I just bought a 2000 S2000. Previously I had a 2001. The 2000 has a bad tear in the leather on the driver's left side bolster. The piece of leather that it's in is about 12" by 6". The previous owner said that he had gotten an estimate of $450 to do this. I was wondering if I should/could just have that panel replaced. A friend who used to upholster aircraft said that it would be better to replace the "skins" of the seats, not seat "covers" but taking the leather completely off of the seat foam and frame and replacing. He said that the stitching around that bolster could not be removed and restitched without altering the appearance. My friend thought I could buy these "skins" off the Internet for $150 each and have them installed for $100 each.

What are your suggestions and experiences? Where can I find these "skins" (NOT "covers") on the Internet?

 

I have a small hole in the same area on my 2008. Watching for interest...Id rather have mine repaired too than having covers.

 

OUCH!! I thought my 1-1 rip was bad. Idk i personally think itd be hard to repair and match well. But then again idk upholstery. Good luck though!

 

Sorry. I should have posted an update. Upon the recommendation of a friend (former aircraft upholsterer) I took my S2000 to a local auto upholstery shop (Lamb's Auto Service, 3343 Millbranch Rd, Memphis, TN 38116, (901) 345-5875). My friend was worried about the seam looking right after a repair. Lamb's solution to this was to replace the pieces on both sides of the seam. So he replaced the front-facing ripped piece, the side-facing piece, AND the front-facing piece ABOVE the ripped piece all the way to the headrest. He also used Naugahyde instead of leather and rebuilt the foam in the bolster. He charged $250.

The non-seating surfaces of the seats are already Naugahyde. The panel that was ripped was leather so it now has a slightly different texture than it had before.

The appearance is not perfect but in a 12-year old car for $250 I think it's fine. So much better than the gaping hole!

 

Wow that doesnt look bad at all. I am going to go this route. Did you have to buy any materials and supply them or did they source it all?

 

They supplied all the materials. If I were to do it over, I think I'd get them to show me the material choices beforehand. I might have gone for leather on the seating surfaces.