As our WagonR turned a year and a half, the stock fabric was gathering more and more dust, in spite of frequent cleaning by vacuum cleaner as well as cleaning agents. Hence, we thought of going in for covers and something that wouldnt be so attractive to dust, as well as getting the interiors a better look. I personally am not interested in leather but my dad was insisting on leather. Most of the cars with leather seat covers installed did not look that well. By covers I mean those slip on things that we get. The only time I was satisfied was in a G-Sport cover that was fit in an alto. However the quality of the leather(or whatever material they used) looked bad, if not bad I just did not like it.
Also the Waggy needed a steering cover badly, and it was a long pending project which had been postponed due to lack of time. Again, we weren't interested in those covers that are widely available. Having been spoilt by the leather interiors we got done in our SX4, nothing else was satisfactory. So didn't the steering covers available. Hence, we paid a visit to the Ceralli showroom and met Santhosh there. He showed us images of various cars they had done and immediately we got interested in seats rather than the steering wheel. Hence, the process started there, and we had kept imitation leather in mind. Got a quote of around 12k for the job, including seats, steering and handbrake. However, imitation leather or that specific material had its own drawbacks, like being non porous, prone to wear and tear etc. So we were convinced to go in for leather.
They have three varieties of genuine leather, starting at a range of 18k and going all the way above 30k for Nappa Leather. As the entry level material was not good enough, we settled for the next one, ie the mid-variant. That would cost 25k for a WR. Being our beater car, we did not want to spend so much so Santhosh suggested we do a combination of the leather and imitation leather, for non critical areas like seatbacks, sides etc. That brought down the figure by 5k thereby bringing overall cost to 20k. Hence we finalised on the deal immediately, and that is an impulsive buying decision as we never thought of such a high figure for just the seats.
Installation was scheduled two days later and I took the car to their factory, located a few hundred meters away from the showroom. The seats were removed and taken in. The removal was gentle and slow, and the guy there was aware of what he was doing. In two hours, the seats started coming out of the factory, this time draped in leather. So did the steering wheel. I couldn't watch the installation as it was inside the factory, where outsiders aren't allowed. The first glance of the seats made me feel that they were a tad too light in shade, and I expected something darker. Once we got used to it, especially with the dark interiors of the car, I did feel it was a good combination. Especially after seeing black all the while, this was something to get used to .
Excuse me for the quality of photos, as I am no good in taking pictures.
WIP:
The final outcome was satisfying to say the least. They did an excellent job and the fit was as good as what we get after taking out the existing upholstery. The seats have now become an eye catcher and many people have asked details about it. Though on the price front it is a lot expensive compared to other options, it is definitely worth it. People admire the seat and then when they ask the price, they are put back and usually these dialogues fly out - "In JC Road seat covers are available for less than 5k yaar, why did you spend so much? " but no one can deny the fact that the quality here is much superior. Though it cannot be compared to the expensive ones, for a small car, I feel this is more than what is required. For our SX4, it got leather seats and steering done at Karrlson, and the cost also was on the higher side. However, Ceralli, being a leather exporter, and also having seen their lower variants, I dont doubt the quality.
The steering also was done up very beautifully, just like what is there in my SX4 and this is how I prefer it to be. The generic steering covers were never of my like and being a person very particular about things, this is exactly what I wanted. Again, trying to cut corners and going in for a set of seat covers would have saved us a lot, but the quality, fit, finish and the look of it just comes nowhere near to getting a customised stitching done like this one.
Overall, I would give a thumbs up for their services, and appreciate the way things went about. Installation took three hours and as promised, car was delivered on time.