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In my quest searching for a C5 to buy I have noted that the driver's seats seem to show unusual wear. I have seen stitching coming apart and the bolsters where the driver slides in and out to be worn. Could this be on the early C5's or is this an indication of abuse? Is it better to repair or replace the seats? Or are there specific year models that I should avoid? Thanks in advance.
I redid my seats in leather and new foam. Lots of online research. When one vendor never called back, I gambled on Leatherseats11 on eBay and they were leather and budget priced. Let me choose the colors and pattern and ventilation at no extra charge. The logos look awesome.
New foam from PFYC.com.
Makes my 98 look new.
They all do it. Nothing out of the ordinary. The seat that gets used more gets more wear.
The stock seats are a weak point. I wouldn't worry about their condition and just expect to replace them with something better whenever you can, personally. That's one of the biggest mods I want to do to my car.
They all do it. Nothing out of the ordinary. The seat that gets used more gets more wear.
The stock seats are a weak point. I wouldn't worry about their condition and just expect to replace them with something better whenever you can, personally. That's one of the biggest mods I want to do to my car.
I find several different prices charged for seat coverage... couple hundred bucks to couple thousand bucks... What's up with that? Quality swing big time? I don't know!..... Wish I could get a honest opinion from someone on here.... Is the less expensive cover crap?
These are the ones I purchased for my 02. Good quality, real leather, and will do whatever you want for color stitching. They have gone up in price since I purchased them though.
The bolster area in particular is a really weak area when it comes to the C5 seats. Just the way it is.
The bolsters take excessive wear from people sliding down into the seats. Especially excessive if the driver wears a belt. I wrecked my bolster doing this. At about 10 years of ownership and 80k miles... I swapped the foam and reskinned the seat in 2010. Never wore a belt or slid in again. Bolster and seat still look new 11 years later and another 60k miles.
As others have said seat wear is very normal. There are several options to fix this as people have said. If you like the stock seats, you can just get them recovered. If you don't like the stock seats, there are lots of replacement options. Do be aware that some options will require you to modify your seatbelts, and you may lose some of the power functions that you get with the stock sport seats. My biggest piece of advice if you decide to replace the seat is to sit in whatever you want to replace them with first. Seat are highly subjective. What feels great for one person can be awful for another. It all depends on your body type.
As others have said seat wear is very normal. There are several options to fix this as people have said. If you like the stock seats, you can just get them recovered. If you don't like the stock seats, there are lots of replacement options. Do be aware that some options will require you to modify your seatbelts, and you may lose some of the power functions that you get with the stock sport seats. My biggest piece of advice if you decide to replace the seat is to sit in whatever you want to replace them with first. Seat are highly subjective. What feels great for one person can be awful for another. It all depends on your body type.
I'd also recommend sitting in them for more than 1 minute. Most every seat is comfortable for a minute, or two. If you sit in one for 5 or 10 minutes, many seats become a PITA, literally!!
I've dabbled with the idea of swapping my seats out for a racing seat like a Corbeu and after 2 minutes I knew it wasn't going to work for me. My buddy had a set in his 04 Z06. He is an average size guy- 5'11 185lbs. Me being 6'3 and 260lbs I absolutely hated them. I was too far upright, had little to no thigh support, the shoulders were too narrow and there was no way I was getting in there with a helmet on.
Not in love with the stock sport seats but I don't hate them and I fit in them comfortably..
The bolster area in particular is a really weak area when it comes to the C5 seats. Just the way it is.
There's a spot at the top of the bolster where there's a hard piece under the upholstery, like part of the frame or something. Most people get in the car by putting their right foot on the floor and basically sliding down the bolster. When they hit that spot, the hard part wears through the minimal padding under the leather, and it eventually wears a spot through the leather from inside and out.
The way to get in—to avoid bolster wear—is to face away from the car, basically plant your butt into the seat, then lift your right leg into the footwell, then your left—basically swiveling on your butt.
C5 Seat Issues
