Best place to replace seat covers

[WeakestLink]

Just picked up a pre-owned 2021 that has some wear on the side bolster. From talking to a few auto upholstery places, it sounds like my options are 1) repair the bolster (this solution supposedly won't last very long), 2) replace the worn part of the bolster (non-OEM supplier that supposedly can match OEM leather) or 3) replace the seat cover with an OEM cover. I'm leaning towards #3. Two questions.

1. On a 2021 with 14k miles, would the wear on the bolster be covered under warranty? Two of the upholstery shops I went to said this wear is common on sports cars because of the way drivers enter/exit a low sitting vehicle.
2. Is it difficult to replace the seat cover? The 2nd place I went to seems like a jack of all trades (PPF, ceramic, radars, stereos, window tint, etc) but they sounded like it wasn't that hard to do. Or should I go to a place that specializes in auto upholstery?

Thanks.

 

[leov]

Depending on the relationship with the dealer, they can probably make the argument that wear at 14K miles is premature and cover it under warranty.

 

[Honcho]

I agree with @leov. That kind of wear seems premature and I think Acura would take care of you, considering the car is still in warranty. They likely will just replace the entire seat instead of re-covering it.

 

[sbkim]

I am curious to hear about what you decide. I also have 2021 but with squeaky driver seat bottom. Dealer said they will replace the seat cushion and re-upholster. I was hoping for a new seat altogether. I have yet to take it in to get this done under warranty.

 

[md23vtec]

Sadly seat do NOT come fully assembled to/from the dealership. It is possible to have your seat-cover covered under warranty as long as you don’t have any signs of deliberate abuse it shouldn’t be an issue in warranty period.

Also with 14K miles if it was out by time you can still most likely get it covered under Honda/Acura one time goodwill.

 

[WeakestLink]

I'm still waiting to find out if Acura will cover the seat cover replacement under warranty. In the meantime, I've learned the following:
-Some places repair seats by filling and dying the cracks. I've been told this method will not last very long
-Other places repair the seats by replacing the section that is damaged with new leather that is dyed to match. My understanding is this is a quality solution but the leather color and stitching may not be an exact match...maybe 98%.
-The OEM seat cover (top part) retails for $905. Online dealers have them as low as $610 but for some reason, everyone's shipping costs are $150+. Local upholstery companies have quoted $150-$250 for labor to replace the OEM seat cover. If I go this route, I'll probably just have the dealer do it assuming their estimated labor hours is reasonable.

I'm actually surprised how easy it is to fix this issue. I thought it was going to be an expensive repair but $1000-$1200 isn't too bad.

 

[WeakestLink]

Dealer finally responded that Acura will not cover the seat cover replacement under warranty. I've asked them to ask Acura if they will pay for the costs as goodwill given that I've owned 9+ NSXs dating back to 1997. My service rep is brand new and I don't know if that impacted her success in asking Acura to cover under warranty.

Even if not covered under warranty, I had intended to have the Acura dealer replace the seat cover...thinking it would be 25-50% higher than independent shops. I've been quoted $100-$250 in labor from car upholstery shops if I supply the OEM cover. The cover retails for $905 but many online Acura dealers are selling between $610-700 plus a fortune in shipping. My Acura dealer just quoted me $1720 for parts and labor. Since same dealership quoted $905 for the part, that's $815 for labor. I've asked for the number of hours estimated to replace a seat cover and their hourly labor cost. Waiting for a response.

Any chance anyone has access to an Acura labor guide? Another dealer quoted $568 for labor and mumbled that he was taking 1.4 (Acura est labor hours?) and multiplying times 1.7 (dealer bump up for labor hours?).

I would have been ok with $200-300 more for an Acura dealer to replace the seat cover but the delta is looking more like $800. I've only checked with auto upholstery shops...I guess I could check with independent mechanics that specialize in Honda/Acura to see what they would charge.

Any other thoughts?

 

[leov]

I would actually prefer that the upholstery shop do the installation. That's their specialty and it's what they do all day. The dealership will have one of their mechanics do it that probably does this type of work once or twice a year. Chances of a good install are far greater with the upholstery shop imo.

 

[natcc99]

I would actually prefer that the upholstery shop do the installation. That's their specialty and it's what they do all day. The dealership will have one of their mechanics do it that probably does this type of work once or twice a year. Chances of a good install are far greater with the upholstery shop imo.

You share a good point and you're probably right that the mechanics at the dealership probably do not perform upholstery jobs very often.

I suspect the dealership will send the seats out to one of their trusted upholstery shops.

My suggestion is to ask where the work will be done just to verify. If you like, hide a tracker in a car just to double confirm once you hand over the keys. Good luck and thanks for sharing the journey.

 

[leov]

I owned a Honda dealer and, on the rare occasion that we had to reupholster, my guys did the job.

 

[WeakestLink]

Acura agreed to goodwill part of it. I’m paying $360 total to replace the cover which is a great outcome. I’m guessing Acura is providing the part for free and I’m paying the dealer 2 hours of labor. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[leov]

...as it should've been from the start.

 

[docjohn]

As a gestalt I have observed my local dealer over 27 years levy more responsibilities on the techs. Shrinking the employment pool as a cost savings. Back in the day they had 2 guys that only did the alignments for all makes..now the techs do it...ect...

 

[leov]

The alignment rack is a huuuge money maker. Dealerships would hire very junior people and put them on the alignment rack all day. A quick alignment check at the drive through would show that the majority of the cars entering the sh would need an alignment. The alignment guy would then be busy all day. You wouldn’t want this guy working on your car. I prefer having an actual tech doing my alignment. Your dealer’s move was a good one.

 

[docjohn]

Usually ...but my dealer had a guy who really knew what he was doing and was also in charge of keeping the race teams "well aligned" so not some high schooler...

 

[Driver's Therapy]

Great question, do you know if the deal does indeed sell the covers separately? Thank you.

 

[sbkim]

Sorry to hikjack this thread but had a related question. I seemed to have squeak (similar to leather rubbing noise) coming from the bottom of my driver seat and dealer thinks it's the seat cushion. How difficult is this job - I don't want to create a bigger problem if they need to do extensive re-upolstering job to fix a minor squeak. Thanks

 

[WeakestLink]

Great question, do you know if the deal does indeed sell the covers separately? Thank you.

Yes, you can order a new seat cover from any Acura parts department. IIRC, it was around $600-700.

How difficult is this job - I don't want to create a bigger problem if they need to do extensive re-upolstering job to fix a minor squeak. Thanks

IIRC, the labor was about $350...guesstimating 2 labor hours. Several indy shops offered to do it for less.