Old car upholstery question

[Argyle]

My car is from 1994 (65,000 miles).  The main problem is that the seams in the upholstery are coming open and the inner padding is starting to spill out.  I've put covers on the front seats, but you can't get a cover onto the back seat.  Please tell me there's some fix for this other than duct tape!

[Jesus Christ]

Look for the nearest junk yard. Now a days they have "pick and pull" yards which is the absolute lowest cost auto parts provider.

[HairyUpperLip]

Look for the nearest junk yard. Now a days they have "pick and pull" yards which is the absolute lowest cost auto parts provider.

This would be the best option. Just get the best looking used seats you can. Shouldn't be very difficult to change out either.

I wonder why your seats are so bad for only 65,000 miles though.

[Argyle]

The mileage of the car wouldn't have much impact on the seats, right?  It's the fact that they're 20 years old and have been sitting in hot sunlight for much of their existence, I imagine.  The vinyl is getting brittle and pulling apart at the seams.  Replacing the whole back seat seems rather drastic just for two tearing seams.

[Static Void]

Me and my wife "reupholstered" her car once. Was an older toyota and we semi-art-carred it, just a little.

Here's the process we used:
* get seats out of car an onto some tarps on the driveway, raised up for convenience if possible.
* clean and dust
* Get white tablecloths from thrift store (or any kind of slightly soft cloth)
* Using spray adhesive Scotch Super 77, cover with cloth. Use soft wood to help press into the creases. Use scissors and careful gluing and occasional hand-stitching to give it a decent fit.
* Now, get the cloth or covering you actually like... we used a whole bunch of crazy arab patterns we got at Mustaphas in Singapore for cheap. But whatever covering is your thing.
* The first layer was to make it nice and soft, and make a white foundation for your colors. Also, it was great practice on a layer that will be hidden.
* Apply second layer of cloth, also with Scotch 77.

Do whatever it takes, it's your car and your car seats and your cloth and it's gonna be fine. You can't break them. And it's 1000 times more awesome than duct tape. And 10000 times more awesome than boring old factory car seats.

:)

Edit: About the back seat, on her car, we managed to remove it. But you can do it in place, maybe using a less-aromatic adhesive...

[Goldielocks]

We bought a used car and had a company reupholster it .. Through the used dealer.  Cost was about $1500 to put leather in, and it smelled greatgreat, and convinced DH away from expensive car.

You could ask a large used dealership who they use.

[Greg]

I've put covers on the front seats, but you can't get a cover onto the back seat.  Please tell me there's some fix for this other than duct tape!

Most back seats are easy to remove if you know how.  Usually there's a trick to it, like pulling it forward and popping the rear out, or there's a couple of hidden bolts etc.  If you get it out, you can fit a bench seat cover and then reinstall.