In the last ten years, I did seat cover shopping 5 times. Based on my experience I will share some lessons learned which might help in you in taking an informed decision.
I will start with the lessons learned first. Each of the lessons has a story behind it which I have shared below in detail.
Lessons learned on Car Seat Cover Purchase
- If the original fabric seats without seat covers is looking good, put off seat cover purchase. After 2 - 3 years you can put new ones and give a fresh look and a new smell to the car
- The fabric in the seats under the seat cover also get worn out along with the seat cover. So never think of using the bare seat after using the seat with covers for some years.
- Buying ready made seat covers from Delhi works out to be a lot cheaper than in other cities.
- Try to get quote for similar seat covers from different accessory shops. You are sure to get the best price because of this
- Ready made seat covers tend to get loose after some usage.
- Leather seat covers are the best, but cost above 15k even for small cars
- Fabric seat covers decreases the roominess in the car
- Artificial leather (art leather) seat covers are preferred, but just ensure the thickness of the material by comparing the type of the material in different shops. Very thinner ones gets torned off easily, even by finger nails.
- Stitched seat covers fits perfectly with the seat and the shape of the seat can be retained.Eventhough it is stitched to the seat, removing the stitch is easy and does not damage the seat.
- Most accessory shops outsource the stitching job to small upholstery shops. So if one is willing to look around for an accessory shop an artificial leather seat can be stitched at a very lower price (atleast 50% saving is guaranteed than getting it done through a standard accessory shop)
- I can vouch for Car Shoppe in Thiruvananthapuram for seat covers based on my experience (cost wise and quality wise)
Now a detailed history of the lessons learned!!
