Freelander 1 Seat trim problems

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Avocet1

Well-Known Member
Posts
4,890
Location
Cumbria
Well, this evening's job was firing up the old Vax "wet-or-dry" vacuum cleaner and seeing if I could get the seat fabric any less filthy. Sadly, despite the water coming out like soup, I just seem to have ended up with cleaner stains on them. The driver's cushion has also started to tear.

What do people on here do when that happens? I've found OE seat cushion covers online (for about what the car is worth!) so I guess it's either look for something from a scrapper or buy aftermarket seat covers? Does anyone have any recommendations please? Mine seem to be "Ash smokestone".
 
You can take the seat covers off - you might be able to put them in the washing machine? There are plastic clips on them though which might cause problems.

The drivers one is always the one that goes (on the right hand edge). So you can swap with the passenger cover to make the drivers side better and stop the tear getting any bigger (now on the passenger side). The ones in breakers are usually no better - but you can get a passenger side cover and replace the drivers with that which will result in 2 good seats.

The drivers and passenger side covers are slightly different in their clip arrangement, but once on, you wouldn't know. You also end up with a couple of holes (toward the hand brake side) but they are not noticeable.

There's info in this post and following ones...

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-ro...freelander-today.199594/page-340#post-3827775
 
Thanks both, that's another option, I guess, finding a decent passenger seat and swapping the covers. I did that on my old Alfa, but that's a machine from a bygone era involving large chunks of "cow" in the covering and millions of tiny little "hog rings" for which you need special pliers. I'm not sure about machine washing them, as the driver's side, certainly, has worn thin enough to tear along the outside of the bolster. Passenger side one might take a washing without falling apart though.
 
I've thought we ought to contact Exmoor trim as they do replacements for all LR but not F1. Could offer to send them a pattern?? Maybe I'll message them.
 
Here's the water that came out of the vacuum cleaner after I'd used the carpet cleaning attachment on them.
I've thought we ought to contact Exmoor trim as they do replacements for all LR but not F1. Could offer to send them a pattern?? Maybe I'll message them.

That's not a bad plan! I'm looking for some alternative seats at present. If I get some, I'll happily "skin" my existing ones and post them down. I won't want them back.
 
Ok. Have asked Exmoor trim on behalf of all of us to price a F1 and F1 facelift seat cover kit. Have said that when I get info I will survey for interest!! Watch this space. Ready trimmed seats would exceed the cost of our lovely vehicles!! By a number of times in my case!!
 
Exmoor have replied promptly. They have no plans or intentions to make any Freelander 1 seat trim in near future. Apparently Discovery comes next!! We can but try. Probs large business opportunity. Anyone know of other seat trim companies that may be able to help???
 
Exmoor have replied promptly. They have no plans or intentions to make any Freelander 1 seat trim in near future. Apparently Discovery comes next!! We can but try. Probs large business opportunity. Anyone know of other seat trim companies that may be able to help???
Lots of people when they go on holiday to the far east will have a suit tailor made for them while they're there.

You could take your Freelander seats away with you and ask for some covers to be made up instead :D
 
Just reawakening this thread. I have now removed my fabric seats. Strangely, Mrs. Avocet seems keen to get them out of the house for some reason! I'm therefore going to take them down to the tip, but before I do so, does anyone want me to "skin" them so that we have a set of fabric patterns? Happy to post them wherever.
 
There was a guy in Poland on here that spent some time rebuilding a couple of hippos a while back. He had some nice seats from what I recall. I can’t however recall his name at the moment. My point being though, there must be some places about that do this sort of work.
 
OK, The fabric bits won't take up much space. I'll try to get them off and I'll just skip the frames and foams. If anyone finds a trimmer willing to take the job on, I'd be happy to post them.
 
I now have a pair of front seat rtims off the seats. Happy to post them somewhere if someone wants to give me an address?
 
I've thought we ought to contact Exmoor trim as they do replacements for all LR but not F1. Could offer to send them a pattern?? Maybe I'll message them.
If you can get an accurate pattern off them, then making new seat covers yourself is not difficult. The only thing you will need is a suitable upholstery-weight fabric and that would need money. Put 'upholstery fabric' into ebay and see what the cost would come out at.
 
By seat 'trims' do you mean the old covers???:)

I do, yes. When I got the car, they were absolutely filthy horrible and the outer bolster on the driver's cushion had worn through in one place. I was surprised at how expensive genuine LR ones were and how hard to come by. However, in the end, I found a set of leather ones from a car that was being broken, and fitted those (with the added bonus that the front ones are heated)! As you can see earlier in this thread, someone was saying they might know of someone who could get copies made. They're no use to me now, so before I pitched the seats in the skip, I skinned the two front ones. If anyone wanted to unpick them and use them as patterns, they'd be very welcome - although they're more complicated than I first imagined.
 
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