Reupholstering Boxster seats with the lseat kit.

[Radman]

Nicely done!

[howdy]

A lot of work for sure. Do you think a lot of those wrinkles will work themselves out over time? Do you think the wrinkles come from the lock of experience at upholstery work or is it the product itself?

[elgyqc]

This is a relatively inexpensive kit so it would be surprising if it would be a perfect fit. From what I have seen there are always wrinkles, perhaps fewer if the installation is better. But it is possible to remove some of them using heat, there are lots of videos on Youtube. My (inexperienced) feeling is that it would be better to let the leather work a bit before doing anything. Perhaps some of the wrinkles will go away and others will appear. The vaste improvement already means that I can live with a few imperfections for awhile and try to make them go away in the summer.

[Stl-986]

From looking at others have have used Lseats kits (not just Porsche) their fit isn't always great. Dont know how they make their patterns but if it is how I think they do it, they take a used set of covers from a customer and make a template from that. That will get them close, but that original template could be worn, old, etc. If they dont shrink it some then there wont be a tight enough fit and for new leather seats, you want a very tight fit out of the box so it can stretch over time. I suspect they dont do this which is why the fit isn't that great.

[elgyqc]

Originally Posted by Stl-986

From looking at others have have used Lseats kits (not just Porsche) their fit isn't always great. Dont know how they make their patterns but if it is how I think they do it, they take a used set of covers from a customer and make a template from that. That will get them close, but that original template could be worn, old, etc. If they dont shrink it some then there wont be a tight enough fit and for new leather seats, you want a very tight fit out of the box so it can stretch over time. I suspect they dont do this which is why the fit isn't that great.

Now that you mention it, I remember a couple of people mentioning that Lseat had asked them to send their old covers in so that they could add to their product line (BMW sport seats and Miata I think).

When I started work on the passenger seat today I noticed that on the original covers the sides of the cushion and the sides of the back are not leather... they are stretchy vinyl. This would make installation easier and perhaps help place the leather. The Lseat covers are all leather from what I see.

With the passenger seat out I was able to get the old covers off in less than 2 hours, likely half of what it took for the driver's seat.
The seat back was not too bad, but the cushion was a real mess.






The insert was in perfect condition... if anyone wants it its theirs.

[elgyqc]

Got the passenger side cushion done. I tried to find a way use zip ties in place of the hooks that hold the cover to the foam along the sides. My conclusion is… use the hooks. You might want to use something like this to prevent the hooks from pulling through the holes in the foam.




The fit was tighter than the other seat and it took a lot of effort to finally get it on the plastic base.

The cover for the seat back was also a lot harder to install than on the driver’s side. To get it into the groove at the rear I ended up starting on the side and working towards the top (as opposed to getting the top in first).




As I neared the top I pushed on the seam with a piece of wood, see the photo, that helped to get a bit of slack to force the bead into the groove. The seams are strong enough that this is not a problem.




Once in it kept trying to creep out so I put a piece of safety wire through the seat at the top, fastened inside, to prevent the bead from popping out. I didn’t want to do this, but I prefer to not have it come apart sometime in the near future. It is almost invisible unless you are looking for it.

[elgyqc]

To disconnect the wire that goes to the seat back recliner switch you slide this little cover off, then slide the connector out.



Here is the passenger seat finished...



... and the 2 seats installed.




The difference in colour between the original "savana" and the "lark" inserts is noticeable but doesn't clash too much because they are not side by side.

I am happy! I'm curious as to how they will look after being used a bit.

[howdy]

Those are just cloth covers you put over the seat frames? Thats not leather is it? Someone has to say it, but the fit of those are horrible. Kuddos for you for trying to take on this project, but there are times when you pay a professional for a great result.

[Stl-986]

They are leather & vinyl.

You do a good job getting them on. Using hog rings would have given you a somewhat better fit but in the end your seats look like the others I have seen from Lseats. Their templates just aren't that good in my opinion and the fit isnt as tight as it should be. It will get a little tighter in the summer, but not enough to look wonderful. A pro wouldn't have been able to get that kit in too much of better shape, it's the covers more then the install.

All in all, great job. Only so much you can do with a product that isn't that great to begin with.

I went down this route and in the end decided to just put in some 987 seats that were in perfect condition. Was around the same price but the install was so much simpler...just remove the old and install new, plus the 987 seats are all heated so now I also have heated seats for the same price.

[elgyqc]

Originally Posted by howdy

Those are just cloth covers you put over the seat frames? Thats not leather is it? Someone has to say it, but the fit of those are horrible. Kuddos for you for trying to take on this project, but there are times when you pay a professional for a great result.

Well you said it... and I disagree. If I had enough money to pay a professional a couple of thousand dollars to do the seats of a $6000 Boxster... I wouldn't have a $6000 986 which I do all the work on. Compare the original seats and the covered seats, which is horrible? For me it is a great result given my resources and what the car is worth. In the summer I plan to do some work on the wrinkles to improve the fit.

By the way, the covers are all leather, the originals had vinyl on the seat back and the cushion sides, but the Lseats are leather there... which makes fitting it bit more difficult becuase the original vinyl is stretchy. Perhaps the lack of stretch doesn't help eliminate the wrinkles.

[78F350]

Good work elgyqc. Most of the wrinkles should flatten out as you use the seat.
A good set of Hog Ring Pliers makes using the metal rings a lot easier - no harder than zip-ties and in my opinion a better choice. (Knipex Pliers) New rings are inexpensive and easy to work with. I got a box of 100 1/2" rings for a few dollars.

[Seal1968]

Given you are not a professional upholsterer, great job, IMO.

There's alot of videos out there to show you how to tighten up the covers. Even leaving them in the hot sun helps shrink them down.

Here's a link below - they use a steamer and heat gun. Be VERY careful with a heat gun as it can damage the vinyl without a doubt.

Just watch how the wrinkles disappear. Not saying yours will be perfect, but I bet some extra work in the nicer weather will greatly improve your results even further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzm4NeSAPyQ

[elgyqc]

Originally Posted by Seal1968

Given you are not a professional upholsterer, great job, IMO.

There's a lot of videos out there to show you how to tighten up the covers. Even leaving them in the hot sun helps shrink them down.

Here's a link below - they use a steamer and heat gun. Be VERY careful with a heat gun as it can damage the vinyl without a doubt.

Just watch how the wrinkles disappear. Not saying yours will be perfect, but I bet some extra work in the nicer weather will greatly improve your results even further.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzm4NeSAPyQ

Thanks for the encouragement. That's the plan, work on the wrinkles during the summer.

Chatsworth... I looked that up... I was born in Fordwich which isn't far away, My family moved to BC when I was very young so don't remember much of the area.

[rfuerst911sc]

Interesting comment about the passenger side fitting tighter . Because the driver's side is generally used much more than the passenger side I wonder if the foam was less compressed on the passenger side ?

I was wondering if maybe a thin layer ( 1/2 " ) of additional foam on the driver's side may have helped with a tighter fit . Common sense says it would have helped .

I think with some seat time 😁 and some adjustments of the zip ties you will get them tighter. . I think you did a good job . Please try to update maybe in 6 months to see how they look and are holding up .

Last comment/question . What if anything did Lseat recommend for conditioning and treatment of the leather ?

[Seal1968]

Ahh Fordwich.

My sons played hockey in that area a few years ago during travel hockey times...good memories. That's just outside Wingham/Wroxeter if I recall correctly...about an hour or so away. It's a small world for sure.

And yes, patience and a little extra work will certainly help smooth the wrinkles.

That steam/heat gun method shown in that video really shows how the leather snugs up.

My Audi seats are showing a bit of stretch in the seat bottoms from my fat arse...will give that a try when spring has sprung to tighten them up.

Keep us posted!

[elgyqc]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Interesting comment about the passenger side fitting tighter . Because the driver's side is generally used much more than the passenger side I wonder if the foam was less compressed on the passenger side ?

I was wondering if maybe a thin layer ( 1/2 " ) of additional foam on the driver's side may have helped with a tighter fit . Common sense says it would have helped .

I think with some seat time 😁 and some adjustments of the zip ties you will get them tighter. . I think you did a good job . Please try to update maybe in 6 months to see how they look and are holding up .

Last comment/question . What if anything did Lseat recommend for conditioning and treatment of the leather ?

As I mention somewhere there is a big piece of 1/2" foam in the package with the seat covers, It could be used as you suggest. I used a bit to patch the foam on the driver's cushion where it was worn away.

There are no instructions or recommendations with the covers, something that Lseat could improve.

[ammonman]

Overall quite pleased with the quality and fit of the Lseat covers. While not as high-grade as OE it is still decent leather. There are a few areas where the fit could be better and these may improve with use and some sun exposure. I suspect this wouldn't be an issue if the seat foam was new instead of being 24 years old and a little shrunken. For the price I think it is a great option. I wouldn't go this route for a restoration but for a driver/track toy it is great value for money.

[elgyqc]

Nice job ammonman, almost no wrinkles. Did you use a heat gun to remove the wrinkles?

[ammonman]

No heat gun yet. Something I've learned over the years working on a few upholstery projects here and there is you have to "give it a lotta love" akin to a deep tissue massage when installing new covers. Massaging the cover and foam in the directions you want the material to lay helps get it smoothed and stretched into place.

[BFeller]

Originally Posted by ammonman

Overall quite pleased with the quality and fit of the Lseat covers. While not as high-grade as OE it is still decent leather. There are a few areas where the fit could be better and these may improve with use and some sun exposure. I suspect this wouldn't be an issue if the seat foam was new instead of being 24 years old and a little shrunken. For the price I think it is a great option. I wouldn't go this route for a restoration but for a driver/track toy it is great value for money.

That is one of the best looking installs of the Lseat covers I have seen. It almost makes me want to tackle replacing the seat covers in mine.