leatherseats.com

[thejeepdude]

Hey all... the cloth on my '99 QC is just about shot. There's a hole where I get in and out, and the seat foam is rather worn. I ran across leatherseats.com and started trying to do some research to see if people were happy with them. Well, looks like a lot of the sports car clubs and I noticed a BMW club and others are quite impressed with the quality, especially for the price. < $700 to reupholster the entire interior including door panel inserts with high quality leather, in either smooth or gathered styles. I am thinking about a two-tone layout with dark gray and a grayish taupe color. I got a quote from a local shop of $2200, so I don't mind doing the work myself to save $1500!! They have the proper tools available that I was going to purchase as well. But anyways, has onyone on the TDR used this place? Or any other pre-fabricated online upholstery shops? What were your experiences?



Thanks,

Josh

 

[TBrennan]

I was looking at them and they look really nice in the pictures. You should also check out Katzskin. They have a very similar setup and comparable pricing. I have no idea if either is better. Katzskin does have an embriodery option that looks really slick along with other options.

 

[thejeepdude]

Cool, I'll check into them as well and see if I can get some samples. The stitching does sound kinda cool. I have some sample swatches coming from leatherseats.com, so I'll keep you posted as to how this stuff looks. I'm not even interested if it's thin crappy leather, but if it's decent quality for 700 bucks it seems like a steal.

 

[TBrennan]

Keep us posted, I'm very interested in them also. Also Katzskin offers seat warmers for $150 per seat.

 

[thejeepdude]

yeah. . i noticed that... the seat warmer option is a pretty big plus. I'm wondering if you could buy the same heater element they use, however put it under the leatherseats.com seat cover. The reason I might do that is because the Katzkins only come with a warranty if you have them installed for $499 at one of their particiapating installers. Still waiting for the samples tho...

 

[lgibson]

soft classic

I have soft classic in my truck and really like them.



http://www.classicsofttrim.com/leather.html



They don't show the seats for the Quad cab. I will take some pics. of mine, which was custom designed, as soon as I get some free time.

 

[thejeepdude]

Hmmm... how much did that softrim cost? It doesn't look like they have an "install yourself" option, though, which I'm sure means it's at least $500-$1000 more than leatherseats.com or katzkins... but there is a shop about 4 miles from my house, so I'm gonna drive by and take a look at the stuff and get a quote. Thanks for the info...



Josh

 

[thejeepdude]

KATZKIN

OK, so here's the updated scoop...



I received my samples from leatherseats.com. I was very impressed with the quality and color selection, but I noticed that the display folders they sent me had Katzskin's name all over them. Well, that answers that question! I guess they're just a reseller. Well... I looked at the samples for a few days to figure out what I wanted to do.



Just today I placed my order for 2-tone seats with gathered leather inserts. The wrap will be graphite (dark gray) and the inserts and door panels will be Driftwood (med/dark greyish brown). I'll post another update when they get here and of course I'll take some before and after pics. Stay tuned... .

 

[TBrennan]

I got my brochure last week. It wasn't clear to me what the "gathered" option was. Is the leather just wrinked at the edges? Would wear be more of an issue with that option? Are you getting any embrodiary done?



Be sure to get some pictures after the install with a good writeup on how it went!

 

[thejeepdude]

gathered

The gathered style just has more "slack" in the leather, so it's semi-wrinkled. It's not completely folded over on itself, but it does give more of a "plush" appearance I think. I actually debated with myself about getting it, rather than smooth, simply because it seemed like it would trap dirt and be sort of a pain for a truck that finds itself in the middle of nowhere so often (and me covered in dirt/sand/water sitting on the nice leather seats). However, after looking at the pics on the site, I decided to go for it. If you want to wait for mine to get here before you order, I'll take some pics and you can see the gathered style. I finalized my order yesterday and they said they'd ship Friday, so I should have them next week (I'm hoping by 4/23 or so). Sounds like some quick service for a custom made product!



Josh

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

JeepDude, when I was shopping around for leather interior on my 2001 I was quoted less than $1200 installed (before tax) both front and back with 2-tone inserts at this place:





KATZKIN INTERIORS SEATTLE

15002 #B HWY. 99

LYNNWOOD, WA 98037

425-742-6866



That was several months ago so I don't know if the prices are the same. It was far cheaper than another Katzkin installer I contacted.



Vaughn



EDIT: Ooops I see you already ordered. . . nevrmind

 

[SMorneau]

how about this?

Anyone know anything about these leather seat covers?



http://www.shadetreeonline.com/leather/leatherseatcoverphotos.htm

 

[CFAR]

1100. 00 for all leather

 

[JohnE]

Is the Katzkin a full leather cover or a leather vinyl combo as the products in the link SMorneau posted?

 

[dmurdock]

Well, there is a "Trucks!" episode where he does a katzskins install... i must say that while watching the install they looked to be of very high quality and not too hard to install (took some time, but not real difficult).

 

[thejeepdude]

FULL LEATHER

The Katzkin default is a leather/vinyl combo. You can pay about 200 bucks more and get full leather, however the amount of vinyl the the Dodge Ram kit is minimal already. Basically, only the backs of the seats and some of the side is vinyl, however it is so closely matched you really cannot tell the difference. It didn't seem worth the extra cash for full leather to me, since everything you can see and that you normally touch from the driver's seat is real leather already. Speaking of which... just a few more days until my kit gets here! I'm stoked! :-D



Josh

 

[JohnE]

Thanks;



I was just just trying to make sure we did an "apples to apples" comparison of products. It sounds as though the apples pretty well match. How does the banana count match?



I saw the TRUCKS episode with the seat recover. I actually paid attention to the rework as it appeared to be applicable for the home garage unlike some of the projects he tackles.



Incidentally, my brother swears by leather seats, too.

My driver's seat is wearing through in a couple spots and will need a fix this year, so leather is on my mind.

 

[JJW_ND]

Another item to add to list...

My seats are looking tired also. The seat heaters would complement the leather better then it does the factory cloth.



jjw

ND

 

[Oliver88]

Here is a place you can buy the heating element to put in your seat.



www.rostra.com



All I'm looking for is the seat portion of the drivers side seat. Mine is getting worn. If I could get just the covering (tan leather)from D/C I could get my dad to help me recover it. He upholstered for years.

Greg

 

[CATCRACKER]

i found leather on ebay buy it now option for 525 for our trucks. when my seats get some wear on them i will replace with leather.