General Leather

[Clivvy]

ive been thinking, when I get the Fiat through its MOT in Feb, and all is well, I really want leather seats. Ive always had leather in all my cars, and I love it.

so, with that in mind, what are my options? Do leather seats come with electric controls, heating etc and if so, is my car likely to have the wiring already in place?

what about costs? Would I buy the seats, door cards for the front and do a leather centre arm rest?

im all excited just thinking about it..

 

[Davren]

Leather seats are available with or without electric heating and/or adjustment.

If retro fitting the electric version, you would need the wiring looms and rear fuse box.

There's a clean set in the classifieds here: https://www.fiatforum.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=28367&cat=68

 

[katanabandit1]

I fitted Leather in mine approx 8 months ago and what a massive difference it made to how the car feels. Mine aren't electric which personally speaking I don't think is worth the hassle or extra cost. Think I paid £150 for mine and they are minters in black and cream which looks more special to me.
My previous seats had heating fitted so I simply transfered the elements over. But recently I fitted some aftermarket heated seats to my wifes Panda and they are a stage warmer but are far more controlable than mine in the stilo. Mine are either ON or Off. The new ones in the Panda have 5 heat settings and they were really a doddle to fit provided you are a little patient as you need to parshally remove the covers of the seats to fit the elements then wire them up.
Work lovely though and if ever mine in the stilo break (has happened before ( switches burn out for some unknown reason and are £60 each from FIAT to replace ) I will get a set of these because they are about £40 each. Thats what I would personally do but if electric seats are a must then its your choice really with all the wiring etc that is needed to be fitted. My dad had them in his Stilo MW and everytime you stalled the car the drivers seat would slide forward trying to crush you against the steering wheel (not good) and the only way to get the seat back into position was to take the fuse out in the boot and put it back in to reset it. Upto you though!!!:slayer:

 

[Clivvy]

cheers chaps. Electric isnt so important, i definately dont want the messing around wiring and fitting a fuse box! I do fancy heating though, so i might investigate the heating units you suggested Katanabandit1 - ideal time to fit those would be when i come to fit the seats i expect!!

Ideally, I want black, as I have a really good black interior (dark blue cloth trim) so I will start scouting the ebay etc

thanks again for the advice!:slayer:

 

[katanabandit1]

Try these for size mate.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fiat-stil...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item27cec101e3

Heating elements
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/heated-se..._Car_Interior_Accessories&hash=item2a212564fc

The ones in the panda if you want a little extra control.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370547872127?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Cost twice as much though.

 

[Clivvy]

thanks for this!

Try these for size mate.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/fiat-stilo-2003-1-9-jtd-leather-interior-breaking-/170972479971?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item27cec101e3

got those in my watch list !

Heating elements
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/heated-se..._Car_Interior_Accessories&hash=item2a212564fc

look good but...

The ones in the panda if you want a little extra control.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370547872127?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

i think id pay the extra!!

Cost twice as much though.

 

[Clivvy]

hey guys,

just sealed a deal on a set form a chap not too far from me. £70, just needs a little repair here and there, so thatll get done before fitting.

all I need to do then, is figure out a way of upgrading the centre arm rest and maybe treating the cloth door cards to a new colour, if thats even possible!

 

[MarkThompson4]

If I were you I'd hold back now until a full interior became available. That way you'll have a full matching interior including door cards, it'll be a lot easier than messing with your current door cards. When I had my door cards off I noticed that they were made up of smaller panels that were basically glued together. This would help if you wanted to trim over the plastic to make it look nicer say.

There's a company on eBay that I got a matching set if leather gearshift and handbrake lever gaiters (black leather and red stitching). They also do a leather armrest cover, they claim it's all genuine Italian leather, I'm not complaining about mine it looks and feels great. They'll be easy enough to locate on eBay if you search "Fiat Stilo gaiter" as they're only company that really do a lot of that stuff for the Stilo.

 

[Clivvy]

thanks, but im not going to hold back, im happy with the deal for the money. As the interior is already mostly black and very dark blue, itll look good as is BUT, I am going to re upholster the arm rest myself unless i can buy one, and maybe re upholster the door cards.

 

[Clivvy]

ah good, see you can buy arm rest covers from ebay, £20, so i think ill save myself some messing and get one of them...

 

[Clivvy]

guys, just thought. With the Stilo having air bags in the seats, is there a procedure for swapping the seats over? Do I need to unplug the battery or do it standing on my head while eating a banana?

 

[Davren]

Disconnect the battery and wait 30 minutes before disconnecting any airbag components.

 

[Clivvy]

gotcha, cheers Davren!!

 

[sharkytaylor]

Good Morning Davren (aka The Oracle) :worship:

Considering Leather for my MW in the future, are the seats MW specific or will a 5 door seats fit?

 

[rat20v]

i have leather in my multi.... when its cold its very cold when its hot its very hot lol although looks awesome

 

[Davren]

Considering Leather for my MW in the future, are the seats MW specific or will a 5 door seats fit?

Never actually tried it, so I don't know for sure.

According to ePER, it would appear that the front seats are the same for 5 door and MW versions.

Rear seats are more difficult to check because the seats for some options are the same part number for 5 door and MW, and for other options they are different.

I would think that providing the replacement seats have the same options as your current ones, they should be OK.

Leather or fabric shouldn't be a problem, but you would need to make sure they have the same number of airbags as your current seats, otherwise you'll get failure warnings

Think you're going to be the "Guinea pig" for this, so post back with the results if you try it.
.

 

[Morty Mort]

Rear seats are more difficult to check because the seats for some options are the same part number for 5 door and MW, and for other options they are different.

As you say it's important to check if there are airbags in them. The rear seats in my 5-door slides back and forth (manually) to create more luggage volume or leg room, and I think this option was removed on later models - which can be the reason some seats have the same part number on 5-door / MW.

 

[Clivvy]

i have leather in my multi.... when its cold its very cold when its hot its very hot lol although looks awesome

yup, but i like that!! I have had leather in most of my cars. I prefer it because i find it more comfortable and supportive, and i love the look and smell. My other half doesnt like it...

im seriously planning to fit the heaters posted earlier in this topic, the ones with selectable heat. I wont be swapping the seats for a little while because I want to do other jobs at the same time-change all the speakers, fit the heaters for the seats and repair the parts of the seats that are tatty.

then all i need to do is find a new home for my old seats....which i suspect will be the scrap yard.