Upholstery question
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2013
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Upholstery question
My drivers side bolster (outside) has suffered some wear and I am trying to decide what to do about it. The seat bottom and other side is perfect and the passenger seat is also perfect. Since you can't buy just the one cover as far as I know, any anyway it seems to be very thin and would probably just wear out again fairly soon, I am thinking about having a Upholstery shop just redo the bolster with very heavy leather that can take the abuse.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
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My drivers side bolster (outside) has suffered some wear and I am trying to decide what to do about it. The seat bottom and other side is perfect and the passenger seat is also perfect. Since you can't buy just the one cover as far as I know, any anyway it seems to be very thin and would probably just wear out again fairly soon, I am thinking about having a Upholstery shop just redo the bolster with very heavy leather that can take the abuse.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Real leather aftermarket sets (which are better than the OEM pleather) can range between a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand for a complete set. Depending on the quality and level of customization.
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You are right that the stock seats are prone to wearing out rather quickly. There are a number of options for aftermarket seat covers that are made of much better leather material and will last a lot longer. I went with a set of Vette Essentials seat covers - certainly not the cheapest, but they have been on my car for better than three years and they still look like new.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,301
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From: Valencia CA
The problem is the foam wears out, gets cut by the seat frame and then wears through the leather. I used some plastic tubing split down one side and wrapped around the edge of the seat back as well as the bottom frame. A little black gorilla tape to hold it in place during assembly and the problem is solved.
I found out about this solution on this forum!
There are instructions on Vette Essentials on how to change the leather seat covers if you decide to do it yourself.
Otherwise be sure to show the photos to your upholstery guy.
I also installed new foam.
The black drivers side sport seat bolster/halo leather is part # 88991787.
I found out about this solution on this forum!
There are instructions on Vette Essentials on how to change the leather seat covers if you decide to do it yourself.
Otherwise be sure to show the photos to your upholstery guy.
I also installed new foam.
The black drivers side sport seat bolster/halo leather is part # 88991787.
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2011
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I had the same issue and went to the upholstery shop here in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They gave me the choice of a matching vinyl or genuine leather. I chose vinyl because of its durability. The match was perfect, the cost was $275 which included seat removal and sewing the insert.
The year was a 1999 C5 and color was light oak. The reason for the higher cost was that one had to order a minimum amount of material. I believe I have enough left to accommodate another bolster. Let me know your color and I will send to you (if its light oak) free of charge. Just reimburse me for the postage.
Lentis Lee
P.S. I now have a black 2004 C5, thus no future need
The year was a 1999 C5 and color was light oak. The reason for the higher cost was that one had to order a minimum amount of material. I believe I have enough left to accommodate another bolster. Let me know your color and I will send to you (if its light oak) free of charge. Just reimburse me for the postage.
Lentis Lee
P.S. I now have a black 2004 C5, thus no future need
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Rockieracer - Thank you for your pictures and fix. I will plan to do that to mine.
Lentislee - Thank you for your kind offer. My seats are black so I am not sure if you are saying you have some black as well. I am wondering if vinyl is really better then leather. Maybe it depends on the quality of the vinyl. I believe that the present bolsters are vinyl. Is this correct?
Thanks.
Lentislee - Thank you for your kind offer. My seats are black so I am not sure if you are saying you have some black as well. I am wondering if vinyl is really better then leather. Maybe it depends on the quality of the vinyl. I believe that the present bolsters are vinyl. Is this correct?
Thanks.
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In answer to your question, my bolster that needed replacing was leather. The vinyl that they ordered for me was of an extremely good quality and I saw no results of wear in the two years that I used it.
The only vinyl that I have is the color light oak....sorry.
Lentis Lee
The only vinyl that I have is the color light oak....sorry.
Lentis Lee
Racer
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 352
Likes: 24
From: Bowman ND
I just replaced my original sport seat covers with new ones. The old ones were in very good shape. No tears or punctures. They are black and are available if you have sport seats. PM me and we can visit. Thanks much.
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