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-   -   Seat Covers - Yes or No? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/165278-seat-covers-yes-no.html)

I was curious to know what constitutes people to go for seat covers. In fact, what is more interesting is the number of people who use seat covers on their cars. Do you use leather seas?

In earlier days people used to advise me to put on seat covers on top of oem ones to preserve the originals. Glad I never listened.

Depends on your preferences actually.

My city still has oem fabric seats which look great even after 10 years.
When I got leather covers on my altis, the oem covers were removed. They give a much better finish and were stitched on.
XUV has great leather oem seats, so no point changing them.

For most people it is resale that matters. If a seat cover gets stained or has spills it is easier to just swap it out. Basically keeps the OEM seat 'looking' new.

Also it is the one thing where a car can be made to look and feel different ( interiors perspective) for a price lower than most other changes.

This poll is actually meaningless without a sample sub-stratification, to get really meaningful results.

With pre teens and Without pre teens.

Us Indians have a habit of being "over protective" when not required and "unprotected" when required. Pun-very-Intended :p

Beats me why people put after market seat covers at all. The fabric quality of your original seats is way better than any seat cover you may buy. So essentially, you sit on cheap quality seat fabric for years only so that when you sell the car the new owner can enjoy the original high quality seat fabric in great condition. Instead of investing in a seat cover, you can use the same funds or less to get your interior and seats shampooed/detailed to keep them clean.
The art leather craze just beats me even more, your seat fabric is far better quality and more breathable than rexine! All you get is a leather look but compromise big time by sweating your back off everytime you drive in the summer.
#ItHappensOnlyInIndia - World over this seat cover phenomena is negligent.

And keeping the plastic wrapping for as long as inhumanly possible!

I'd thought of changing from fabric to leather once the OEM ones got too dirty, but an year later it still looks good and gives me no discomfort. So will retain it for some more time and go for professional washing than covering it with artificial leather or similar.
Got one 12 year old who puts the cup holders in the rear armrest to good use but tends to be very careful about food no matter where we are. I have seen adults mess up cars in unimaginable ways, so the suggested sub-stratification is insufficient.

Statistical outliers are there in every survey bro. You have a a very responsible almost-teen. Do you sometimes ferry your almost-teen's cousins/friends in a large group in your car ever? You would quickly realize that not all almost-teens are alike.

And its not always food, drinks, icecream that's the culprit. But feet, shoes, and very healthily grubby hands. :)

100% agreement on that one. I took refuge in seat covers for my car after six months of kids and toddlers messing up in all unimaginable ways. It's not practical to be OCD with the family and immediate family if your car is going to be used by them as well.

Well I have a different take on this . Only my Honda City has the Seat covers installed because I wanted a Stanley . The car which wife uses and Kids travel in do not have any seat cover . It just needs to be cleaned once in a while and its good . Yes they do eat a bit in the car but if you are not lazy to clean it , this is ok .

In modern cars of today the seat fabric is generally of a good quality and a thorough cleaning by a detailer can make anything look good again. so why bother fitting aftermarket seat covers . Some of them are actually so shabbily installed that they get loose with time and are an eyesore as well as discomfort.

All my cars henceforth are going to be stock . If I want leather I can now go for higher trim which turns out to be cheaper with the prices Stanley charges these days .

I too agree and there is an addition to that.
No matter how much I dislike seat covers, I can't bring them off. Reasons:

1) My 3yr old

2) A bigger reason - the ladies in my family. They have a habit of carrying all types of things from eatables to cosmetics. As I write, I am reminded of the lipstick strains on the carpet of my car.

PS: And do you have dogs(with nails to shame a witch and drool like they are the source of monsoons), who are the darling of everyone in household, except you?

Before I begin, I have a toddler - so I belong to the "With Pre-Teen" category, I presume.

Like some others have pointed out, I do not believe in the "preserve the original" principle. I always use the OEM fabric until a stage comes where it is damaged or too dirty or too boring, I will fit a new fabric / leather / art-leather whichever I feel suits me and my car. Switching to new seat-covers in the new car basically robs the opportunity to enjoy the superior quality seats the manufacturer has given you. Most of the times, the OEM fabric quality is unmatched by the products we get after market - unless we are ready to spend enough to match the quality.

That is one reason I hate OE beige interiors - it becomes too dirty too early and is a pain to maintain. Out Dzire lived with the original beige fabric for ~5 years and last month we switched over to art-leather. Not a big fan of art-leather but dad (primary user) felt it will be easy for him to maintain and I agreed - we did not have budget for pure leather interiors either. To be frank I NEVER thought of the resale angle at all - but then, why would you preserve something for the buyer without you yourself enjoying it?? Makes no sense to me. No offense to anyone - this is just my POV.

A very pertinent point. One cannot be stern and/or scold others kids same way as one can your own. One just has to grit one's teeth and watch the mayhem happening behind through the IRVM ....

I remember one of Jason Statham's iconic "rules" in one of the Transporter series (the kid who's abducted) -

"Respect a man's car, and the man respects you" or something like that.

I agree. Forgot to add women and dogs to the list. I have both as well .....

Dog hair and fabric seats are a nightmarish combination. Ditto with big breeds and their drool (choooo cute .... #$#@%&^&***$)

The other thing is a bit of a counter-point to the argument of enjoying the OE fabric and then putting covers when they are unbearable.

Most experienced installers (not the shop owners - who obviously want to sell the covers and so would be naturally biased) will tell you that the quality and fit and aesthetics (factory fit) you would get on brand new seats would be much superior to what you would get on "tired" seats (foam and springs - both of which sit and spread with age).

I prefer fabric seats, OEM or otherwise. The problem is not many vendors are in to custom fit fabric seat cover install. I always wondered what could be the reason for this. The OEM fabric in Polo is a dust and stain magnet. I would have preferred a better and darker fabric. But no vendor in my knowledge is doing it.

This might be slightly out of context but will it be prudent to have cloth seat covers especially during the monsoons? There is a very high likely hood that they would become wet and might lead to the car stinking post the rainy season also.
Might be a noob question but my earlier car had the art leather covers from the start, hence no experience with the cloth seat covers.

True on the musty foul smell.

Damp fabric seat covers in closed cars also develop fungus and mold.