seat covers

sdteb · #1 (**permalink**) July 21st, 2006, 11:11 PM

thinking of replacing the awful leather with cloth or the hampton vinyl interior...what do you guys think...2000 grand is alot for the kit...

j13smiley · #2 (**permalink**) July 21st, 2006, 11:39 PM

dunno know about that one...

jax seat covers... do a search for my post about them. they're the only ones left...

sdteb · #3 (**permalink**) July 21st, 2006, 11:43 PM

jax is a little pricey...

Johnboy · #4 (**permalink**) July 22nd, 2006, 01:13 PM

Hawks Third gen. carries the covers for our cars also. Don't know the quality or anybody who has used them though. I was going to try them this winter as my car is a higher mileage car.

http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/in...ROD&ProdID=684

sdteb · #5 (**permalink**) July 22nd, 2006, 04:33 PM

if i do it...just like the idea of cloth or vinyl better...will hold up better longer

Jan Larsson · #6 (**permalink**) July 23rd, 2006, 02:24 AM

The Jax leather used is much thicker than the OEM GM Leather (which feels more like paper) and should last very long, I have had my Jax covers in there since 2002 and they still look the same.

83ttypecooled · #7 (**permalink**) July 23rd, 2006, 03:22 AM

Hi,
I agree that the leather in our seats is substandard. I was working on an 92 Lexus with 130K miles on it recently, that car's leather is holding up well.
With my car, the previous owner replaced the driver's seat, now the same wear is happening, on the bolster first, of course. I pull all kinds of gymnastics getting into my car, just so my skinny ass won't touch the affected area. That's BS! If Jax has better stuff, I'd pay the price.

dadsbad · #8 (**permalink**) July 24th, 2006, 03:09 PM

I've ordered the seat covers from Hawk's 3rd gen. and they look really good. I have yet to install them in the car; just had surgery on my neck, so car will have to wait a bit for upholstry install. What I got was the proper seat upholstry for entire car, front rear, and head rests. An upholstry guy that I showed them to thought that they were leather. They are vinyl that actually look like leather, I can't wait to get them installed.

dadsbad · #9 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 09:58 AM

I had my leather like vinyl hawk's seat covers installed yesterday, and I am not at all pleased. They were professionally installed by someone that has done my interior work for 30 years. I am sick at the fit of the seat covers. I am very particular type person, and I definitely don't like that I paid $400 for the covers and another $325 to get them installed in my 46k TTA.
These covers might do for a really high mileage car; but I am definitely not a happy camper!

Quiky One · #10 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dadsbad

I had my leather like vinyl hawk's seat covers installed yesterday, and I am not at all pleased. They were professionally installed by someone that has done my interior work for 30 years. I am sick at the fit of the seat covers. I am very particular type person, and I definitely don't like that I paid $400 for the covers and another $325 to get them installed in my 46k TTA.
These covers might do for a really high mileage car; but I am definitely not a happy camper!

Have any pics? Why arent they good?

Jason

dadsbad · #11 (**permalink**) August 31st, 2006, 04:55 PM

No pics right now. The kit has foam backing instead of the cloth like the leather ones, there's nothing for the velcro to hook to, the hog ringing parts on the seat covers are very inconsistent ( my upholstry guy had to cut a part off my old covers to make them work, the sewing is now what it should be, as there are several places where I now have wrinkles where the original seats were smooth.
I should have known that paying $400 for the covers, front and rear, instead of paying for Jax's covers in leather that everyone really likes. In general they don't fit as well as the originals, but I do have seats without cracks and holes in them. I was hoping for a better look since my car has 46k miles, but live and learn, I guess.

dadsbad · #12 (**permalink**) September 5th, 2006, 11:43 PM

Maybe I'm just too picky, as my son said he thought that the covers looked great in the car. They just arent as nice as the original seats, but i guess that they sure beat what the car had in it; and my son is a real stickler for nice.

Louie L. · #13 (**permalink**) September 12th, 2006, 06:09 PM

Man If i had seen this post prior to my purchase I probably would not have ordered it.

I just finished installing the rears on the Hawks Kit. In comparison to what the stockers looked like , these look great. Can they be better, sure. Vinyl needs time to move around and get "settled" You have to slap this stuff around to get a decent fit.I was hung up on the color, but the carpet color is what throws it off, the vinyl itself is very close.

Im doing the install myslef so for the total cash outlay I coulnt have any local upholster do 1 seat

j13smiley · #14 (**permalink**) September 13th, 2006, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louie L.

Man If i had seen this post prior to my purchase I probably would not have ordered it.

I just finished installing the rears on the Hawks Kit. In comparison to what the stockers looked like , these look great. Can they be better, sure. Vinyl needs time to move around and get "settled" You have to slap this stuff around to get a decent fit.I was hung up on the color, but the carpet color is what throws it off, the vinyl itself is very close.

Im doing the install myslef so for the total cash outlay I coulnt have any local upholster do 1 seat

are you going to sew them onto the plastic bolsters by yourself?

Louie L. · #15 (**permalink**) September 13th, 2006, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j13smiley

are you going to sew them onto the plastic bolsters by yourself?

I have several routes to take to get this done. Ill know when i get there and can take a closer look on how the plastic bolsters are attached. I have also considered just ommitting them.

I had asked hawks if the upholstery makers would do the job if i shipped them some bolsters. They said yes and gave me instructions. But a day later called and said the company didnt do it any longer.

j13smiley · #16 (**permalink**) September 14th, 2006, 05:37 PM

you'lll need a big ass sewing machine that will be able to sew through the plastic bolster and new seat cover. you won't be able to omit this step.... you'll have to have some one do it.

2 quick notes - the plastic bolters... being plastic, when the needle sews into it there will be a hole (s) left in the plastic. obviously a line of holes going down a piece of plastic can be bad... especially when you sew over again for new seat covers and make a second row of holes in the same place... and the plastic is 17 years old.... get the point? mine were in good shape (plastic was not dried out and brittle) and we sewed them on. the other option we thought about doing was cutting the stock seat covers about 1" from the plastic... sewing the new seat cover to that 1" stripe - thus elimiating haveing to sew into the plastic.

some may want to consider that option depending on what shape your blosters are in....

dadsbad · #17 (**permalink**) September 15th, 2006, 12:13 AM

I ended up omitting the plastic bolsters because of the upholsterer; it will take a while to get used to, but they are definitely better than what was on the car.
As an afterthought i guess they don't really look that bad for a driver but I definitely wouldn't want them on a mint car.

sprayed65 · #18 (**permalink**) September 16th, 2006, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnboy

Hawks Third gen. carries the covers for our cars also. Don't know the quality or anybody who has used them though. I was going to try them this winter as my car is a higher mileage car.

http://www.hawksthirdgenparts.com/in...ROD&ProdID=684

I used hawks for my seat covers. They made me some cloth covers that took the place of the factory leather and the covers look great. My interior guy who had to rebuild my whole drivers seat said they weren't the best he'd ever seen but that they turned out nice once he got them on the seats.

I need to redo my carpet now :nonono:

sprayed65 · #19 (**permalink**) September 16th, 2006, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j13smiley

you'lll need a big ass sewing machine that will be able to sew through the plastic bolster and new seat cover. you won't be able to omit this step.... you'll have to have some one do it.

2 quick notes - the plastic bolters... being plastic, when the needle sews into it there will be a hole (s) left in the plastic. obviously a line of holes going down a piece of plastic can be bad... especially when you sew over again for new seat covers and make a second row of holes in the same place... and the plastic is 17 years old.... get the point? mine were in good shape (plastic was not dried out and brittle) and we sewed them on. the other option we thought about doing was cutting the stock seat covers about 1" from the plastic... sewing the new seat cover to that 1" stripe - thus elimiating haveing to sew into the plastic.

some may want to consider that option depending on what shape your blosters are in....

we stuck a very small screw in my bolster which now holds it in place, looks great and no problems as of yet