Leather Prius seat covers
 

So several years ago my wife got these leather seat covers for her 2014 Prius C. They were something like $700, custom made specifically for a 2014 Prius C and fit that car like a glove- you could not tell they were covers. Then she traded in the Prius and kept the seat covers to sell. She couldn' get half of what she paid because they are a little too niche.

So they sat in our house for 2 years.

The driver's seat in my car is getting pretty beaten up and worn (after only 2 years!) because it's a DD and I do a dirty job and I keep a leatherman on my belt that has ripped up the faux leather on my seat. I considered getting a new set of leather front seats, but too expensive and some cause issues with the airbag system. But I have these stupid seat covers lying around that aren't ever goin g to sell for more than $100 :iono: but they are made just for a Prius C!

So I figured WTF and tried them (they are both Toyotas right?) and they fit almost as well as they did on the Prius (a little bit loose and the tethers underneath don't connect perfectly). :happyanim: I am kind of blown away they fit so well. I'm a cheap bastard so re-purposing something expensive is like discovering gold to me. They are more comfortable too. Mrs Guybo loves 'em

http://oi67.tinypic.com/m76uz7.jpg

Glad to see im not the only cheap bastard on the forum.
Im considering those but is kinda pricey for my taste
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00F0...mkL&ref=plSrch

I presume that they have the break away stitching for the seat airbags but it is something you should check. If the cover has a nice tight, strong seam and the airbag goes off then instead of protecting you the force heads straight to your spleen.

Good show, they look nice ...... :thumbsup:

However, your glove box door looks like it was decorated by my toddler granddaughter ....... :D


humfrz

They do not fit like a glove.
You can instantly tell they are covers.

Look at all the wrinkles and creases
They fit like a grandfather's scrotum.

He said they fit his wife's 2014 Prius C "fit that car like a glove- you could not tell they were covers."

No one is arguing they fit THIS car, take your scrotum comments elsewhere :sigh:

I thought the grandfather's balls comment was kinda funny (even if the poster was wrong.)

These look like coverking seat covers. They're not bad. Could use a layer of memory foam underneath them to fill them out a bit. Lots of options out there for our cars that work pretty well. I put katzkins on the SUV and they look better than the OEM leather. Seen the SARDs after settling in, which are cheaper but look good too. Putting a little money into the interior of these cars nets pretty good results. I say good job to OP and keep working to make your ride closer to your vision.

Oh god I hope you are a grandfather or else it brings your viewing habits in to question!

I'm pretty sure I mentioned I'm a cheap bastard. Glove, scrotum... Whatever good enough. Comfy enough for MY scrotum to rest on.

What have we told you about driving around without pants?

I've been wearing shorts. Really short shorts ;-)

LOL, I was just making a joke. Glad someone laughed.
This thread actually got me thinking of putting a cheap seat cover to protect my seat.

LOL I laughed. That was why I replied with a joke!

https://img.memecdn.com/lemon-party_o_1267671.jpg

Protect it for what ....... ??

I always wondered about those people that put on those heavy, clear plastic seat covers, on new cars back in the 50s. They were cold in the winter and hot in the summer and the drivers side was usually cracked ...... :iono:

humfrz

I'm sorry, but this downgrade looks horrendous.
I have similar looking seats in my 88 Corolla winter beater.

Artificial leather means vinyl. Vinyl doesn't breath like leather and is very hot. Katzkin makes a real leather kit for both front and rear. I'm not real sure of the price but I think it's about $1700 installed. I'm told they won't sell it except through one of their installers.

170 is more appealing than price of sard covers

True, but those SARD covers look awfully good at about a quarter of the Katzkin price. I didn't know about SARD till now. I asked their tech if they are vinyl or breath like leather but she couldn't answer. Does anyone know or have first-hand experience with the SARDS?

I installed the SARD covers about 2 months after buying the car last year. So I've had them on for 9-10 months.

The material itself is PVC vinyl, but everything other than the bolsters is perforated to allow it to "breath". They definitely get a bit "sticky" in the summer, but a lot of that will be down to how hot your summers are, how much you sweat, and how high you keep the AC cranked. I prefer to just keep the windows down when its warm and only use AC if its unbearable so I just deal with a bit of back sweat. In cold weather, I don't really notice because I usually have a jacket on. I hate heated seats so I never use mine.

I daily drive my car, and the covers have held up incredibly well. I do a full interior detail on my car every 3 months or so. Thoroughly vacuum all the seams and stitching, clean with Autoglym leather cleaner and soft brush, and apply Autoglym leather balm. I know it's not real leather, but this routine has kept them looking pretty much new. There are a few minor scuffs on the drivers side only, but after 22k kms I am quite happy.

You should also consider that the SARD covers have special stitching to allow the seat airbag to properly deploy. I haven't looked into it much, but I don't think many other seat cover options have this or at least don't clearly advertise it.

I've gotten compliments on them where people think they are aftermarket seats... they are usually very surprised when I say they are just covers. These definitely fit like a glove, and take about an hour per seat to get on properly. It's a shame you can't just order fronts though, the rear seats are never used in my car so that to me is the biggest downside to these as that keeps the cost high.

Here is a photo of them when first installed:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/pictu...ictureid=11009

Pocs of 1st day installed is useless, show image at moment to see how they are holding

Lol.

He asked for someone to comment on first-hand experience, exactly what I delivered.

I'll post a current photo when I have time and access to my car again. It is currently at the shop for a dent repair.

Clazzios look pretty good and are real leather from what I can tell. $599 for our cars, I assume if you install them yourself.

Totally forgot about this but remembered on Saturday while in the middle of my spring car detail..

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/pictu...ictureid=11383
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/pictu...ictureid=11384
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/pictu...ictureid=11385

These are pictures of the driver side seat SARD cover after almost exactly 12 months of use and 24,000km of sitting. Pictures are post-clean but pre-conditioner. I'd rate the current condition at 9.5/10 as there are a handle of deeper scuffs that the conditioner I put on did not totally conceal.
Stitching is still rock solid, no rips, no tears, no punctures. I'd 100% buy these again.

Are you sure airbags are actually inside the seat? I had my seats done in leather by another company (katskins). I'd like to check with them that if there are airbags, that it won't slpeen shot me in an accident.

Are they in the side bolsters?

They are, Driver side for sure

http://www.iihs.org/frontend/iihs/ra...2761&width=800

http://cdn7.bigcommerce.com/s-dals72...=2&imbypass=on

Both seats. In the outer bolster.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/attac...1&d=1424814791

https://www.subaru.ca/Content/7907/M...Y_air_bags.jpg

Think the Katzkins will be OK their pics show the airbag label on the covers.

They are still in outstanding condition. Not a fan of leather seats but if I was looking that would sell me for sure.