Leather seats. What would you do?

skinnyman · 04-04-2007, 08:22

I'm fed up with trying to keep the seats and carpet clean on my Mk1 vRS.

After looking around on good old Ebay I've noticed a few leather interiors that would appear to fit (for example Mk4 Golf, Audi S3).
Now I've done a few searches on Briskoda and as I'm in Scarborough, I know that Seat Surgeons is an option for a retrim, but at a price. Buying an interior off Ebay seems a bit daft as my car has only done 13000 miles so there is no bolster wear/sagging that would come with second hand seats. I know that it is possible to keep the car clean, but always having to worry about the inside of the car is getting tiring.

So, as you are all full of good ideas, I would really appreciate your advice/opinions on this one.
Oh, and I'm also looking for a black/grey carpet to replace the white one - but they seem rarer than hens teeth on the second hand market too!
Cheers,
Andrew.

Stuart_J · 04-04-2007, 08:35

A decent set of s/hand seats will cost around a grand & will probably never quite match the door cards etc. You will need the Recaro based ones to give you the same side support as your present ones
You could get your seats retrimmed in a colour sympathetic to the door cards
Alternativly you could retrim your seats & door cards to match .
If your changing the carpet as well with careful thought you could come up with something quite unique. You have the old carpet as a pattern so I would look into having new carpets made as well if you cant find a s/hand grey one.
Im guessing that any Octy carpet will fit the Vrs as the shell is the same so you should be able to fairly easily find a darker carpet but others might be better to advise on this.

Tom_vRS · 04-04-2007, 08:53

The black carpet as found in other Mk1 Octavias is under £100 from the dealers, so that is a worthwhile change imho.

I would consider getting the seatsurgeons just to retrim the white mesh parts of the seats and door cards maybe with alcantara or something similar...? Saves the hassle of sourcing new seats which ultimately won't be as clean and smart as yours...

Stuart_J · 04-04-2007, 08:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom_vRS

The black carpet as found in other Mk1 Octavias is under £100 from the dealers, so that is a worthwhile change imho.

I would consider getting the seatsurgeons just to retrim the white mesh parts of the seats and door cards maybe with alcantara or something similar...? Saves the hassle of sourcing new seats which ultimately won't be as clean and smart as yours...

If the carpets that cheap it seems the obvious solution, it will look a good profesional job & not over expensive.

Morley · 04-04-2007, 12:37

At 72,000 miles, three and a half years, kids, regular fishing trips and occasional use as a mobile skip for trips to the local dump, I am glad I had the interior carpets, seats and door guards of my vRS Scotch Guarded when I bought it new. The occassional vacuum or wipe with a damp cloth and it all comes up like new.

VRSPhil · 04-04-2007, 16:48

I'm in the same position, Andrew. I'm going to get a dark carpet from Skoda and have the seats trimmed by the seat surgeons. They also trim the door cards (included in the cost) so it solves the problem of the doors getting dirty too. Not the cheapest option but it's the only 'feature' of the Octavia which I can't stand!

skinnyman · 04-04-2007, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom_vRS

The black carpet as found in other Mk1 Octavias is under £100 from the dealers, so that is a worthwhile change imho.

If you can find me one for that price, I'll buy two! I phoned my local dealer this morning and they quoted me £192 + VAT.

This makes it an expensive change to the car which is hard to justify to SWMBO. Second hand ones are about £75 I've found out, but they will probably be worn/dirty depending on the mileage of the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VRSPhil

I'm in the same position, Andrew. I'm going to get a dark carpet from Skoda and have the seats trimmed by the seat surgeons. They also trim the door cards (included in the cost) so it solves the problem of the doors getting dirty too. Not the cheapest option but it's the only 'feature' of the Octavia which I can't stand!

I agree with you there. As much as I love the car and clean the car, I still have to use it as a device for transporting people/stuff around and I'm bored of being anal about any sort of dirt entering the car and spoiling the carpet and seats.

When do you get the seats trimmed? Photos would be appreciated to see what the final product looks like.

Lummox · 04-04-2007, 17:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom_vRS

I would consider getting the seatsurgeons just to retrim the white mesh parts of the seats and door cards maybe with alcantara or something similar...? Saves the hassle of sourcing new seats which ultimately won't be as clean and smart as yours...

Apparently SEAT Surgeons cant do this.

skinnyman · 04-04-2007, 18:01

Which is a bit of a pain, but I can see it from their point of view. To unstitch the white cloth would be a faffy job and labour intensive. Anyway, don't they just buy the covers in and fit them, rather than making them?

rhys57 · 05-04-2007, 08:19

Go for it.

storm monkey · 05-04-2007, 13:29

A cheaper alternative for the carpet is new dark mats. There are pleanty of companies on teh web who make custom mats in a selection of colours and piping. I have a light beige interior in the Corrado, but have dark green mats (matching the paintwork) with beige piping and a tasteful little Storm logo on them. They look the mutts, and don't show the dirt much at all.

Phil

mattbeef · 05-04-2007, 15:30

errr is it me or has half this thread gone missing?

04-04-2007, 08:22	#1
skinnyman Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Up North Posts: 567 Thanks: 8 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts	Leather seats. What would you do? I'm fed up with trying to keep the seats and carpet clean on my Mk1 vRS. After looking around on good old Ebay I've noticed a few leather interiors that would appear to fit (for example Mk4 Golf, Audi S3). Now I've done a few searches on Briskoda and as I'm in Scarborough, I know that Seat Surgeons is an option for a retrim, but at a price. Buying an interior off Ebay seems a bit daft as my car has only done 13000 miles so there is no bolster wear/sagging that would come with second hand seats. I know that it is possible to keep the car clean, but always having to worry about the inside of the car is getting tiring. So, as you are all full of good ideas, I would really appreciate your advice/opinions on this one. Oh, and I'm also looking for a black/grey carpet to replace the white one - but they seem rarer than hens teeth on the second hand market too! Cheers, Andrew. __________________

04-04-2007, 08:35	#2
Stuart_J Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Winchester Posts: 5,678 Thanks: 39 Thanked 84 Times in 77 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? A decent set of s/hand seats will cost around a grand & will probably never quite match the door cards etc. You will need the Recaro based ones to give you the same side support as your present ones You could get your seats retrimmed in a colour sympathetic to the door cards Alternativly you could retrim your seats & door cards to match . If your changing the carpet as well with careful thought you could come up with something quite unique. You have the old carpet as a pattern so I would look into having new carpets made as well if you cant find a s/hand grey one. Im guessing that any Octy carpet will fit the Vrs as the shell is the same so you should be able to fairly easily find a darker carpet but others might be better to advise on this. __________________ Speed is an addiction for which thankfully there is no cure Last edited by Stuart_J; 04-04-2007 at 08:37.

04-04-2007, 08:53	#3
Tom_vRS Briskodaholic Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Fenland, Cambridgeshire Posts: 11,529 Thanks: 675 Thanked 422 Times in 302 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? The black carpet as found in other Mk1 Octavias is under £100 from the dealers, so that is a worthwhile change imho. I would consider getting the seatsurgeons just to retrim the white mesh parts of the seats and door cards maybe with alcantara or something similar...? Saves the hassle of sourcing new seats which ultimately won't be as clean and smart as yours... __________________ 97/R BMW 328i in Boston Green.

04-04-2007, 12:37	#5
Morley Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Oxfordshire Posts: 95 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? At 72,000 miles, three and a half years, kids, regular fishing trips and occasional use as a mobile skip for trips to the local dump, I am glad I had the interior carpets, seats and door guards of my vRS Scotch Guarded when I bought it new. The occassional vacuum or wipe with a damp cloth and it all comes up like new.

04-04-2007, 16:48	#6
VRSPhil Briskodian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Cleveland Posts: 2,281 Thanks: 205 Thanked 202 Times in 146 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? I'm in the same position, Andrew. I'm going to get a dark carpet from Skoda and have the seats trimmed by the seat surgeons. They also trim the door cards (included in the cost) so it solves the problem of the doors getting dirty too. Not the cheapest option but it's the only 'feature' of the Octavia which I can't stand! __________________ '54 Passat PD130 Sport... 55mpg Octavia vRS WRC - Gone but not forgotten!

04-04-2007, 18:01	#9
skinnyman Briskodian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Up North Posts: 567 Thanks: 8 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? Which is a bit of a pain, but I can see it from their point of view. To unstitch the white cloth would be a faffy job and labour intensive. Anyway, don't they just buy the covers in and fit them, rather than making them? __________________

05-04-2007, 08:19	#10
rhys57 Briskodian Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 268 Thanks: 4 Thanked 7 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? Go for it. __________________ SILVER X5 4.4 SPORT 286BHP. MY OLD OCT VRS 32MPG X5 22 MPG. SOLD JAP INTEGRA TYPE R, DC2, NOW GOT A 4X4 PAJERO......

05-04-2007, 13:29	#11
storm monkey Briskodian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North West Cumbria Posts: 311 Thanks: 6 Thanked 14 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? A cheaper alternative for the carpet is new dark mats. There are pleanty of companies on teh web who make custom mats in a selection of colours and piping. I have a light beige interior in the Corrado, but have dark green mats (matching the paintwork) with beige piping and a tasteful little Storm logo on them. They look the mutts, and don't show the dirt much at all. Phil __________________ My Car - 2.0 TDI Octavia L&K My Toy - 95 Corrado VR6 STORM SWMBO's - 55 Navara

05-04-2007, 15:30	#12
mattbeef Briskodian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sheffield Posts: 3,368 Thanks: 36 Thanked 116 Times in 115 Posts	Re: Leather seats. What would you do? errr is it me or has half this thread gone missing? __________________ I few bits here and there but im happy to Performance Torque Go on click me you know you want to

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode