Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 07:23 pm, by: Alistair Moorby(Aldmo87)
Yeah I know there of the same car Ali.
I think the red would look good if you could get it in the BMW colour, the pics I posted however are too bright, I'm not a fan of the matching wheel either.
I find the best way to come up with colour schemes is to look at BMW, Mercedes and other high end car websites and see what interior options they allow.
I think I'll end up black anyway just cant take the risk of the colour being off.
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 08:02 am, by: Alistair Moorby(Aldmo87)
It looks great Kyle!
Well I just bought some leather covers on eBay for my tan seats. The only problem is that the lower/back part of my seat is still tan... I had a look around for someone selling the lower half but I have not had any luck, my real problem is that the vinyl has split near the tilt lever.
Here's a photo of the split, it's the same on both side.
If it wasn't split I would just VHT it.
So anyway I have decided to just retrim the lower/back half myself. I will recover the vinyl and spray the plastics with Krylon Fusion Matt Black.
Here's the progress so far.
I started by removing the netting, it has clips on the inside of the back piece, there is a guide on the US lexus forums on how to get it off.
I then cut out some PVC material which I bought from Spotlight for $14.95 per meter.
I sprayed a little glue on to hold is steady.
The next thing I did was drill the holes out for the netting piece and put that back in place. It make it alot easier to work with the edges as it holds the material in place.
I stretched the material over the edges as tight as I could, a hair dryer helped soften the material and get rid of the creases.
I used a staple gun to secure the material to the underside. You can fire it straight though as it goes straight through the particle board, instead you need to put them in on an angle.
Here's the finished product, there is a few creases in the material, and I have yet to paint/dye the netting, but I will be taking it off in a few weeks to install my leather covers so I will do that then, I'll also see how the creases go and if there is any sagging in the material.
Took about an hour to do the back piece, now onto the side/front little bit.
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 09:07 am, by: Alistair Moorby(Aldmo87)
Does anyone know how to remove the lower seat trim. I have removed the 3 screws at the front, and the 3 screws under the switches, but there is a C Clip holding the recline/tilt forward lever on.
I can see the clip but it is too far inside the seat to reach with some needle nose pliers. I say on the Lexus US forums that someone suggested just prying it off with a screw driver but I cannot get far enough in to get it off.
Am I supposed to take other bits off to get to it? And what!
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 10:28 am, by: Wayne Womersley(A49kidx)
Alistair, almost every Soarer is broken at the tilt lever, but I'm not sure why it happens. Probably the same gremlins who put the breaks in the door trims. I would have just sprayed the backs black as you are doing with the seat bottoms. Spray net and all. Less hassle with the metal ring clips holding the net. I cut them off with a cutting wheel on my Dremel. Then just screwed nuts on the plastic shaft. Yes you have to remove the tilt lever. I used a steel cooking skewer and bent a small sharp hook on the end. There is a part of the clip that is not against the shaft, just pull it sideways from there and watch where it goes!! I think there are 3 more screws to go.....
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 04:22 pm, by: Alistair Moorby(Aldmo87)
I got it off with a screw driver, I have no idea how I'm gonna get it back on though.
I know what you mean about the cracks, I have just stripped the vinyl off my lower piece and there are heaps of cracks, looks like the whole piece is very brittle it's just that the vinyl only tears in that one spot.
I am repairing it with aluminium fly-screen and glue.
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 04:50 pm, by: Wayne Womersley(A49kidx)
Alistair, good work, I gave up with the screw driver. Mine are back just sitting there at the moment, Murthy says I will have to strip it all down again - one day. I may just put a small bit of silicon on them to stop them coming out. But you just put the wire clip on where the slots are and gently push the leaver back on the shaft/spline, but in the right position!! I like the idea of the flywire, a bit like fibre glass woven cloth, but stronger. What sort of glue are you using, I have not had a lot of joy with 2 part epoxy over the years.
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 07:48 pm, by: Alistair Moorby(Aldmo87)
Yeah I used the 2 part epoxy, it seems quite strong, hopefully it will hold up. But the good thing is the PVC fabric I am using is about 3x as thick as the old vinyl which should mean that even if it does crack again it won't rip through the fabric and make it look ugly.
Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 08:10 pm, by: Wayne Womersley(A49kidx)
Yeah 2 part epoxy is strong, but it dosen't really stick or bond to anything, metal or plastic, you can just peel it off. But ha I've I've only using it for 30 years. But I rarely use it now. I like stuff that is not necessarly as strong, but 'sticks' to the surface.
Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 09:46 am, by: Michael Toet(Myke31)
Looking good, and using the wire ties seems like a good method to get things lined up, then if you had hog ring pliers, you could then use them for some extra strength.
Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 10:23 am, by: Alistair Moorby(Aldmo87)
Yeah, there are metal rods in those sections of the seat cover.
Yeah the cable ties are definitely easier as you say Wayne, you can do a whole section at a time then just pull them tight... I got the black UV stablised ties as they don't perish like the clear/natural ones.
I'm starting a group buy shortly on these seat covers, the pricing is the cheapest available as I am getting them manufactured in China specifically for our cars.
Keep an eye on the thread in the group buy section if you are interested.
Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:42 am, by: Wayne Womersley(A49kidx)
Hi Alistair, you are up on UV ties, I used cheepies on my TV antenna, yes all broke after 5 years. Unfortunately I have recently replaced my Leather Spruce seats with some less worn ones, not as new but OK. What did your covers cost.