This will be my first DIY, hope you enjoy.
HOW TO:
Reupholstering the inserts of your factory seat covers
This works for both leathers and clothe seat covers.
HOW TO:
Reupholstering the inserts of your factory seat covers
This works for both leathers and clothe seat covers.
There are several items you will need to complete this DIY.
1. The fabric you want to replace the inserts with (Naugahyde, Spralding Faux Leather, etc.)
2. Heavy duty sewing machine, if you don’t have one ask your mom, grandma, or make friends with the little old lady down the street.
3. Leather needles.
4. Wax thread or the strongest thread you can find.
5. Fabric sheers
6. Seam ripper
7. Tape
8. Pliers, or something to grip and remove the old thread after it has been cut.
9. 12mm ratchet
10. Adequate lighting
-There are several steps involved in this process-
A. Remove the seats from the car.B. Disassemble the seats and Remove the covers.
C. Remove the seat inserts
D. Replace or cover the inserts with the fabric you have purchased.
E. Sew all pieces back together.
F. Recover the seats with the newly fashioned seat covers.
G. Put the seat back together.
H. Crack open a beer(s) and admire your accomplishment, then return seats to car and go on with your life.
First off I want to apologize beforehand about the picture quality
They are not the greatest, not even close
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A. Remove the seats from the car: Now that we are ready to start remove the seats from the car, via removing the 8 bolts holding the sliders in place, 4 from each seat. Be sure the car is OFF and disconnect the seat-belt and airbag connections beneath the seats before you pull them out.
(Sorry no picture for this step)
B. Disassemble the seats and remove the covers: It doesn’t matter which piece you want to work on first, the backrest or the bottom cushion. Either way, pop off the rear plastic piece, don’t worry about breaking anything – just give it a good tug. Next remove the headrest- squeeze the adjustment button and pull it up and out. Now take the 12mm ratchet and unbolt the bottom cushion. On both the back and bottom cushion release all the clips, on the fronts pull off the velcro and untwist the metal rings to remove the seat covers from the seat cushions. The backrest needs some addition attention for the top lever and the headrest clips, those clips are a PITA! The lever pieces just pop right off, the headrest clips need pliers and a hammer or something. I used the grip end of my ratchet and gave them both a good smack till they popped out. This may take some….finesse.
C. Remove the seat inserts: Use the seam ripper and cut the stitches along the seams around the seat inserts. This is a patience game, best to have some music in the background.
D. Replace or cover the seat inserts with the fabric you have purchased: Now that you have the inserts removed from the covers, lay them on the fabric you want to use to cover/replace them. Next, using the inserts as a pattern just cut out around them. After this point you are ready to make your new pattern. What I did was place the new fabric over the old insert and taped along the original stitch so I could use it as a guide. Note: do not go over the original line as it will weaken the material; also watch that you do not have bubbles between stitches. After you have both back and bottom inserts finished you are ready to put everything back together.
E. Sew all the pieces back together: Align just as they were originally and start putting them back together, I suggest you stitch the top and bottom portions of each piece first as the sides are thicker material and a bit trickier to do properly.
F. Recover the seats with your newly fashioned seat covers: Now that everything is finished and your newly fashioned covers are looking snazzy, put them back on the seat cushions. See previous removal instructions and work backwards.
G. Put the seats back together: See previous seat disassembly instructions and work backwards. Note: Reassembly is much easier and quicker then disassembly.
H. Return the seats to the car: By this time you are a Master Construction Genius and should have no problems putting the seats back in the car. However, you can always look back at the seat removal instructions for reassurance.
I hope you all enjoyed this DIY and if you have an questions or comments you know what to do.
so in all seriousness, of they are wired as i am pretty sure they are- do you think it would be possible to buy a massaging chair cushion thing and tear the massaging units out and rid them up in our seats?
