My first seat covers were from leather (real) black colour mixed with synthetic cloth on the sides, lasted for some years and since i never liked the cloth cover seats i decide to buy a set of leatherette duo tone (blue and black).

First lets see the definition of the word ''Leatherette" although there was a mention in another topic when there was a conversation

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/527418-steering-wheel-spacer-in-my-felicia/page/3/#findComment-5892471

about materials and a specific explanation by me

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/527418-steering-wheel-spacer-in-my-felicia/page/4/#findComment-5892817:

so it is: "an artificial material that is made to look like leather"

or ''a material constructed of paper or cloth and finished to simulate the grain, color, and texture of leather"

plus these examples:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/sentences/leatherette

and since we clarify for what kind of material i mean let's move on to some details.

 

I bought this set at December 2016 or January 2017 i am not 100% sure, the price was 150 or 170 euro, this is a photo from the store (not mine) described as "Reinforced Leatherette"

 

 

 

but now the price is 190 euro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the passenger side, my wife is sitting there for 8 years (winter-summer) and no complains at all, there are some black marks on the ''seat bottom'' or ''padding" or ''cushion" but it's not my fault, was from a mechanic's tools which lay them on.

 

 

 

As you can see after all these years are in almost perfect condition, i loved the duo tone and the feeling.

No problem with summer heat and the only ''issue'' was with my seat but it was not a material's problem but mine since i wear a Duty belt and an item from it scratches the side or ''arm rest'' as some describe it.

I had to take care of it from the beginning but i didn't paid attention so now i cover it with a Vinyl piece till i buy a new seat of seat covers from the same material of course.

 

Yes i know real leather is more better but it's more expensive and difficult to find it here in seat covers and of course i don't ever think to make complete real leather stitched seats because the cost is astronomical.

Few more photos are coming soon.

Rear seats covers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you casn see also are in almost perfect condition although there were ''used'' a lot.

Many times put on them suitcases (luggages), bags, many kind of items (wood, metal etc) from IKEA, small furnitures etc and i have use them in the past for ''adult things'' and still look OK.

 

 

For Summer holidays sometimes another bag is added in the back, no problem for the Leatherette seat covers, they can stand the ''abuse".

 

 

2 examples from leatherette seat covers (and not only) from Greece.

 

 

 

For sure it's not like real leather but does not cost a fortune like it.

 

 

 

 

By the way i have checked my notes, mine are from January 2016 so i have them for 9 years. 💪

Modifying your car's seats

Not a bad idea huh?

As usual/always a lot easier said than done both messing with foam and altering metal frames. I only watched the very start of the video but the bloke said he's done a book on it so he is really selling his book.

If you have a knack for crafts messing with foam might be easy for you but I can't see how it would be a great idea to then reuse the existing seat covers. If you can weld seat frames again great but then you also need to be good at crafts for the foam and covers.

Proper upholstery seems to be a dying art/craft/business in the UK at least.

Finding good ready made seats from another vehicle that fit is another route.

I tried to get car seats made for one of my old cars and it was a right pain even then, nearly 20 years ago I wouldn't try now as even if I could find someone that could and wanted to do it it would cost an arm and a leg.

Years before that I once tried to recondition some old car seat foams, covers and webbing with my wife but it got us to possibly the worst argument we have ever had (in 48 years now) and we agreed then it wasn't worth any amount of money saving for us.

Those beige quilted seats in the (LHD MX-5?) look terrible taste to me, as the dash and steering wheel bits too, but as always each to their own and the black plastic dash does look very black plastic but many owner's efforts to improve this just made it worse in my opinion.

16 minutes ago, nta16 said:

I only watched the very start of the video but the bloke said he's done a book on it so he is really selling his book.

It's Julian Edgar,an author of many books about car modifications.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/julian-edgar/922186/

I have modified my air-filter box inspired from his work, you should see the rest of the video,very interesting.

The Felicia seat is not good for long trips and Sport driving so about 20 years ago i removed gently a piece of factory foam from the lower part of the centre panel making my back ''tucked in'' a bit more, i added a layer on the head rest so in emergency braking my head will stopped sooner (reducing the gap) and last year i added a set of pad in the seat cushion so my knees are not in a so ''slippery'' situation as before, never regret for those e modifications.

1 hour ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

The Felicia seat is not good for long trips and Sport driving so about 20 years ago i removed gently a piece of factory foam from the lower part of the centre panel making my back ''tucked in'' a bit more, i added a layer on the head rest so in emergency braking my head will stopped sooner (reducing the gap) and last year i added a set of pad in the seat cushion so my knees are not in a so ''slippery'' situation as before, never regret for those e modifications.

When you talk about the head, you have an actual point there, my head is almost off the headrest, if I'm ever rear-ended my neck would be severely injured but what can we do, older cars have their limitations...

FYI With the seat as back as it will go I can marginally fit in terms of leg angle.

Sadly I have very poor body proportions so I can't easily fit in most vehicles, in both Brera and Felicia

I end up driving as back as I can and the seat is quite reclined...

Edited 23 November, 202523 Nov by Thefeliciahacker

IIRC a head restraint was/is(?) supposed to touch or restrain the back of the head about level with your eyes, but my memory ain't the best.

If you're happy with Julian's books great and if your seat customisation works for you great too. Generally German car seats bases at least are too long in the leg and too wide, I expected German people are generally talleer and wider than me.

I can't remember the SAAB seat but (older models) Volvo seats were the best for me, they took seriously the seats which makes sense when you consider how long you could be sitting in them. My wife said the (early Merc, when they balls'd them up) smart seats were most comfortable seats for her, must have been pre-Merc design. 😄

😄I've just noticed the MX-5 floor mat. 😄

I don't like the gap between the head rest and the head.

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

If you're happy with Julian's books great

I don't have any,it's difficult for me to read books in english plus i haven't the time.

I can read small articles and forum posts,if i see a lot of blah-blah and abbreviations or slang language i leave it without paying further attention.

2 hours ago, nta16 said:

IIRC a head restraint was/is(?) supposed to touch or restrain the back of the head about level with your eyes, but my memory ain't the best.

borderline is at the height of my mouth

39 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

don't like the gap between the head rest and the head.

Sadly, that is the consequence of driving so far reclined, if you look at my upper back, in order to touch the head restraint, my shoulders would pretty much lie above the seat. My shoulder blades if I push my self back would fall off the seat and that is pretty uncomfortable. My bum in fact is always slid forward so I can lower myself in the seat and get more comfortable but this sitting position ain't good.

If I get the sit upright on the other hand I am crouched it there.

My body proportions are suboptima tbh

Cost 1200 euro or 1.057 GBP, i presume for 4 seats (300 euro per unit) huh?

Wow, I remembered correctly, not a first but happens less and less often now. 😄

The chaps need to forget any fashionable race or track seating positions as sit sensibly in the car not how some book or perceived wisdom suggests and not for optimum fast driving steering and gear change as you are in a very compromised road car not a race or track car with customised and personalised seating.

As I put only Sweden put any real effort into their seats for safety and comfort, certainly not the German marques generally as we know VW are very happy to make compromises and even not care less about some aspects and/or lie and cheat so never expect too much from VW.

It used to be smaller cheaper cars were aimed at the mass market those with less money than can afford the bigger and more luxurious cars and, as a total generalised, previous generations of people with less money were smaller and shorter possibly partly because they weren't getting as much high protein food and had more lower/different health issues to those with more wealth. Off course things changed when more rubbish food and drinks were more widely consumed, thanks Yanks. 😄 (one for D.Fylakos there 😄)

The seat bolsters and harness are fine for track and race use but it concerns me to see them on road cars as it means the occupants have less idea of the speed and movement of the car and encourages more speed and less sensations input. I must admit I do feel odd the few times I've been in an old car that doesn't have seat belts or just the lap belt but I got used to it (compulsory wearing of seatbelts wasn't introduced to the UK until the early 1980s IIRC). Too greater feeling of security encourages greater recklessness, if in an accident all the safety features keep you safe so it doesn't matter (of course this isn't always true but that's another matter). Remember that baby-brained Lewis Hamilton in his early season of (hero-worship) roundy-round race driving crashing a car cos he wasn't winning knowing he'd be safe.

As always for seats and everything else with cars, each to their own it'd not be good if we all thought alike, as long as it's legal do as you please.

17 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

When you talk about the head, you have an actual point there, my head is almost off the headrest, if I'm ever rear-ended my neck would be severely injured but what can we do, older cars have their limitations...

FYI With the seat as back as it will go I can marginally fit in terms of leg angle.

Sadly I have very poor body proportions so I can't easily fit in most vehicles, in both Brera and Felicia

I end up driving as back as I can and the seat is quite reclined...

I had a similar issue in Felicia. The backrest is just too low. I liked Airbag seats, which had longer backrest frame from Octavia and could be equipped with a adjustable headrest (and adjustable lumbar support), unfortunately it's not an option with limited edition seats.. unless you pay quite a lot for new upholstery.

If you thin out, or wear out, the seat base foam and under support you with sit lower in/on the seat base so the back rest will be higher from the base. Opposite of when an old seat is very worn and you just put a board in for support and to raise your body. Wide board for a German marque seat of course. 😁

4 hours ago, Papez said:

I had a similar issue in Felicia. The backrest is just too low. I liked Airbag seats, which had longer backrest frame from Octavia and could be equipped with a adjustable headrest (and adjustable lumbar support), unfortunately it's not an option with limited edition seats.. unless you pay quite a lot for new upholstery.

Honestly, they look much more substantial!

4 hours ago, nta16 said:

If you thin out, or wear out, the seat base foam and under support you with sit lower in/on the seat base so the back rest will be higher from the base.

My seats are excellent in terms of wear!

38 minutes ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

My seats are excellent in terms of wear!

The basic fabric upholstery is quite durable. Mine only started to show some wear when the foam torn and frame went through. When I noticed it, I quickly fixed it and the seats lasted another tens of thousands km until I sold them. They probably still ride around in another Felicia.

Oh, at one point, I had to replace the frame as well, as it cracked near the base.

4 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

My seats are excellent in terms of wear!

Then if you want to sit lower in the seat you need to reduce the cushioning and under support that is currently supporting and lifting you, get your buttocks nearer the floor like race and rally cars or black (they're always black, if only from the soot if diesel, in UK) VW Golf GTi (and it used to be baseball cap on backwards, not so much now or you can't see for the vape smoke).

3 hours ago, Papez said:

The basic fabric upholstery is quite durable. Mine only started to show some wear when the foam torn and frame went through. When I noticed it, I quickly fixed it and the seats lasted another tens of thousands km until I sold them. They probably still ride around in another Felicia.

Yeah I need some top up in the bolster area

24 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Then if you want to sit lower in the seat you need to reduce the cushioning and under support that is currently supporting and lifting you, get your buttocks nearer the floor like race and rally cars or black (they're always black, if only from the soot if diesel, in UK) VW Golf GTi (and it used to be baseball cap on backwards, not so much now or you can't see for the vape smoke).

Haha indeed but no modifications allowed in my Felicia, also I dont vape while driving

If you adopt a bad body posture when you are young you will really regret in later life.

Hopefully you don't vape at all -

or mess about with your phone whilst driving or hold it out of the window as I saw one black VW Golf Gti do earlier this year on a local road unfortunately I was walking in the other direction and don't own one of these camera phones.

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

If you adopt a bad body posture when you are young you will really regret in later life.

We've talked about my body proportions and posture.

1 hour ago, nta16 said:

Hopefully you don't vape at all -

or mess about with your phone whilst driving or hold it out of the window as I saw one black VW Golf Gti do earlier this year on a local road unfortunately I was walking in the other direction and don't own one of these camera phones.

Haha, all the bad behaviors? We don't do most of these!