General Seat repair/cover options

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General Seat repair/cover options

Jodsclass

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Sep 25, 2014
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Manchester/Cornwall
Hi Everyone.

The panda passed another MOT with only a small advisory (and a mad dash on Sunday afternoon trying to find a replacement sidelight bulb for one that decided to blow the day before the MOT). So we are going into the 18th year, which I'm both stunned and overjoyed about. Because it cost me no money at MOT time this year, I've decided to do some of the cosmetic jobs. Both seat bolsters have worn through. The foam is fine underneath, but the light blue fabric has gone from threadbare to split from years of getting in & out. Up until now I've repaired them with sticky back blue nylon used for tents & have a patch on the drivers & passenger's seat. It does the job of protecting the damaged area and kind of hiding it.

I've been looking for a replacement interior, but haven't come across one locally here in Cornwall. My question is, what would you guys do? I've looked into seat covers, but the headrests look like a massive job to remove. I could also find a donor seat, take some of the back fabric and make colour matched insert patches. I'm just really curious what other people have done in this situation?

I also need to get some new coaster inserts & if I'm being picky, the tailgate handle could do with replacing as it tends to open at will.
 
Tail gate will just need stripping and cleaning

Seats are how much are you willing to spend on a nearly 20 year old car

Secondhand seats will be at least 10 years old and it’s a very common area for them to fail. Along with the metal frame eventually cutting through the foam from the underside

A few years ago I looked at replacing the frantic with brand new OEM from Poland. From memory it was £70. You could also buy new foam. In the end I didn’t bother.

The inserts I would just cut from whatever I wanted to use. Thin rubber mats are my favourite but I guess some fancy vinyl would be cool. If you need to keep it original your dealership should be able to get them.
I
 
It's still (just about) possible to pick up later 169 Panda seats in reasonable condition if you're not in a hurry.
I've fixed up a few by swapping seat bases and backs (passenger to driver), but I haven't come across a complete good early Panda set for a few years now.
Pity there's so many variations of trim, as often the passenger seat is OK even when the drivers seat is toast. But that only helps if it matches the original (or you manage to find 2 sets the same).
 
Thanks for your replies' everyone. After looking at that guide, removing the fabric from the seat base looks like the best option for repair. At present, my sticky nylon is holding up, but I'd like to replace the whole section with something new. I've been looking for interiors regardless of colour & would be happy to install a darker one if a decent set come sup at a good price.

With regard to the tailgate, I will definitely strip & clean it. It feels like one of the springs might have gone on the handle, as one side doesn't tend to return by itself. If the storms ever stop here in Cornwall I'll look at removing it, how long does it take to remove in anyone's experience?

I thought I would post a picture of my current repair. It'd done well to protect it from further damage & the colour, while not a match, is still kind of similar.
 

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If you were considering a material patch of some sort, this might help.

This is great. Now you've got me thinking, I might actually stitch in a denim patch out of some old washed out jeans. That would probably outlast the car & I could make it look like an honest repair as opposed to a bodge.
 
Did you find any coaster inserts? I managed to buy 2 brand new ones, but later found them for sale 3D printed which seem okay.

I've noticed Polish sites like allegro.pl sometimes have seat covers crop up, usually as NOS items because of the Panda's being built there.
 
Just get yourself a set of quality seat covers from ebay/Amazon. Mine came with separate head rest covers.
 

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Just get yourself a set of quality seat covers from ebay/Amazon. Mine came with separate head rest covers.
Sorry for the late reply, I've been dealing with a family issue. Seat covers would be great, but after asking a few sellers, I was unable to find any that would fit with the fixed headrests. All sellers told me they wouldn't fit. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'll gladly grab some. I’ve even been looking at breakers for a better condition interior, but they are like hens teeth.
 
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Hi Everyone.

The panda passed another MOT with only a small advisory (and a mad dash on Sunday afternoon trying to find a replacement sidelight bulb for one that decided to blow the day before the MOT). So we are going into the 18th year, which I'm both stunned and overjoyed about. Because it cost me no money at MOT time this year, I've decided to do some of the cosmetic jobs. Both seat bolsters have worn through. The foam is fine underneath, but the light blue fabric has gone from threadbare to split from years of getting in & out. Up until now I've repaired them with sticky back blue nylon used for tents & have a patch on the drivers & passenger's seat. It does the job of protecting the damaged area and kind of hiding it.

I've been looking for a replacement interior, but haven't come across one locally here in Cornwall. My question is, what would you guys do? I've looked into seat covers, but the headrests look like a massive job to remove. I could also find a donor seat, take some of the back fabric and make colour matched insert patches. I'm just really curious what other people have done in this situation?

I also need to get some new coaster inserts & if I'm being picky, the tailgate handle could do with replacing as it tends to open at will.
Try salvage yards, the ones that strip vehicles…I found a complete two year old interior, for our 2005 panda 4x4, that was out of a write off, it wasn’t the same trim (out of a lounge) but the colours matched (so who cares) so didn’t need to change the door cards…all in for £150
 
Try salvage yards, the ones that strip vehicles…I found a complete two year old interior, for our 2005 panda 4x4, that was out of a write off, it wasn’t the same trim (out of a lounge) but the colours matched (so who cares) so didn’t need to change the door cards…all in for £150
I'll check out some salvage yards. Where I'm from up north, I used to use them all the time (I used to restore old minis from the age of 15, so was a regular sifting through a pile of scrapped cars for parts). Since moving to Cornwall, I’ve never really found a decent yard. Every time I call or email for a part, they don't have it & never get back to me. If anyone can recommend a decent yard in the Mid-cornwall area that would be great.
 
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