Looking to remove/install upholstery
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
Looking to remove/install upholstery
I'm going to change out the cloth seats in my coupe for leather ones, as my uncle does this stuff and my brother is going to see him this Christmas. He needs the original seat covers to make the replacement leather ones, as he doesn't have the pattern already. I have three questions.
1. Does anyone know or have instructions as to how to remove the front seat cloth, rear seat cloth, the side panel cloth on the front doors and the back seating area, and the headrests? Is it something one can do without sewing or special tools?
2. If the above is not reasonable, I need to look for an upholstery place in the San Francisco Bay Area to remove and install. Does anyone have any recommendations for a place that has fair pricing and does a good job?
3. What suggestions do you guys have as to the pattern to get? I can really go anywhere here (as it is my uncle doing this), but to stay in the realm of good taste, I was thinking dark charcoal or black mainly on the seats and the sides, with red stitching on the seats and the side panels. The interior parts of the seats (where you mostly sit) I was thinking of doing with the hole pattern, like in the stock leather. I'm just not sure if I should go with red inserts on the seats, or if it will look too gaudy or out of place. The car is Mars red on the exterior and charcoal cloth on the interior. I can provide pictures if people want to play with Photoshop on this. The other question is: suede on the inserts or standard leather?
TIA.
1. Does anyone know or have instructions as to how to remove the front seat cloth, rear seat cloth, the side panel cloth on the front doors and the back seating area, and the headrests? Is it something one can do without sewing or special tools?
2. If the above is not reasonable, I need to look for an upholstery place in the San Francisco Bay Area to remove and install. Does anyone have any recommendations for a place that has fair pricing and does a good job?
3. What suggestions do you guys have as to the pattern to get? I can really go anywhere here (as it is my uncle doing this), but to stay in the realm of good taste, I was thinking dark charcoal or black mainly on the seats and the sides, with red stitching on the seats and the side panels. The interior parts of the seats (where you mostly sit) I was thinking of doing with the hole pattern, like in the stock leather. I'm just not sure if I should go with red inserts on the seats, or if it will look too gaudy or out of place. The car is Mars red on the exterior and charcoal cloth on the interior. I can provide pictures if people want to play with Photoshop on this. The other question is: suede on the inserts or standard leather?
TIA.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: DC/VA
CL203
http://www.classicsofttrim.com/index.html
call and see if they have a local installer (i'm pretty sure they do). i'm going to go through them to get it done once my new job picks up. i have been hunting around for interior ideas for a while now and have a good idea of what i want to do... what interior color do you have?
call and see if they have a local installer (i'm pretty sure they do). i'm going to go through them to get it done once my new job picks up. i have been hunting around for interior ideas for a while now and have a good idea of what i want to do... what interior color do you have?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
Hmm...looking at that, the red stitching is a nice touch, but I don't think the red inlay is going to work. That's a new 3-series, isn't it?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Boston
2004 C32 ///AMG
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
It's hard to tell without seeing any major dash features or the exterior. The lines of the center console and door handles kinda looked like the new 3 to me, but I guess I was wrong :p.
So, any ideas as to color scheme? Or removal of the seats, since we're on that topic?
So, any ideas as to color scheme? Or removal of the seats, since we're on that topic?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
Just for kicks, I got a quote from a local body shop as to the removal and reinstalltion (no sewing, just popping things back in). An estimate of 14 hours and $1300 came up. Three words. Yeah effing right.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
Indeed.
BTW, does anyone have access to the schematics for the car (the mechanic's software is the best bet, but I can't remember the name) that might give me a clue as to how these panels come off in the back? That's the big question mark; the rest should be relatively straightforward. If someone has the blowup for the rear interior, front seats, and front door panels, that would really be a help as well. I believe the Mercedes digital manual (also can't remember the name of that one either) would have this information as well.
TIA.
BTW, does anyone have access to the schematics for the car (the mechanic's software is the best bet, but I can't remember the name) that might give me a clue as to how these panels come off in the back? That's the big question mark; the rest should be relatively straightforward. If someone has the blowup for the rear interior, front seats, and front door panels, that would really be a help as well. I believe the Mercedes digital manual (also can't remember the name of that one either) would have this information as well.
TIA.
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: Houston
02 cl203
the volvo likes nice. I haven't made up my mind for either 2-tone or black with white stitching (this is the one im thinging about more.) I was also planing to go with classic soft trim here in houston. How much did that run?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 453
Likes: 3
From: Bay Area, CA
'04 Mars Red C230K Sport Coupe (not Coup-EH)
Cute, but not quite. That's a generic schematic for the chairs that gives one no clue as to how to take it apart. However, the schematics provided for MB techs do in MB's mechanic software, and they're great piece-by-piece blow-apart diagrams. That's what I need.
