markfnc Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I just bought a 17 Escape. There is a small 2" tear in the leather seating surface. Its not all the way thru, just a surface tear. about enough to get your finger nail into. I wanted to patch it before it grew larger. There are a lot of leather/vinyl patch kits, does anyone recommend one that is better than the others? We have the tan colored seats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, markfnc said: I just bought a 17 Escape. There is a small 2" tear in the leather seating surface. Its not all the way thru, just a surface tear. about enough to get your finger nail into. I wanted to patch it before it grew larger. There are a lot of leather/vinyl patch kits, does anyone recommend one that is better than the others? We have the tan colored seats Hi mfnc. My opinion, based on experience: If you want it to look good, I would recommend having it repaired by a professional automotive upholstery shop. Those DIY kits are not going to give you a good looking repair, especially on leather. You can Google "Automotive upholstery shops near me" and call a few to find out your options. And if any other members have had good experiences with DIY-type leather repair kits, I am sure they will jump in to help. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Edited October 13, 2020 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnc Posted October 15, 2020 Author Share Posted October 15, 2020 On 10/13/2020 at 12:04 PM, bbf2530 said: Hi mfnc. My opinion, based on experience: If you want it to look good, I would recommend having it repaired by a professional automotive upholstery shop. Those DIY kits are not going to give you a good looking repair, especially on leather. You can Google "Automotive upholstery shops near me" and call a few to find out your options. And if any other members have had good experiences with DIY-type leather repair kits, I am sure they will jump in to help. Let us know how you make out and good luck. I found a recommended upholstery shop, and will be going by to get an estimate early next week. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnc Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 I got an estimate of $415. This is to replace the 2 seating surface strips that the cut goes across. This was +/- $300 labor +/- $115 materials. The also priced replacing entire seating surface , which was less labor but more materials and that was about $500. I'm taking it to 1 other place for an estimate, but the 1st place has done work on my bosses classic cars before. Does that price seem about right/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 3 hours ago, markfnc said: I got an estimate of $415. This is to replace the 2 seating surface strips that the cut goes across. This was +/- $300 labor +/- $115 materials. The also priced replacing entire seating surface , which was less labor but more materials and that was about $500. I'm taking it to 1 other place for an estimate, but the 1st place has done work on my bosses classic cars before. Does that price seem about right/ Hi mfnc. Yes, if they are replacing with leather. I would still get some competing estimates though. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnc Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 On 10/23/2020 at 10:40 AM, bbf2530 said: Hi mfnc. Yes, if they are replacing with leather. I would still get some competing estimates though. Let us know how you make out and good luck. my brother in northern Indiana does upholstery work for a living. mainly classic cars, but i sent him the pictures, and he said he would have been little higher on material than my quote. I'm getting it done Nov 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, markfnc said: my brother in northern Indiana does upholstery work for a living. mainly classic cars, but i sent him the pictures, and he said he would have been little higher on material than my quote. I'm getting it done Nov 10. Hi mfnc. Sounds like you got a fair estimate then. Did you happen to ask your brother if there are any quality DIY automotive leather repair kits he can recommend? Let us know how you make out and good luck. Edited October 27, 2020 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnc Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) I got it back yesterday. All looks good. color, stitching etc all look good. My wife noted that the seating surface strips on the drivers side seem more "pebbley" than the other 3 seating surfaces. But the original ones were that way also (i think). Is that normal? I guess i didn't notice that before. My before and after pics show that same seat area Edited November 13, 2020 by markfnc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnc Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 On 10/27/2020 at 9:40 AM, bbf2530 said: Hi mfnc. Sounds like you got a fair estimate then. Did you happen to ask your brother if there are any quality DIY automotive leather repair kits he can recommend? Let us know how you make out and good luck. He usually recommends replacing. he didn't say what he uses when he does patch. usually in spots like sides or back that don't move much with getting in and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, markfnc said: He usually recommends replacing. he didn't say what he uses when he does patch. usually in spots like sides or back that don't move much with getting in and out. Hi mfnc. Looks good! Thanks for replying back. Regarding the texture: If you looked really hard at all your seats, the leather probably also differs slightly between them. That is what happens when we look really hard at things. ? In addition, different leather hides produced/dyed etc. at different times will vary slightly in texture and color. Not much can be done about that, unless you want to spend quite a bit more money to have perfectly matching leather. We get that in a Rolls Royce, but generally speaking, not in a mass produced vehicle. In my opinion, the new seat is a very good match. ? Enjoy your Escape and good luck! ? Edited November 13, 2020 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markfnc Posted November 13, 2020 Author Share Posted November 13, 2020 (edited) On 11/13/2020 at 11:02 AM, bbf2530 said: Thanks i needed another positive comment to convince my wife. Ha ha Edited November 17, 2020 by markfnc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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