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Leather interior opinion

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Ted in Olympia, Oct 28, 2011.

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What ebay item to get?

Poll closed Nov 7, 2011.
  1. Option 1

    1 vote(s)
    100.0%
  2. Option 2

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Option 3

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Ted in Olympia

    Ted in Olympia New Member

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    I have been thinking about upgrading my interior to leather. When I go on eBay I see three kits for sale. I would like to get your advice on what one to get. My interior is dark grey. Also does anybody have an idea as to the cost to install the kit, or are they easy enough do it yourself-er to do?

    2010 Toyota Prius leather Interior Seat Cover Black | eBay

    2010 TOYOTA PRIUS - - CHARCOAL Katzkin Leather Interior | eBay

    2010 Toyota Prius Leather Interior | eBay

    Thanks

    TED
     
  2. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    There are two basic approaches.

    1. Leather that replaces the stock upholstery. You take off the old upholstery and then install the leather upholstery. This is the premium way to go andif you pick the right upholstery kit and if you install it right it can look better than the factory leather, but remember, if is a big word.

    You should have some experience changing out upholstery, or be very a very handy doityourselfer before installing leather upholstery on your own.

    I did it and like the results but would gladly pay a pro over $300 to install it if I were to do another Prius.

    2. Leather seat covers. These are leather seat covers that go over the stock upholstery. There are much easier to install and I would call them a medium effort do ityourself job. The Clazzios I have seen done on the forum look good. Not as pro as the complete recover, but still darn good.

    If you search the forum you can find info on both. The most common ones here are Katzkin for the full replacement upholstery and Clazzio for seat covers.
     
  3. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    If I were you, I would get none of those for now. I would look for Clazzio seat covers, and #1 and #3 did not specify what brand they were.

    Katzkin installation is NOT easy and requires certain sewing skills, but it does look the best in the end.
     
  4. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    I generally agree with your caution and recommendation to use Clazzio. A person who should be installing Katzkin probably wouldn't be asking on a forum.

    Katzkin isn't easy like you say:rockon:, but it doesn't require any sewing on GenIII. I've done installed it on mine.

    It's a lot of work and requires some good judgement on tugging things into place. They are many opportunities to screw up expensive interior parts while installing it too.
     
  5. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

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    That sounds even worse than sewing.
     
  6. Ted in Olympia

    Ted in Olympia New Member

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    I ended up ordering option number one for $540 and I'm very happy with the kit. The color is a perfect match to the original and the quality if very high. The original material is paper thin and I do not know how it would hold up to long term use. The leather and backing looks much better than the original cloth.

    I took the kit around to all the local places and they gave me bids of $500 to $1,000. The $500 price only included the seats and not the extras like the console or door panels.

    Being that I'm cheap I decided to do it my-self. Actually I hired my 22 year son to work with me for $200 ( I would rather give the money to him). The job is not that hard but I was very happy to have help. There are lots of hog rings and pulling to do so it's nice to have one guy pull why the other sets the ring. We have about 15 hours of work into it but this includes meals and lots of breaks. I got the console done but still have not done the arm rests. I need to pull the door panel to see how to remove them or if you even can.

    The only real problem is had so far is the head rest supports for the front seats. They are impossible to remove without breaking them so I have to order new ones from Toyota tomorrow. So for right now no head rest on the front seats.

    The other problem I have is that the air bag light is now on so I will have to research this problem.

    Overall I'm glad I did the job myself and very happy with the results.

    TED
     
  7. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    It is not easy to remove the OEM fabric from seats (I've stripped Toyota seats to bare frames before).

    Some of the trim pieces have claws that are quite difficult to release. The fabric is secured into channels in the seat foam using hog rings. When removing the front seatback foam, it will expose the airbag which btw, has explosive material in it.

    I also know the 'Toyota' price for seat fabrics. The driver's seat bottom fabric, that singular piece would cost about $300 from Toyota. It's a huge markup. If you have this done, don't even think about letting them keep your OEM fabric.

    I'm more than fine with the OEM fabric in mine. Rule is - no eating while driving and no drinks that might spill all over. If I could throw the seats in a washing machine, it would be different, but that's impossible, so I eat and drink when stopped.

    Get leather, then it's cold in Winter and sometimes hot in Summer. I'll pass.

    People say the fabric seats are not comfortable. Huh? They're really good for a midsize Japanese car. For BMW, no, but good Toyota seats.
     
  8. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    I'm sure there's a special tool for the headrest supports, but I employed a spark plug puller tool. I was able to release one of the headrest supports without breaking the claws, but on the other, a claw got a little tweaked. Tough to reach up into the seatback the remove them. But they have to be removed or can't get seatback off. I Don't think the pieces are expensive and I'm sure Toyota sells them seperately, but still a pain to replace.