Any good DIY leather seat repair?

[T4R_Finally]

Our 3rd gen has leather seats that are in remarkable condition. The rear seat and passenger seat all are basically like new. The driver's seat has only minimal wear on the outer side where the driver slides in and out all the time. These seats have held up much better than the leather in our old Jeep Liberty did, and that vehicle was 4 years newer and we tried to take care of the seats.

Anyway, the only real flaws are on the driver's seat down near where the power seat controls are. There are 2 areas where the material is split. We bought a bondo brand leather seat repair kit from Wally World, and it helped but didn't completely repair the damage. Can anyone suggest a repair kit that might do a better job? I don't expect the areas to come out looking perfect, as if they were never there, but my main concern is that they don't get worse.

 

[awdjunkies]

I too, bought wally's kit but no dice. I have been eyeing/thinking about purchasing this guy's seat cover 96-02 toyota 4runner bottom leather seat cover tan | eBay . He also, from time to time, sells the top portion separate or both as a kit. A little on the expensive side, but to me, it's a "Set it and forget it" type of deal without having to try to mend things..

 

[T4R2014]

Those repair kits will only mask the problem. The best fix to get that section of the seat reupholstered or to get the bottom cover from that seller on Ebay.

 

[imhighlander]

The bimmerforums guys swear by Leatherique's stuff. I just ordered a steering wheel refurb kit for a M3 wheel I'm putting in my 540. If I get good results I'll be rehabbing my T4R's driver seat. Like OP's, all of my seats are in great shape except for a worn seat bottom on the driver's seat.

Home Page | Leatherique Restoration Products.

Their website is pretty lame but their products and customer projects pages are remarkable.

 

[Baja Runner]

I just had the bottom of my seats re-upholstered for less than that eBay cover... Just FYI. (Well, each one was $155 at a good shop here in town)

 

[awdjunkies]

I just had the bottom of my seats re-upholstered for less than that eBay cover... Just FYI. (Well, each one was $155 at a good shop here in town)

As with everything else, it all depends on where you live(Which state). Here, I was quoted around $400 to do the bottom and a little from the back portion of the driver seat. This is why that eBay seat cover sounds like a good option, for me.

 

[sportscarfan]

As a temporary workaround, you can swap seat bottoms with the passengers side. At least on a '97 you can. The passengers swapped to the drivers side will feel like a new seat. I still need to get my torn drivers fixed. Combined with thousands of in&out, the sharp edges on drivers side seat height adjuster metal support is what did all the damage to the seat edge.

 

[T4R_Finally]

Don't know what did the damage to my seat but this vehicle has obviously been used by a single driver, with no passengers, most of its life. I think I'm going to look into getting it professionally repaired and not waste anymore time on cheap fixes. It doesn't look bad now at all, I just don't want it to get worse. But the other seats are in such excellent condition, it's almost a shame to not get this one back like it should be.

 

[thegipper]

I would find a local upholstery shop and have them do it.

My 04 Acura TL needed a new seat bottom (leather) and I found a guy that does it locally. I think I paid 140 bucks and it matched perfectly. All I had to do was bring him the seat and he did the rest.

 

[sportscarfan]

This thread is back from the dead again....

Since my reply in 2011, I bought this guys seat bottom cover and replaced it myself.
ebay hotrodupholstery-com

I'm about to buy another to replace the seat bottom in my kid's new-to-her '98 Limited. $115

Do take a look at the sharp edges on the seat frame obscured by the plastic side trim. They most definitely are the cause of the damage. I built up a few layers of gorilla tape to keep the seat pLeather from rubbing that edge when getting in & out.