[ds968]

I’m having the driver’s seat reupholstered next week .   ( too many cracks, it’s beyond repair..or at least a lasting repair which would look flawless   ) .  It’ll be with the OEM / factory , pre-dyed leather in the original classic grey color .  The cost is $ 600 for the leather and $ 500 for the labor .   I’m guessing that’s reasonable , although I have no frame of reference on current costs  .  They asked me to bring the car in and leave it there , rather than just removing the seat and bringing that one in , because they will have a choice of a few dye lots samples to use and they want to select one that’s as close as possible to the color shade of the passenger seat ( which is in perfect condition, thus no reason to change that one , but there will be some fading which has occurred over the last three decades ) .  I had the driver’s seat reupholstered once before , many, many years ago and they had to dye the passenger seat to match the shade of the new driver’s seat leather .  No idea if this shop will suggest doing something similar but when they complete the job I’ll check it out and decide what if anything else needs to be done .   Not really inclined to spend any more money if the match is “close enough“ at first look .  I’m never selling the car, so it’s just a matter if I’m satisfied with the aesthetics . 

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[Rap]

How did the first reupholstered seat deteriorate seemingly so fast? Two seats in 30 some years?

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[ds968]

Not sure ..and it’s not as if I drove the car as much in the last 15 of those years, either .. 125,000 miles in total now.    Furthermore, the car is a coupe, so the seats are not exposed to the elements, it’s garaged,  and when it sits out in the hot summer sun, I always have a cover on it .. 

So I have no explanation ..  but compared to all the other cars we’ve had, I find Porsche to have the poorest quality leather .  Our MBZs , by far the best leather.    

 


   

 

 

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[Rap]

I’m on the original and it’s in mint shape. Like yours it’s garage and doesn’t site outside. I wonder if they sourced their leather from different vendors when our cars were built. Do you condition the seats?

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[ds968]

I guess it’s possible for Porsche to have switched a sources to a less expensive provider, I understand that’s not a common practice, from one year to the next ...

I conditioned the seat once every six months or so .    Used mostly “Leather CPR”  and “Manchester leather food” , alternating the treatments between the two .

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[Rap]

It’s interesting then how poorly your seat held up. Well good luck with the new restoration. Post before and after pics!

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[ds968]

So I dropped off the car today and they informed me the cost of the seat leather ( supposedly they were not aware of this until they called today, because the last time they did a 993 seat  was about four months ago..)  is now $ 800.   So the estimate jumped to $  1,300 .   Lame !   

But since they're the highest rated place within a 50 mile radius , I'll just have to grin and bear it..  :glare:   

Just for kicks , I asked them what my Maserati leather piece for one seat would cost ... answer :  $ 3,700   !!    WTH !   Maybe I should not complain too much about the 968 cost ...        

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[ds968]

Close-up of “before”.   I think it’s about time to reupholster ..

 

   

 

The original classic gray is now way to light ( seats get darker with time , use , and conditioning ) so we’re using a darker grey to reupholster the seat which is closer to the current seats shade ..examined that sample against the seats in bright sunlight, in indoors artificial light,  and it’s about as close as it’s going to get , IMO ..   We’ll see… fingers crossed ! 

 

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[dlearl476]

My uncle used to take cars down to TJ and get them reupholstered. Dirt cheap, but that was a long time ago. He had an SL190 and it was like $800, including the leather. But, like I say, 1960s. 

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[ds968]

My uncle used to take cars down to TJ and get them reupholstered. Dirt cheap, but that was a long time ago. He had an SL190 and it was like $800, including the leather. But, like I say, 1960s. 

Times long gone by ..  -_-   I’d imagine even in TJ the prices are probably way up nowadays .. cheaper than in the US and especially California , where the body shop and interior repair rates are between $ 150 and $  200  and hour, but not sure the OE leather is any cheaper in Mexico than it is here.   Maybe cheaper aftermarket stuff .. 

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[Rap]

Why are you so hard on your seats? Do you jump up and down or just wiggle too much?

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[ds968]

Why are you so hard on your seats? Do you jump up and down or just wiggle too much?

Hasn’t happened with any other car I’ve ever driven in fifty years.   Except a very few of them where I put some wear on the bolster, but never the sitting area.   Not sure this has anything to do with it, but it’s also the only perforated leather seats car I’ve driven daily for so many years .. 

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[Rap]

My Lexus driver seat is somewhat discolored but otherwise fine. 68,000 miles on a 2013. The rest of the seats look new. Go figure. I don’t wiggle around!

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