Current group opinion on re-upholstering seats (1 Viewer)

[mrsmiff]

Next up on my LX is making the interior more comfortable, including reupholstering the front seats which are completely trashed.

What's the current consensus on having a local shop do everything, vs buying seat skins?

What vendors are currently top of the heap for seat skins?

 

[Exiled]

I think this is largely a function of budget and location. If you have a good upholstery shop nearby and the price is reasonable, I would absolutely leverage that option vs. the kits. I used one of those kits on one of my 100s and -while I'm pretty satisfied based on the money I spent- it's far from perfect and if something goes wrong, there are limited options vs. a good shop that will make things right. I don't have a local shop around here that has experience with Land Cruisers but they do high-end customs and I can't imagine it would be hard to do a 100, other than it's new to them.

 

[JT4runner]

Next up on my LX is making the interior more comfortable, including reupholstering the front seats which are completely trashed.

What's the current consensus on having a local shop do everything, vs buying seat skins?

What vendors are currently top of the heap for seat skins?

I purchased the Iggee seat covers in tan. It is a synthetic leather for $190 for the two front seats. I plan on getting new foam for the bottom part of the seat as my leather and the foam cushion is sagging and trashed. I plan to do it by myself soon. I guess it all depends on your budget. I went with these as I plan to spend more of my budget into my sliders, front bumper and HID retrofit. My LX is 23 years old so as long as make some improvement on the seats I am fine with the lower end seat covers.

 

[jahawk]

A local shop will be able to replace sections if you don't really need the entire cover replaced.

 

[Tres Toys]

Based on my recent experience I would highly recommend the pre-stiched skins from Richmond Upholstery. We put a set of their grey seat bottoms on my sons 2000 LC just after Christmas. I was very impressed with the quality of material and craftsmanship. They fit like a glove without any need for steaming. Richmond Upholstery is an outfit here in Houston TX and do all their cutting and stitching in house. I picked up the covers from their shop and was very impressed by how it was laid out and run. They are very much a high tech outfit with skilled craftsmen and women. Your can order through Ebay or their web site. The guy that answers the phone is named Hansen. We went with an option for them to add 1/2" of foam stitched to the bottom of the leather which helped compensate for the well worn foam cushion. They came with plenty of hog rings for the install. The price was also very competitive. Another MUD member did a video on installing them on a LX not to long ago. It is a bit of work to do the install, but very very satisfying results.

 

[TrillyPop]

I've been looking into this also, as my drivers seat has a couple of small tears currently covered with a piece of duct tape. It doesn't bother me that much because I can't see it when I'm sitting on it, but I do want to address it at some point.
It seems like Land Cruiser Heaven and Ridies make the best replacement leather covers, but none of them match the OEM leather color/grain perfectly so you end up having to replace all the seats/arm rests/center console lid to make it look decent.
I have also been meaning to stop by a few local upholstery shops to have them take a look and see what they can offer. I would personally favor this option if they can produce a nice result.