I am looking for a driver and passenger seat or seat covers for a 1997 Z3 Roadster. I am looking for red only and in good to excellent shape. Will settle for driver side if that's all I can find. OEM seat covers are just too expensive. Leads or recommendations welcome.
Are you looking for slip-on covers or new upholstery? Bavauto has a pretty good selection of slip-on covers. New leather upholstery is almost always going to be expensive. That's why it's leather and not vinyl. However, they do sell imitation leather, pleather, and vinyl-leather. But if it has to match the rest of your car and it has to be new upholstery, you might have no choice but to pony up for the real thing.
Try craigslist too... Looks like leather splits are common for Z3's? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories Hawaiian Red.... eeek! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories Figures... somebody overseas has what you want, but not here... http://cgi.ebay.com/BMW-Z3-Red-Leat...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4aa4cf0503
GAHH has leather cover kits: http://www.gahh.com/store.php?cPath=28_364_795&search_for=Seat%20Covers&products_family_id=2 http://www.4basic.com/swatches/bmwleather/bmwleather.html http://www.smsautofabrics.com/products/seat-materials.php http://www.advancedleatherworkshop.com/coachtrimshopindex.html You don't say where you are. Have you checked with an experienced local auto upholsterer?
How bad are the seats? I ask because I wonder if repair is possible. Check out Leatherique.com, as they provide products to rejuvenate, repair, and re-dye leather to like-new condition. You can even repair holes and tears. I've seriously been considering them myself. My 02 M3's seats are in rough shape. It would only cost me a couple hundred to repair my leather with crack filler and then re-dye them instead of the thousands it would cost for replacement seat covers. And usually the seat cover kits don't include the armrests or door panels, which in my case need work as well.
You don't want to re-dye the seats. Thats just a bad move. What happens is that you cover the seats with paint, that seals all the pores. Then you can't condition it, and it goes down hill fast from there. I found some seat covers on Ebay that I was going to try. Not a bad deal, and the seats are easy to re-cover yourself. I use small zip ties instead of the hog rings. Makes it easier for sure! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-2002-BMW-Z3-SPORT-GENUINE-LEATHER-SEATS-COVER-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5add5d7752QQitemZ390260946770QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_1203wt_939
I think that depends on brand and quality of the dye. From what I understand, the Leatherique stuff is the same dye used to color the leather in the first place. The process of redying is quite drastic! You actually condition and sand/rough-up the leather, then apply the dye which soaks in. In the end, you should have the same type of leather as if you ordered it from the factory in that color (if you do it correctly.)
I am a big fan of leatherique, but you will be sanding your seats before using leatherique. Its a very involved process. So if you are going that route, then it may be OK. Using the rattle can dye from duplicolor or having one of those guys airbrush the problem areas only looks good for a little while. If I were you, I would pull the seats out of the car and liberally apply rejuvenator oil and see if it can bring back the softness. I set mine out in the sun and covered them in black plastic bags. While it did make it softer, it didn't make enough difference for me. The leatherique definitely made the seats look better and softer to the touch. In the picture, the seat on the left is untreated, the seat on the right has been treated with rejuvenator oil and cleaned with pristine clean. Its a very large undertaking, and it might be worth it to just get a set of $400 seat covers to replace the ones you have. Local upholstery shops are telling me $1000-1200 for a set of seats. So if you have the time to put into the project, I am sure the leatherique kit will turn out well. The complaints I have heard had to do with the seams not looking perfect. My friends are pretty hard to please. However, keep in mind you will be sanding the leather almost down into the grain, then will be spray painting or brushing the new "dye" onto the leather. Its an involved process but definitely worth it if you have the time.
I got my Ebay seat covers in today. They don't look all that bad for $400. More details and pictures here: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=512594
