Fixing leather seat in car question

[Texas Proud]

There are always good ideas around here... so I hope to get a solution that will work..


I have perforated leather seats in my car.... and it now has a rip in it that is like a triangle 2 inches on each side with two sides being ripped...

I have looked for leather repair videos and online help, but all seem to be for solid leather. I might have to go with this, but was hoping that someone might know something that would work well...

BTW, the spot around the rip is kinda sketchy... IOW, any of the lines of holes could have ripped... the rest of the seat is just fine, so I think it is just a bad spot on the seat..

 

[calmloki]

I've done leather repair with backing material, appropriately colored goop, and graining paper - neat stuff - press the appropriate grain pattern paper onto the soft goop and you end up with a remarkably invisible repair. Could you get out your drill motor and drill the right perforations? Color me doubtful.

An interior shop can remove the offending panel and replace. Maybe something like this? Auto Upholstery | Leather Seat Covers | Foam Cushions | Home page

My favorite would be a junkyard replacement. Research and see if you can swap in passenger seat cushions on the driver's side rails. Passenger seat gets way less use, so it's "as newish".

 

[Bamaman]

I too had a rip in a perforated leather section of my driver's seat--Lexus IS. Buying a factory OEM seat cover is unbelievably expensive on any vehicle.

Perforations are difficult to match with different patterns on different brands. And finding the matching leather color is very difficult.

Went to a specialized auto/marine upholstery shop. He removed the seat and took the leather cover off the seat. He had some scrap Ford perforated leather that had the same pattern, and it was close to my seat's light tan color. They swapped out the bottom panel.

Sometimes upholsterers have to match the leather pattern and completely respray the dye in the leather. Look for a specialized upholstery shop--often found in larger cities in the yellow pages.

 

[Sunset]

......
My favorite would be a junkyard replacement. Research and see if you can swap in passenger seat cushions on the driver's side rails. Passenger seat gets way less use, so it's "as newish".

I was also thinking junkyard, and if somebodies car was rear-ended when it was only a few years old, the seat could be fine.

It's free to ask them, and junkyards are now connected so searching online will hit many junkyards.

Or you could go with seat covers .

I've always thought those seats with holes are weaker than solid leather ones, you just have to join the dots to make a rip.

 

[braumeister]

For a simple DIY repair, you could use Tear Mender. It works pretty well.