Wet Okole Seat Covers

[Reinout]

Hey all, Just got this in from the kind folks at Wet Okole

I didn't find a good write-up for the installation so I'm hoping to record it, with pictures, for everyone's enjoyment.

Moderators, If I missed another thread that covers this on a 3rd Gen, feel free to correct me and remove the Thread.



I don't think I'm going to do this in one sitting so be patient.

:biggrin2:

 

[starclassic]

Awesome! '97 owner here, planning on getting covers from Wet Okole as well. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

 

[repo]

This is on my to do list too. The front seats at least. Starting to smell like an old gym bag from driving home after bike rides.

 

[ToyoT4R]

Wet Okole seat covers have been popular in Hawaii since the early 90's, love them. In case you didn't know, okole means ass/derrière in Hawaiian. These were originally tailored for surfers.

 

[repo]

Wet Okole seat covers have been popular in Hawaii since the early 90's, love them. In case you didn't know, okole means ass/derrière in Hawaiian. These were originally tailored for surfers.

Do they make you more sweaty in hot weather? Or is the material breathable?

 

[Reinout]

This is on my to do list too. The front seats at least. Starting to smell like an old gym bag from driving home after bike rides.

I'd say clean your seats before you install them then otherwise you'll probably just seal in the "freshness".

BTW: I'll be installing them this weekend so I'll get more pictures posted.

 

[Reinout]

Do they make you more sweaty in hot weather? Or is the material breathable?

I'm taking a two week road-trip starting next weekend so I'll let you know how they feel. I'm going to be up north (Jasper, AB) so it won't be "hot" but it'll be a lot of sitting on my Okole time.

 

[ToyoT4R]

Do they make you more sweaty in hot weather? Or is the material breathable?

My okole was always sweaty driving in Hawaii, the seats never really cooled down enough since the drives are relatively short so it was hard to tell if it was just the heat of the sun baking the seats or if it was the neoprene seat covers.

 

[Reinout]

First Step: Lay out the parts

Here's the parts layed out this morning. Just making sure I have everything in order.

Looks like the front and back is all there. I had selected Tan, but the folks at WO said go for the Taupe, it's a better match for a 97





Now onto a good cleaning.....

 

[Reinout]

sorry guys and girls, it's been a few weeks. I put the covers on and never found the time to post about it until now. Since putting the covers on we've put 2,000 miles on the truck (2 weeks of driving around Alberta and B.C.).

And so far, we love them and have found no issues.

First and foremost, when I placed my order with WO I had specified "Tan", they said that they recommend the Taupe for the '97 and I'm glad I did.


Look how close the colors are!

The install for the most part went very easy and the covers are all marked so you put them on the correct side (passenger vs driver). The Fitment on the actual covers was also top notch. We really dig the extra 1/2" of foam backing that they use to "boost" the comfort of the seats. My wife and I are also short so it helps to have the seats fit more snug.

 

[Reinout]

When putting the seats on the front seats were super easy without much fuss. I had to put some weight into the covers to get them to go on, but that was not a big deal.

I almost ran the strap for the seat under the adjuster "cable" (not sure if it's the right word, but I'm sure it would have caused a problem when having to slide the seat forward/back so pay attention to that as well as other cables that might be under there.


We opted for the seat warmers which were super cleanly installed into the covers. They are a quick disconnect, which I opted on one seat to use shrink tube on to seal it up. I haven't decided if that will stay that way. As a matter of fact. if I can figure out a way to hardwire two switches into the center console instead of the 12v plug/slider switch, I will. Anyone have ideas??


The passenger side seat in this case had the buckle on the wrong side. Not a big deal, take the ladder-lock off and the male/female buckle and move them. It would have made cinching down the cover a pain since I wouldn't have been able to pull on the webbing strap and would have had to push.

 

[Reinout]

The back seats were the most entertaining. when I was digging into it I discovered that WO was smart enough to incorporate the original backing to the seat backs.

The plugs came out easy enough, but depending on how fragile yours might be I'd suggest snagging some fresh ones from Toyota.

 

[Reinout]

I forgot to mention (I did mention it to WO) that when I was putting the seat back on the rear seats the neoprene has holes in it for the panel plugs. WO had missed cutting one hole so I had to improvise; scissors, real hi-tech.

We are supper happy with the result.

 

[Reinout]

Here's what we chose when configuring our covers:




Does anyone have any idea what this plug on the front passenger seat is for?

 

[LifeIsStout]

That plug on the Passenger seat could be for an airbag sensor, but I am only guessing.

 

[repo]

One is must be the passenger airbag weight sensor and the other the rear heater fan.