The dry climate and salt free roads of California are kind to older cars like the Starlet. The same warm California sun has detrimental effects on vinyl interiors. Throw in twenty plus years of sitting and sunbathing, and it’s a good bet that even the rich Corinthian leather in those 1981 Cordoba seats has seen better days. Drivers seats take the biggest beating. While the foam inside the Starlet seats is still mostly there, the stylish light and dark brown vinyl piping is clearly toasted. In the time between now and when our vintage Mitsubishi ECU collection is worth enough money to trade for a trip to a real upholstery shop for the madras seat cloth conversion, investing 14 bucks into a pair of seat covers was a thrifty solution to tattered bucket seats. Sliding economy replacement covers over crusty old seats takes just few minutes and is a usually tools free process.
Step-by-Step Budget Seat Cover Replacement
Spending a couple bucks on more or less temporary seat covers is only one option. Depending on what make and model the seats came in or from, more and far fancier seat covers may be available. Some of these seat covers are a fairly close match to the original covering. Wrestling on a set of seat covers varies from a really easy job to maxing out the swear-o-meter and requiring tools like hog ring pliers. And while most of the cars around here are less than modern, never install any seat cover on seats with side curtain airbags. If the seats are that new it probably isn’t time for the Aloha or Hello Kitty seat covers yet anyway. The rest of us airbagless and budget minded motorists can make things at least look better for a few bucks and a couple minutes with a set of economy seat covers.