Leather Seats :wink:
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I installed Katzkin leather covers on my Altima back in 2002.
They have been well taken care of and only now, 16 years later with just short of 200k miles on the car are they starting to show a little wear on only the driver's seat.
All the others still look great.
I used the smaller hog rings and just used regular hog ring pliers.
Regular tools are needed to remove the seat assemblies and the seat buns.
You will need a hefty pair of wire cutters to cut off all the old hog rings from the original covers.
I noted where the factory used hog rings to attach the factory covers and used the same locations for the new covers and added a few extra here and there to take out any wrinkles or tighten up the leather where needed.
Use caution when handling the seat bun pieces as the metal frame has lots of sharp edges and can cut you very easily. Ask me how I know.
I also bought some extra seat foam to fill in areas and tighten the leather where the leather covers did not fit tightly over the factory seat foam.
I think I bought the seat foam at Michael's Crafts.
When you install them just make sure to trim the piping so it does not stick out anywhere.
I had to pull the seat bun from the passenger's side and open it up again to trim some of the plastic piping since it was sticking out and crated a bump. So cut any piping that is sticking out past the seam flush with the seam area.
Take your time and if you lay the covers out in the sun before you install them it will loosen them up and make them more pliable and easier to work with.
Post some before and after pics.
Good luck and have fun!
They have been well taken care of and only now, 16 years later with just short of 200k miles on the car are they starting to show a little wear on only the driver's seat.
All the others still look great.
I used the smaller hog rings and just used regular hog ring pliers.
Regular tools are needed to remove the seat assemblies and the seat buns.
You will need a hefty pair of wire cutters to cut off all the old hog rings from the original covers.
I noted where the factory used hog rings to attach the factory covers and used the same locations for the new covers and added a few extra here and there to take out any wrinkles or tighten up the leather where needed.
Use caution when handling the seat bun pieces as the metal frame has lots of sharp edges and can cut you very easily. Ask me how I know.
I also bought some extra seat foam to fill in areas and tighten the leather where the leather covers did not fit tightly over the factory seat foam.
I think I bought the seat foam at Michael's Crafts.
When you install them just make sure to trim the piping so it does not stick out anywhere.
I had to pull the seat bun from the passenger's side and open it up again to trim some of the plastic piping since it was sticking out and crated a bump. So cut any piping that is sticking out past the seam flush with the seam area.
Take your time and if you lay the covers out in the sun before you install them it will loosen them up and make them more pliable and easier to work with.
Post some before and after pics.
Good luck and have fun!
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2,222 Posts
kniplex 7491250 are high torque cutters. they are pricey now-50 bucks-but when i got them a long time ago, they made cutting the old hog rings a helluva lot easier. also, bmw has some really nice hog rings, they are slightly smaller, and the wire dia is less, making them a lot easier to install. i also got a set of hog ring pliers for installing, one is straight, the other is angled. they also came in handy for closing the rings. the first time i did a seat, it was only a left front, and my hands/wrists were really sore. thats when i went out and got the kniplex. i discovered the bmw rings when i worked there, and they are a big improvement. dont try to save the old rings, it is way faster to just cut them off, and get new ones
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887 Posts
So what are you doing with the SRS in the front seats...
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1,327 Posts
The Katzkin covers have the inserts sewn in so they will be setup exactly like the OEM covers.
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I installed Katzkins in my '99 Miata and they turned our great......I actually opened up the rings with 2 x pliers and re-used.....bought a cheap "Western Wire" (St Louis) hog ring tool from a farm supply store here (TSC)......look forward to seeing pics....Good luck / Cheers p
ps some guys here use electrical zip ties instead of hog rings....just fyi
ps some guys here use electrical zip ties instead of hog rings....just fyi
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13,351 Posts
What I was thinking. This must require disconnecting the battery before removing the seat?
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13,351 Posts
They make metal zip ties as well. You can get them at Home Depot.
Thx Guys
:laugh:
Thx for all the info guys... appreciate it
Everything is really useful as DIY you know that any data is important
Of course i will post the pics
Let's see how it goes...
I'm worry with the front seats... specifically in the back... well may be the unknow is the issue... Nevertheless i prefer to study every step, check all the info, manual and then do the thing...
I will keep you posted....
:grin2::grin2::grin2: Thx one more time
:laugh:
Thx for all the info guys... appreciate it
Everything is really useful as DIY you know that any data is important
Of course i will post the pics
Let's see how it goes...
I'm worry with the front seats... specifically in the back... well may be the unknow is the issue... Nevertheless i prefer to study every step, check all the info, manual and then do the thing...
I will keep you posted....
:grin2::grin2::grin2: Thx one more time
Joined
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1,327 Posts
If the seat back is a solid, plastic piece and your new covers do not have a solid back (which it looks like they do not) you will need to reuse the plastic rear cover.
Not sure how that cover comes off though.
Some clip on the bottom then slide up to release the hooks on a bar across the back.
If you're really unsure and don't want to break anything, you could always swing by a Pick A Part type self serve junk yard and pull one of those seats apart first as a test.
There may already be one in there all taken apart so you can easily see what holds it all together.
Not sure how that cover comes off though.
Some clip on the bottom then slide up to release the hooks on a bar across the back.
If you're really unsure and don't want to break anything, you could always swing by a Pick A Part type self serve junk yard and pull one of those seats apart first as a test.
There may already be one in there all taken apart so you can easily see what holds it all together.
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