I did a search for this on this forum and the Turbo Forum with no luck.

As many of you know I'm going to be in the market for a 993 Coupe in the next few months and I've been spending the last couple of months extensively researching these cars. My goal is to have a weekend toy and Concours car when it's all said and done.

I've been perusing several 993 adverts (30K miles or less) and I've been noting major differences in the interior wear and tear from one car to another. Carpets in most cars look good and can be restored to new condition but some of the leather seats look beat. I've seen cracking, scuffs and stretching on many cars while others look new. I know leather condition is highly dependant on the previous owners maintenance but I'm surprised to see so much wear on a low mileage car.

Getting to the point, am I better off spending the extra buying a car with a prestine interior or can the leather seat covers be replaced without significant cost? Has anyone replaced the seat covers and can you provide a summary of the installation procedure (or point me to a thread) and cost? Are the seat covers available seperately or do you need to purchase the entire seat? Would a product like Leatherique restore the leather or will cracks be permanent. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Here's a shot of a 993 with 24K miles, note the wear on the drivers bolsters

 

Vic thank you for the information. I will definitely have to investigate Sureflex when the time comes.

From the looks of the seat in the picture do you think Sureflex can restore it?This type of wear seems to be typical for about 50% of the 993's I've seen.

 

Or you could just buy my seats? Mine are supple leather to boot.

 

The Surflex system offered by Color-Plus is a nice product. You send them a sample of your leather interior for them to match the color, and for the most part they come danged close (I have the light grey interior - don't ask me the technical name). I had some wear through the colored part of the leather on the outside seat back bolster and used it to patch the wear area. One problem I noticed is that you lose the leather surface texure when you use it (coloring is applied like paint with a touch-up brush). Car is not a concours queen so I don't mind; definitely improved the looks from what existed before.

On the Sport seats on the Audi A4 I used a vinyl/leather repair kit on the black leather seats. This is more like a thick liquid coloring/filler which you apply with a tootpick or thin screwdriver, then place a interface liner on top that has a leather pattern (you choose one that best matches your leather pattern), then apply some heat to the top of the interface liner like you're ironing (I used a soldering iron with a wide tip). This heats and cures the coloring/filler. You then pull off the heat and the interface liner, and if the filler has dried you're done. This also works pretty well. With this stuff, you get vials with different colors, and if you need to you can mix your own color to match your interior.

 

A bit off topic, but excessive wear on leather seats may also be indicative of a car not showing correct mileage. It's very easy to alter the mileage on these things.

 

Are they heated? What color and how much?

 

I think driver weight (and maybe even age?) could have something to do with the wear...

For example: I'm only 147 pounds and do not 'fall into' my seat but sit in them. I noticed my dad (62) has a tendancy to 'fall into' the seat.. but he is only 165 puonds...

Anyway, I sent you a PM... we have 2 sets of black leather front seats for sale (one mint like new condition, one some more show of wear but very good condition also)

 

Thank you for the replies everyone.

I'm curious now to know if Colorplus offers a method of adding the texture to their coating to improve the match. Buying an entirely "like" new seat is also a possibility so long as the seat is identical to the existing and not too pricey. I guess I'm particular about keeping certains things, like seats, in stock form. Would be interesting to know how much an entire seat goes for. Keep in mind I don't have a 993 yet and have no idea what I will end up with. I'm still shooting for Cashmere interior but black seems to be prevalent.

TamiyaGuy I also thought the same thing and any car I look at will have a full background check including Carfax, Porsche warranty history and maintenance records. If the three match up I have to assume the PO was a bit tough on the car. A PPI will also be done to insure the rest of the car checks out.

 

At the risk of not helping, the picture of the bolsters looks pretty darn good compared with about 90% of the other Porsche, same-vintage seats.....