog ring pliers". What wire rings are we talking about, and what do hog ring pliers look like? Be kind, I'm a city boy...

JohnKoaWood

available from

http://www.garysupholstery.com/toolprices.html#pliers

apierce918

you can get hog ring pliers at ACE hardware for like $10

Mark944na86

OK, assuming I can hog rings and hog ring pliers from an upholstery supply or wherever, what do these have to do with removing and reinstalling the seat covers?

catamax944

The upholstery is held on to the seat frame with those rings.Open up your seat and everything will be clear to you.

ELLSSUU

I'm totally redoing a set of Sports Seats right now. Honestly, $200 sounds like a bargain to have the covers taken off, sewn and re-installed.

Grandpa#3

+1 on applying leather conditioner. Buy a can of LEXOL leather conditioner. Rub it into the leather and let it soak in for a while and then wipe off excess. Let dry for 24 hours and apply another coat of conditioner and do the same as before. This should help prevent any more tears while removing the seat covers and make them supple once more.

Cheers,
Larry

catamax944

What about vinyl ,i have another set of seats that i have to fix soon and the vinyl is rock hard,they sat in the sun a long time?

Mark944na86

The sewing involved is trivial -- we are talking about 1" of seam separation. The cost is all in getting the covers on and off. Do you think that $200 is good value for just the hassle of removal and reinstallntion?

I've got some leatherique products on the way, so I can give the covers a good conditioning before attempting removal. I'm wondering whether I should forget about it, if it's that much hassle -- which is why I was asking about the procedure in the first place.

Is there a write-up anywhere that anyone can point to?

ELLSSUU

courtesy of Rennbay

http://www.rennbay.com/944seatstutorial.html

You've got an advantage as your seat covers are already fitted to your seat over the car's age. The one's I'm working with are virgin leather and probably takes a little more patience to make it work.