M5 seat recover recommendations?

[gray635]

I am considering recovering the front seats in the M5 (natur, of course!). I have talked with Kevin @ Creative Options and he has sent me a couple of samples. Nothing I have seen is an acceptable match - the color is close, but the samples I have looked at so far are too deeply grained.

Does anyone have a good recommendation on a source for either presewn seat covers or leather that my local shop can cut and sew for me? Any experience or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Kyle in NO]

You need to take into account that Kevin is giving you a sample of the original color and leather grain, and your seats have faded and lost their original texture. Nothing is going to duplicate 20 year old leather but 20 year old leather! Although you may not realize it, these seats look very different now than when they were new, even with non-destroyed hides.

[gray635]

Kyle:

Thanks for the observations. I understand my leather is 20 years old. However, the samples I've seen to this point are really not even very close. The original leather in my car is actually very good - the rear seat is like new. The leather is smooth. The samples I've seen to this point are deeply grained.

What I'm interested in are potential sources for seatcovers that might provide a closer match. Has anyone out there recovered their M5 seats? Were you pleased or dissatisfied with the results? What was your source for the material?

Thanks for any information or suggestions!

[wkohler]

A lady in PA, I believe, recovered her seats with a kit from Kevin and they look gorgeous. She was very impressed, so I'd tend to listen to that rather than a sample.

[Martin in BellevueWA]

I'm really looking forward to receiving a cover from Kevin. He is making a custom cover with suede-ish inserts for an e30m3 seat.

[sanjose88m5]

I did my seats last October. My drivers seat was a wreck, the others however were in good shape. I was also concerened that the passenger seat and rear seat was faded, and wouldn't match the new drivers seat.

The solution I went with was to reskin the drivers seat and have the passenger seat and the rear seat "re-dyed" at the same time. (I did not re-dye the dash and door panels due to cost) Anyway, the drivers seat came out great, and the color matched well (even the dash and door panels match fine). The re-dye took what were "good" seats and made the look almost brand new...

The one issue mentioned was an ever so slight texture to the grain of the replacement leather used for the drivers seat. (it was on the sample) As noted in the string, the original leather (now appears) is smooth. Not sure if their was a grain to it 20 years ago, and the sample was matched to that. Never paid attention to that when my father brought the car home in 1988.

I'm the only one who ever notices the grain on the drivers seat, and I'm over it now. My interior looks great, and many comment that it looks brand new...and it should, its an expensive endeavor.

[mogie]

Will the leather shrink and shallow out the grain at all?

[sanjose88m5]

Not too sure how the leather will shrink or stretch.

Short term, the leather seems to be breaking in well. Its softened up a bit, but keeping its shape nicely. We used the existing/original foam inserts of the drivers seat as they were in pretty good shape.

As importantly, make sure the people doing the work pay attention to details. ie Match the stiching and piping on the seat exactly. Replace the M Logo badges at the exact right locations. Fit the leather correctly (snug) at the corners etc.

I replaced all 4 M logo seat badges at the same time. I purchased originals directly from BMW and dropped them off at my upholsterer. You might find some on eBay for less, make sure they original and not crappy after market products.

[gray635]

San Jose:

Good information. Do you know where your upholsterer got the leather for the driver's seat recover? It sounds like you were pretty pleased with the match.

Thanks!

[sanjose88m5]

I had the work done at Bascom Auto and Trim. General Manager is John Wardell, phone is 408-727-2292. As he recalled, the seat kit came from a mfg called GAHH (Www.gahh.com). They sell to the public, so you may want to check it out.

[gray635]

San Jose:

Thanks! I have ordered some samples from GAHH - we'll see how they look!

[sanjose88m5]

I'll be interested in your feedback. As you see from the sample photo on their website, there is a slight texture to the leather...but sounds like your seeing that from other samples as well.

[bhz1]

I did my front seats with a kit from Kevin and am pleased. Yes, the leather looks a bit more "grainy" but the color is a good match. The way i see it is I saved a bucketload of money doing the job myself and its 100% better looking than if I did nothing.

FWIW, I shopped around at some local upholstery shops and the leather was no better match anyway.

http://mysite.verizon.net/bzmiewski/M5Seats/home.htm

[M635CSi]

Who sells the bolsters or cushions for the sport seats?

[joe in nashvegas]

bhz1 -
Great writeup on how2. Kevin directed me there.

Questions:
Interior:
Was the pint from leatherique enough ?
I want to do what you did, plus all the other stuff
(full back seat, door panels, center con, knee bolster, glove box)
You think a quart would do ?


Paint - (another great writeup).
Painting on my front spoiler + side skirts.
Would you recommend the paint + clear or the all-in-one ?
I'm guessing two cans of paint + two cans of clear would do it.
Or would you just take it to a shop ?

thanks
joe warner
nashville, tn

[bhz1]

bhz1 -
Great writeup on how2. Kevin directed me there.

Questions:
Interior:
Was the pint from leatherique enough ?
I want to do what you did, plus all the other stuff
(full back seat, door panels, center con, knee bolster, glove box)
You think a quart would do ?


Paint - (another great writeup).
Painting on my front spoiler + side skirts.
Would you recommend the paint + clear or the all-in-one ?
I'm guessing two cans of paint + two cans of clear would do it.
Or would you just take it to a shop ?

thanks
joe warner
nashville, tn

Sorry to take so long to respond to your questions- was recovering from a wrist injury and limiting time at the keyboard

To answer,
I had plenty of dye leftover, it goes a long way. A quart would be more than enough for what you want to do.

Paint:
I would go for the paint + clear. Much more shine with much less effor and maintenance. I suspect I was not sold a true single stage paint when I did the M5. The only way I get it to shine is by keeping it well waxed/polished. Even then it doesnt hold up. I did recently discover Klasse sealant and glaze and that seems to hold the shine a lot better than just carnauba. I also did not buy that paint from Paintscratch , but from Paint World. I suspect it was not a true single stage paint but just the color without the clear.

I subsequently repainted the bumper on my son's A4- tri coat pearl white with paint from Paintscratch. I'm very pleased with the results:


This was taken about a week after it was sprayed and I had just buffed it out with 3M rubbing compound and an orbital buffer- no wax. One can each base, mid and clear was plenty with enough left over to do a replacement door molding. From previous projects, its better to have more paint than you need to avoid running short and then having to wait for more. Besides, there is usually some other paint repair that poked its head up and you will be glad you had the extra on hand.

I probably would not bother to have a shop do it unless I didn't have a day to spend on doing this right. Prepping is the hardest (time consuming). Once you start painting its important to get it done pretty much all at once. The time between coats is very short . I also suggest doing this outdoors on a calm day or be prepared to place drop cloths over everything in your garage and wear a respirator. If you do paint in the garage do not work at night- When I did the hood on my white E36 M3 track car, I had mosquitos embed themselves in the clearcoat. They had been attracted to the light in the garage.

Hope this helps.

[mike b]

Who sells the bolsters or cushions for the sport seats?

I got new pads from Maximillion.

[M635CSi]

Who sells the bolsters or cushions for the sport seats?

I got new pads from Maximillion.

Thank you Mike, that's helpful.

[mike b]

Sorry, I should have posted their number... 800-950-2002. They don't have a web site that I'm aware of. A complete set of new pads for one sport seat was about $80 if I remember correctly.

[wkohler]

the site is: www.bimmer.com

[mike b]

Thanks!