Studancer Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 The front seat bottoms on my 1994 LS 400 have cracked and torn apart the past year, and I'm wondering what advice anyone has about repairing or replacing them or the leather as needed. Thanks, Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TA in KC Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 The driver's seat of my previous 92 LS 400 gradually developed a long crack in the front middle section that eventually turned into a tear. Before I sold the car, I took the advice of an experienced upholstery installer and had that section of the seat replaced with just a high quality vinyl material that he said would be more durable than leather. The match of both the color and grain of the material was perfect and the cost was low- only about $150 since I removed the seat myself and brought it to the shop. It looked excellent when finished and I wished I had done it earlier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studancer Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 The driver's seat of my previous 92 LS 400 gradually developed a long crack in the front middle section that eventually turned into a tear. Before I sold the car, I took the advice of an experienced upholstery installer and had that section of the seat replaced with just a high quality vinyl material that he said would be more durable than leather. The match of both the color and grain of the material was perfect and the cost was low- only about $150 since I removed the seat myself and brought it to the shop. It looked excellent when finished and I wished I had done it earlier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studancer Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 The driver's seat of my previous 92 LS 400 gradually developed a long crack in the front middle section that eventually turned into a tear. Before I sold the car, I took the advice of an experienced upholstery installer and had that section of the seat replaced with just a high quality vinyl material that he said would be more durable than leather. The match of both the color and grain of the material was perfect and the cost was low- only about $150 since I removed the seat myself and brought it to the shop. It looked excellent when finished and I wished I had done it earlier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Studancer Posted May 15, 2011 Author Share Posted May 15, 2011 The driver's seat of my previous 92 LS 400 gradually developed a long crack in the front middle section that eventually turned into a tear. Before I sold the car, I took the advice of an experienced upholstery installer and had that section of the seat replaced with just a high quality vinyl material that he said would be more durable than leather. The match of both the color and grain of the material was perfect and the cost was low- only about $150 since I removed the seat myself and brought it to the shop. It looked excellent when finished and I wished I had done it earlier! Thank you, I went to an auto upholstery shop and the guy told me $750.00 for the bottom of just the driver's seat, that seems outrageous...went to another guy and he said $500.00 so I'll keep looking I guess. Does anyone know anything about wrecking yards or salvage companies where it might be possible to find a couple of front seats? Stu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990LS400 Posted May 15, 2011 Share Posted May 15, 2011 I went to an auto upholstery shop and the guy told me $750.00 for the bottom of just the driver's seat, that seems outrageous...went to another guy and he said $500.00 so I'll keep looking I guess. Does anyone know anything about wrecking yards or salvage companies where it might be possible to find a couple of front seats? Stu I cannot vouch for them but https://www.leatherseats.com/ sells a complete leather upholstery kit for the 90-94 LS400 for $750 - that's for all the seats. My understanding is that they also sell parts of their complete kits separately but colors and textures will not match OEM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TA in KC Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Thank you, I went to an auto upholstery shop and the guy told me $750.00 for the bottom of just the driver's seat, that seems outrageous...went to another guy and he said $500.00 so I'll keep looking I guess. Does anyone know anything about wrecking yards or salvage companies where it might be possible to find a couple of front seats? Stu $500 doesn't sound so bad to do the entire bottom section of the seat. Leather is expensive- maybe you should consider having them recovered with vinyl and color matched instead or buy a nice set of sheepskin covers. I doubt you would have much luck finding seats in better condition from a salvage yard. At least around here, most of the first-generation LS400s I have seen in salvage yards have very high mileage and look like the seats/interiors were already trashed even before rain, snow, etc, got all over them through missing windows and doors. A friend installed a replacement leather upholstery kit (don't remember if it was from leatherseats.com) on his SUV and while the material seemed to be very good quality, the fit was never quite correct and they almost just looked like cheap aftermarket seat covers. They would probably look excellent if professionally installed, although I'm sure this would add significantly to the cost. If you decided to go this route, I'm sure many people here would like to see photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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