Repairing seat bases

HLRSeagull · May 4, 2013

Hi peeps ,

Apologies if this has been covered before but i cant seem to find a thread linked to this so thought I would post up !!

:dnfnoob:

Anyway , it appears the lady who owned my 1996 300tdi discovery before me was a rather large lady and the seat has split, basically i have the xs half leather seats and the cushion / padding has split along the n/s of the base which in turn has torn the seam between the leather and the cloth base, it appears the stretchy elastic underside has totally ripped away which i guess has caused this to happen so she put a cushion on the seat ,to pad out the hole but its god damn uncomfortable on longer runs

Firstly i am more than happy to have a bash at seat retrimming but not so sure my seat cloth is available anymore and also is the elastic underside a seperate part or does it come as part of the seat cloth if that makes sense ??

I did wonder about making a wooden board to fit under the cushion to push it back up then have a go at sewing the trim back together but really not too sure which way to approach this, the only ones I can find breaking locally with spare seats have a totally different seat cloth .

Any thoughts or tips would be gratefully appreciated ....

Thanks

auf_wiedersehen_pet · May 4, 2013

I "repaired" the webbing underneath by zigzagging a thick bungee from side to side. As for the stitching repair, that's a different matter. The leather will be far to tough to sew by hand or "home" sewing machine.

I flogged mine and stuck Recaros in.

HLRSeagull · May 4, 2013

nice seats mate.

Good call on the bungee, i might give that a bash when I am next off work . I normally have a seat cover over my seat anyway so will give your bungee trick a whirl for a temporary measure.

spanishlair · May 4, 2013

Like the Maglight set up. The cops overhere do the same with the nightsticks. I didnt there was space for the torch..is the clip a Maglight Accessory?

spanishlair · May 4, 2013

HLRSeagull said:
Hi peeps ,

Apologies if this has been covered before but i cant seem to find a thread linked to this so thought I would post up !!

:dnfnoob:

Anyway , it appears the lady who owned my 1996 300tdi discovery before me was a rather large lady and the seat has split, basically i have the xs half leather seats and the cushion / padding has split along the n/s of the base which in turn has torn the seam between the leather and the cloth base, it appears the stretchy elastic underside has totally ripped away which i guess has caused this to happen so she put a cushion on the seat ,to pad out the hole but its god damn uncomfortable on longer runs

Firstly i am more than happy to have a bash at seat retrimming but not so sure my seat cloth is available anymore and also is the elastic underside a seperate part or does it come as part of the seat cloth if that makes sense ??

I did wonder about making a wooden board to fit under the cushion to push it back up then have a go at sewing the trim back together but really not too sure which way to approach this, the only ones I can find breaking locally with spare seats have a totally different seat cloth .

Any thoughts or tips would be gratefully appreciated ....

Thanks

I guess after that many years the material will be obsolete so finding any would be nearly impossible. One way forward is to go for a different cloth. Try a vehicle retrimmer and choose a fabric you like, then cut costs by taking the existing cover off ( there is a how to on here I am sure.) Take the cover for repair. Most of the guys in the trade that I knew are quite proud of there work and will give advice on how to repair the underside. The advantage is you can still drive the vehicle. Refit the repared cover and repeat with the FNS. You cut costs and get to keep the leather. Then you do the same with the back seats, then the headlining and doorcards and the next thing you know your skint !

auf_wiedersehen_pet · May 4, 2013

HLRSeagull said:
nice seats mate.

Good call on the bungee, i might give that a bash when I am next off work . I normally have a seat cover over my seat anyway so will give your bungee trick a whirl for a temporary measure.

Found this...

John FHA · May 4, 2013

Part 2 Exmoor Trim Discovery Seat Re-Trim Kit

Check this out on youtube. Watch part one for everything. There's a trick to getting the headrest off. good luck

HLRSeagull · May 5, 2013

Thanks for the youtube link !!

Well I took the seat out after work today .

2 heavy duty bungie straps and a bit of stretching and hey presto we have a comfy seat again.

I might look at getting one of those diaphragms they look just the ticket .

Very happy with the bungie strap tip that has transformed my seat into alot more comfy than it was, snap on racing seat cover back on and looks the ticket.

I wont be sewing the seat as said in previous post this is a non starter so will keep an eye out for decent second hand seats or might even look at the recaro method .

Thanks for your help guys . Very much appreciated !!

auf_wiedersehen_pet · May 5, 2013

HLRSeagull said:
might even look at the recaro method .

Thanks for your help guys . Very much appreciated !!

You're welcome. A few more photos of the Recaros are on my build thread. Works for most seats.

Repairing seat bases

HLRSeagull

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auf_wiedersehen_pet

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HLRSeagull

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spanishlair

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spanishlair

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auf_wiedersehen_pet

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John FHA

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HLRSeagull

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auf_wiedersehen_pet

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