Leather seats (and interiors) are a sign of luxury, and usually come standard on high end luxury or premium cars. While leather or leather-like materials are becoming more and more common on cars like entry level sedans and pickups, it often requires shelling out a lot of extra money for a trim package that includes leather seats. Even worse, the leather from the factory can sometimes be thin and uncomfortable. Luckily, you can put leather seats in almost any car by replacing the factory material on the original seats.
How Can I Put Leather Seats in My Car?
There are a couple ways you could go about putting leather upholstery in a car that did not come with it, but there is really only one “proper” way to do it.
Reupholstering Existing Seats (Best Choice)
The upholstery on your car’s seats, whether it’s leather, vinyl, or cloth, is removable. Underneath is the foam padding and bolsters, heating and cooling components (if applicable), electronic controls for positioning and bolsters, and the skeleton of the seat itself.
Opting for professional leather reupholstering is a great way to get OEM quality leather seats in your car no matter what you drive. At Innovative Audio, we specialize in the installation of Katzkin leather. Katzkin gives you a wide range of colors to choose from, as well as options for heating and ventilation.
Opting for reupholstering lets you retain (and even add) functionality to your seats.
Changing the Actual Seats (Not Advised)
Depending on your car, it’s theoretically possible to purchase leather versions of the seats it came with if they were available, and swap them in. There are a few big issues with this approach though.
First, the seats you purchase may have features your car is not equipped with such as heating and ventilation controls, electric adjustments and more.
Second, but related, the installation can be complicated, especially on newer vehicles. Removing seats on a new car is no easy task. Not only are they bolted to the floor, they also have extensive electrical systems and even airbags. Not something that should be attempted yourself.
What Makes Leather Seats So Good?
Outside of the luxury factor, leather seats have some practical benefits that make them a genuinely good upgrade for nearly any car.
- Easier to clean: Leather is a much easier material to clean than cloth or vinyl.
- Stain and odor resistant: Along with being easy to clean, leather is less likely to become stained and take on odors, adding to the overall cleanliness of the interior.
- Durable: Despite their use in luxury applications, leather is often far more durable than cloth and vinyl, giving it a much longer lifespan when well taken care of.
- Comfort and appearance: Soft leather seats are a very comfortable place to sit. They also enhance the appearance of any vehicle’s interior.
Things to Consider
While there are a lot of upsides to leather seats, there are a few things to remember.
- Cost: While upgrading your seats is often the only choice you have, and is often cheaper than it would have cost to get leather from the factory, getting upholstery work done is not cheap.
- Maintenance: Unlike vinyl and cloth, leather needs to be conditioned and cleaned regularly to stay in good shape. While this isn’t a huge task, leather seats are more work than other materials.
- Temperature Extremes: In the summer and winter, leather can become extremely hot or cold. Heating and ventilation can help with this, but when you get in your car in the morning or afternoon it can be uncomfortable at first.
Leather Seat Upgrades at Innovative Audio
We don’t just do audio! Innovative Audio is Salt Lake City’s premier Katzkin leather installer. Our expert team can upgrade your cloth, vinyl, or worn out leather interior to new, high quality leather seat covers that give your car an enhanced OEM or OEM+ appearance. Contact, call or stop in at our shop in Sandy and speak with one of our interior experts today!