Seat Covers

[Cbonilla]

Does anyone have experience with Lseat.com? They are offering leather seat covers for the boxster for $300 a pair. The bolsters on my seats are looking quite worn. After this many years should I replace the foam in the seat cushion while I'm at it (the most expensive words in the english language)?

https://www.lseat.com/products/1997-2004-porsche-boxster-986-custom-real-leather-seat-covers-front.html

Are they attractive? How's the quality? Are they a such a pain to install that I should not even consider doing this myself (and in this case what have shops charged to do the install)?

2003 Boxster S

Thanks, Carlos

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

I've never heard of them myself and don't see much out on the web about the company. There are a bunch of reviews at your link so maybe look through them. Looks like both good and bad. For that price for real leather, that's a great deal. If you decide to go a different route I'll also recommend Coverking seat covers. They offer a very wide range for you 986 and are really great quality. If you have any questions let me know.

Coverking Seat Covers - Pelican Parts

[Cbonilla]

Thanks Luccia, I'll check those out

[thstone]

Yes, I have their seat covers installed on my 78 911SC. They look nicer than they cost and have worn well over the past 18 months. But they are still $150 per seat so no one will confuse them for $1,200 leather either. But it you just want something that is nicer than the old, worn, tattered factory leather and don't want to spend an arm and a leg, then these might do the job.

I had them installed by a local upholstery shop since I've never done any type of work like this, the driver's seat foam also needed refurbishment, and I wanted them to look as good as they could (and a crappy installation will make any seat cover look bad regardless of price/quality).

I can post up some pic's tomorrow.

[Cbonilla]

I'd appreciate your posting pics when you get a chance, many thanks

[flouese]

Originally Posted by Luccia at Pelican Parts

I've never heard of them myself and don't see much out on the web about the company. There are a bunch of reviews at your link so maybe look through them. Looks like both good and bad. For that price for real leather, that's a great deal. If you decide to go a different route I'll also recommend Coverking seat covers. They offer a very wide range for you 986 and are really great quality. If you have any questions let me know.

Coverking Seat Covers - Pelican Parts

How difficult are these to install? Are there any pictures available of the different types of material?

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Originally Posted by flouese

How difficult are these to install? Are there any pictures available of the different types of material?

Great questions. Coverking says that they're easy to install and take less than 30 minutes. What particular material are you most interested in seeing? Here is what their Genuine Leather Custom seat covers look like:



Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Cbonilla]

thanks. I'm eagerly awaiting the user who offered to post his pictures with a boxster and those seat covers.

I'm always a little skeptical of online reviews from the vendors website

[Gelbster]

we need help to get the correct grade of foam to replace the 20 year old 'bought-on-price' low-bidder material used by the factory. The trick would be to use the modern gel padding and power ventilate between the bubbles for hot weather and Tracking.I thought about trying a junk yard ventilated seat and using the inards...

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Luccia at Pelican Parts

Great questions. Coverking says that they're easy to install and take less than 30 minutes. What particular material are you most interested in seeing? Here is what their Genuine Leather Custom seat covers look like:



Let me know if you have any other questions.

I don't mean to be critical but those look like they belong in a mini-van, not a Porsche.

And I can't believe that they install in less than 30 mins unless they install over the top of the factory seat covers. If so, then they are not a very high quality solution.

The seat covers that we have been discussing replace the factory leather and will take some time to remove the factory leather, fix any foam problems, and then re-install the new leather cover.

[thstone]

Here are some photos of the L-Seat covers in my 911SC...

I did my best to describe what I am seeing. This is hard because everyone has their own set of criteria for what is acceptable quality and what is not, so I may have gone overboard trying to point out every little drawback but i know some people who would notice these small details immediately. If you (or someone reading this) is that person, then better to know now.

At the end of the day, only you can decide if these seat covers are acceptable to you. For me, they were the perfect quality for a daily driver that isn't going be in a concours competition - and the price can't be beat.

Hope this helps.


Overall, the first impression is that they look pretty good and feel fine. I do want to mention that the leather has a bit of an orange peel texture and is a little stiffer/less supple than the factory leather. The only thing that someone might notice from this angle is the wavy piping on the drivers left side bolster.


Once again, the seat covers look pretty good except the piping on the right edge of the passenger seat is a little wavy at the headrest, top of the shoulder, and at the right side bolster. Also, the fit on the side of the driver right bolster isn't perfect resulting in a little bit of puckering in the leather on the outside. The same puckering is evident on the passenger left side bolster. Its not nearly as obvious in real life as the photo has the light hitting it just right.


Again, the seat looks fine but the stitching at the shoulder level between the center ventilated panel and the outer leather looks pulled overly tight. Again, you have to REALLY look to see this, but it is there.


Here is a close-up of the bottom seat portion. On the left side, I was able to get the light to reflect the orange peel texture. This isn't really visible when you walk up to the car, but it is visible when the light hits it just right.

[Cbonilla]

My 2003 S has full power seats with the controls right where your hand drops. Were you given the option to spec that in your order, placement of seat back release catchs, etc?

All in all they look pretty good, thanks for posting the pics. You're attitude is the same as mine, just has to look good and not be concours quality. Did you have to replace any of the foam?

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

My 2003 S has full power seats with the controls right where your hand drops. Were you given the option to spec that in your order, placement of seat back release catchs, etc?

For the 911SC, I just selected the seats that were the same shape from the options offered. You'd have to check with the company regarding power seat options, but I wouldn't be surprised if the installer will have to cut out/around the power switches.

Originally Posted by Cbonilla

All in all they look pretty good, thanks for posting the pics. You're attitude is the same as mine, just has to look good and not be concours quality. Did you have to replace any of the foam?

The drivers seat bottom needed the foam replaced and the upholstery shop did that work along with the seat cover installation. The shop charged $150 per seat installation + $100 for the foam replacement for a total of $400. So, for a total of $700, I ended up with what you see here and thought that was a pretty good deal.

Final thought: I would suggest requesting a sample of the leather before you order just to make sure that you will be happy with the quality and finish of the leather. That way you'll know exactly what you're getting and not be mad at me if they don't meet your expectations. I have learned the hard way that Porsche owners can be somewhat fickle as a group and have fairly wide ranging expectations.

[Cbonilla]

Has anyone installed these seat covers themselves? How big a job was it and are you satisfied with rather results?

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

Originally Posted by thstone

I don't mean to be critical but those look like they belong in a mini-van, not a Porsche.

And I can't believe that they install in less than 30 mins unless they install over the top of the factory seat covers. If so, then they are not a very high quality solution.

The seat covers that we have been discussing replace the factory leather and will take some time to remove the factory leather, fix any foam problems, and then re-install the new leather cover.

These images were posted so the individual asking could see what the material looked like. Those seats are just generic universal seats and are not Porsche seats, hence why they don't look like they belong. Unfortunately, I do not have stock images of them installed in a Porsche.

Coverking makes quality car covers, seat covers, custom sun shields and even dash covers. We wouldn't list their product in our catalog if we didn't feel the product was quality. We have had them into our facility to do custom covers for in house vehicles. I have seen, first hand, their seats and multiple different covers and can confirm their quality/protection. You can always call Coverking to discuss install processes or have a local shop do a professional install.

[maytag]

Stone,
Im considering what to do about my Savannah beige seats which have started splitting.

The orange peel is throwing me. Are these leather? Or vinyl?

Originally Posted by thstone

Here are some photos of the L-Seat covers in my 911SC...

I did my best to describe what I am seeing. This is hard because everyone has their own set of criteria for what is acceptable quality and what is not, so I may have gone overboard trying to point out every little drawback but i know some people who would notice these small details immediately. If you (or someone reading this) is that person, then better to know now.

At the end of the day, only you can decide if these seat covers are acceptable to you. For me, they were the perfect quality for a daily driver that isn't going be in a concours competition - and the price can't be beat.

Hope this helps.


Overall, the first impression is that they look pretty good and feel fine. I do want to mention that the leather has a bit of an orange peel texture and is a little stiffer/less supple than the factory leather. The only thing that someone might notice from this angle is the wavy piping on the drivers left side bolster.


Once again, the seat covers look pretty good except the piping on the right edge of the passenger seat is a little wavy at the headrest, top of the shoulder, and at the right side bolster. Also, the fit on the side of the driver right bolster isn't perfect resulting in a little bit of puckering in the leather on the outside. The same puckering is evident on the passenger left side bolster. Its not nearly as obvious in real life as the photo has the light hitting it just right.


Again, the seat looks fine but the stitching at the shoulder level between the center ventilated panel and the outer leather looks pulled overly tight. Again, you have to REALLY look to see this, but it is there.


Here is a close-up of the bottom seat portion. On the left side, I was able to get the light to reflect the orange peel texture. This isn't really visible when you walk up to the car, but it is visible when the light hits it just right.

[BobRickel]

I can not speak about the LSeats.com Porsche seat replacement covers but I bought them and installed them in my 2003 Miata. I was very happy with them. When I took them to my upholstery man (35 years experience) he asked me where I got them. He said that he could not make them for what they cost and said that the leather quality was very good, in fact he was going to try to become a dealer for them. He installed the seats and rebuilt the side bolster foam. They came out looking great. This being said if you are interested in a set from LSeats you should call them and ask for the color samples to be sent to you. I did this as the guys on the Mx5 forum had said that the light tan color they had was not a perfect match for the factory Mazda seat. They were happy to send me their color samples. The color was not a perfect match for my slightly sun faded Miata but I ordered them anyway as there were no other alternatives out there that was a perfect match. That was a year and a half ago. The seats still look great and I get compliments all the time on them. No one has ever said a word about the lack of a perfect match.
I have a Lexus SC430 with a Ecru (off white) interior. The guys on the SC430 Forum that have ordered replacements for their Ecru seats said that they loved the seats and that it was a perfect match for them.
The color in the picture is really not as far off from the stock as it looks. The color samples were exactly the same color as what I received. I would recommend them but get the color samples first if you have anything but black to see if they are acceptable to you.