[iamahunter]

By the title you might have a faint clue as to what’s coming. Its my Ecosport aka – Alpha (ownership and buying experience coming up soon), getting seat covers.

Alpha during the delivery.

It starts with the Alpha (Ecosport 2019 Trend TDCi), which comes with fabric seat covers. The fabric seat covers felt good and were of good quality as well. But they are beige in color and as a result they will get soiled very soon; thanks to a 3-year-old jumping around with the shoes on. Also, cloth is not easy to clean, the marks can’t be easily wiped off.

The front seats, making the cabin feel bright and roomy.


Rear Seats with the plastic covers.

I did not have the guts to remove the plastic covers. Fear of getting it dirty.
My 3 year old hated it and never sat behind when they were ON.

Moreover, I can’t imagine what would happen over the long drive. It’s not just the kid, but also other members of the family who eat, drink and spill food in the car; having snacks in the car, on a long drive is unavoidable.

On a recent 1000 kms drive.

How much can to tell a kid to not to jump around with the footwear on?

How much can you instruct passengers to not eat in the car?

Challenges of being a father/husband/son etc etc… along with being a motorhead.

I like to keep my car clean as well as my relations cool.

So, I decide to do the best for all of us.

Removed the Seats

Install seat covers!


Criteria:

• Should suit the car, and my age (rather than my immature brain's age! )
• Easy to clean and maintain.

Material Choices

Not much frankly. Apart from the fabric what you have is artificial leather and leather. Not aware if there is anything more than this. I have heard the name, Alcantara; which is used on “Signature version of Microsoft's Surface Pro” and Lamborghinis seats are made of it; and that’s all I’ve heard of it.

Artificial Leather

• Many options available in the market with many awesome designs. The designs choices you get are virtually unlimited.
• Also, this can be a loose fit or a proper fit to the seat. A loose fit artificial leather looks just “ok”, but can be easily changed and removed just in-case.
• A proper fit artificial leather looks neat, a good quality one will feel like a factory fit.
• But the drawback with artificial leather is that it doesn’t really “feel” good and over the long drives the person starts to sweat, at least I do.
• Another being, they really heat-up if the car is parked under sun.

Leather

• Expensive, starts at least at 50K INR.
• Feels awesome and lasts for the life.
• Leather has to fit properly, loose leather seat covers are unheard (at least me) and complete waste of money.

So, is it worth investing in leather seats?
Hmm, let’s think about it.
It IS luxurious and will stay the same for the life with minimal care.

Family conclusion is to go for the leather seat (sorry vegans) whatsoever.
Justification "ab itna acha gaadi liya hai to leather seat bhi lagva lete hai".
I agreed as I intend to keep the car for a long time.

Over a cup of tea at the local tea shop, I was discussing the same with a friend. Luckily, he had a contact who "may-be" will be able to provide me an original leather skin. I was like "bro, where were you all the while!!!??".

Next day, my friend introduced me to an old bloke who possibly had a leather factory (just guessing) or something related to leather. Over the talks, bloke said that he did have some spare leather hides. Cherry on the top: He was willing to give it away at a throwaway price.
However(yes, there's always a but), there was something that he said I should know.

1. The sheets were really old like some 5-6 years old so the current condition was not really known.
2. They had few imperfections here and there, probably some patches were torn/had holes
3. Sheets were not stored properly all the while, they were folded instead of rolled and thus had creases which would stay on, probably for more than a few months.

It was a tough call for us. Not being from an industry related to this, we were completely clueless. No idea if we should go for it or not. But the desire to have leather seats was a stronger. We took a few minutes to think and I gave out the call that I am ready to bear it. Somehow, I had a gut feeling that all would go well and I should not miss this chance. It may or may not come again.

On his next visit to Mumbai, the old bloke dumped 4 leather hides in my friend's office. So, in almost a couple of weeks I had the leather hides with me. I had to pay a nominal amount, let’s not get into details of the same (as requested by the bloke).


Next, where to get the work done??

I had the leather, and need a reliable and trustworthy place to get the work done. I could not trust easily as this was my only chance. There was no margin for error, as these were the only sheets I had.
But, I also had to get the sheets checked for quality and if they were enough for all seats for the Alpha.

I knew of Orchis(from tbhp offcourse) and also had heard about another source in Dadar. So I decided to checkout both places.

Orchis
I first went to Orchis in Ghatkoper and spoke to the people who worked there. They were really a bunch of warm-hearted people who spent time to explain the process and also displayed many designs for the seats. The leather-worker inspected the sheets and gave a positive sign that they are enough for the car. He also suggested a few wonderful designs which would suit the car and can be fitting with the material that I had considering the imperfections.
I almost spent half a day over there, I was so impressed with the workmanship that I decided to get the work done there itself. So, I immediately took the appointment for the coming week.

Next week, armed with the leather I reach there at around 11am. To my distress, they already had started work on a brand new Skoda Octavia for art leather seats. Post that there was an Ecosport, showroom’s Creta and Venue for customization lined up. A Prado was also in there for full customization. I knew, it was going to be a long day ahead.

Customized Dashboard and Center console on the Venue


A spanking huge Prado undergoing full interior customization.

Working on the Leather

As the leather had wrinkles, the leather-worker suggested that we unfold the leather sheets and let them be till we start the work. As soon as the leather sheets were unfolded, I wanted to see which thread colour will go well with the brown leather sheets. I had initially started with the yellow thread as it would give a fine/funky contrast to the seats. But then it looked a lot more funkier that I would prefer.
So eventually mellowed down to a light cream colour thread. Now that did suit well with dark brown leather.

Trying the colour combinations with matt finish leather sheet


Trying the colour combinations with glossy leather sheet

As I was just exploring the unlimited options, I noticed a dark brown thread which matched exactly the color of the leather, so I just tried it on. It was literally invisible, and this was just what suited my taste.
And now, from bright funky yellow, we are on to dark invisible brown!!!

Best suited I think

Work on the Alpha started by afternoon. The leather worker skillfully marked the areas and shapes that would be later sewed together and made into a seat. It was looking like a game of tetris, fitting in all the pieces into those uneven leather sheets. The wrinkles made his task more difficult as the leather would not stay flat.

Leather sheet marked.

As he cut the leather pieces, another lady put those pieces onto a centimeter-thick foam and cut it in the same shape as the leather sheets. There was some thin white sheet which went under the foam.

The tailors then stitched all three layers together and they made it into a single piece. One after another such pieces started piling up near each tailor. Three tailors were working on it. They had some code through which they understood the piece position on the seat. Also, if it was the front left/right or rear seat. Their co-ordination was amazing, and their speed was lightning.

The seats start coming out of the car now.

I also took this chance to add an additional foam to the seat for a little more lumbar support. The previous gen EcoSport had a knob to adjust lumbar support. In this version, Ford removed the lumbar support know and probably forgot to pump up the seat thickness.

Attaching extra foam near the lumbar area.
(This proved to be one of the best decision)

Leather Steering Cover
Parallelly one of the guys was working on the steering cover. Now, the EcoSport steering doesn’t come a gap near the middle spokes where an aftermarket leather could tuck in. Originally, we thought that there would be some gap left out over there, which would look kind-of ugly. But then, the guy noticed that the steering had a rubber grip which can be cut to create a proper finishing. And so, he did and the outcome was fabulous.

Notice how the leather is tucked in near the buttons.

Finalizing
It was almost 11 pm and all the seats were done and fitted in the car. I was happy with the work and so were the leather-workers. Honestly, they hardly get to work on the leather, most of the customers opt for the artificial leather and that’s no fun, workers said. I left from the workshop at 11:30 pm and feel..the feel was something else. My car was completely transformed into something else.

Few images of the in-process and final product.

Front seat with the cover ON. The 2 different kinds of leather finishes can be clearly noticed.


Rear side of the seat in matt finish.
Rear scoop retained perfectly with the back pocket.


A closer look at the stitching and finish.


Installing the transformed seats back.


Final look

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Modifications Section. Thanks for sharing!

What a detailed report, dude . Going to homepage very soon.

[Latheesh]

Leather color and non contrast stitching looks nice. I see some imperfections, creases, and fold marks but it gives it a natural-classic look. All put together looks awesome and goes well with the silver exterior color.

[Sran]

I don't know why but I have never gone for bucket finish in any of my car seats. In fact, I have never modified any of my car only the usual accessories. For seat covers, I fear about airbags not working due to any circumstances. For any other modifications, I fear electrical failures and fire. However, I know that my fear is unfounded and wrong but still. I was used to mods in my bikes both heavy engine and body works and they were successful too.

One thing I can guarantee you is that those crease marks on the leather are not going to go away under any circumstances. Good thing is that they are not loose so they will not look bad. Overall good choice and thank your friend.

[naveenroy]

I am a fan of leather of late too. It is amazing how it can be "moulded" to fit in well and if you take care of it, will last you years!

Great job by the guys there and I can only think how much that job must have cost here in Murica.

[Chillout]

My Ecosport has Art leather covers, miss the feel and comfort of leather which my earlier Fiesta had. I did check a couple of places and they were charging closet to 60k. However reading your thread has given me a couple of ideas, which I am going to work on over the weekend.

The seat colors match the beige door trim and work looks very nice. If you don't mind, how much did they charge for stiching and fitting.

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by GTO

What a detailed report, dude . Going to homepage very soon.

Thanks GTO!

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Leather color and non contrast stitching looks nice. I see some imperfections, creases, and fold marks but it gives it a natural-classic look. All put together looks awesome and goes well with the silver exterior color.

Thankyou buddy!
Yes the creases will by there for a while. Especially, as the car is not a daily drive, but I was prepared for it.
Also, the feel is so good that these minor imperfections can be easily discarded.

Originally Posted by Sran

I don't know why but I have never gone for bucket finish in any of my car seats. In fact, I have never modified any of my car only the usual accessories. For seat covers, I fear about airbags not working due to any circumstances. For any other modifications, I fear electrical failures and fire. However, I know that my fear is unfounded and wrong but still. I was used to mods in my bikes both heavy engine and body works and they were successful too.

One thing I can guarantee you is that those crease marks on the leather are not going to go away under any circumstances. Good thing is that they are not loose so they will not look bad. Overall good choice and thank your friend.

I too had this question, but I saw that other cars having side airbags were happily putting on seat covers. Also the showrooms offer seat covers, do they also affect the working?
Thankyou to you too!

Originally Posted by naveenroy

I am a fan of leather of late too. It is amazing how it can be "moulded" to fit in well and if you take care of it, will last you years!
U
Great job by the guys there and I can only think how much that job must have cost here in Murica.

Thankyou sire.
I think it was the work of the guys who cut and stitched and the guy who was literally a bully with the seat to get the perfect fit.

Originally Posted by Chillout

My Ecosport has Art leather covers, miss the feel and comfort of leather which my earlier Fiesta had. I did check a couple of places and they were charging closet to 60k. However reading your thread has given me a couple of ideas, which I am going to work on over the weekend.

The seat colors match the beige door trim and work looks very nice. If you don't mind, how much did they charge for stiching and fitting.

Thankyou buddy.
I paid ₹13k for the seats & ₹ 1k for the steering.

[A.M.]

Can you please share the approximate amount of leather you required (in sq. metres) for the seat covers of your car?
It will give me an approximate idea for my car as well.

[Zinda]

Elegant!! Choice of material, fit & finish and the final outcome - all are fantastic. I am sure it will take abuse and will last long. Thanks for sharing details.

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by A.M.

Can you please share the approximate amount of leather you required (in sq. metres) for the seat covers of your car?
It will give me an approximate idea for my car as well.

I am not sure about the exact size that was required. I had four full size hides and those were sufficient.

Originally Posted by Zinda

Elegant!! Choice of material, fit & finish and the final outcome - all are fantastic. I am sure it will take abuse and will last long. Thanks for sharing details.

Thankyou Zinda.
The leather was just something I got and had not choice.
But I agree that the color was fantastic and suits the car.

I hope it will last long.

[evil_grin]

Now that's what I call a good deal! Real Leather at around the price of artificial leather. It looks beautiful, especially at night. Would you please also share pictures taken during the day? The pictures of the seat without the covers were also taken during the day. So that would help us compare both on the same terms.

Does such old leather, not properly kept, not smell bad?

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by evil_grin

Now that's what I call a good deal! Real Leather at around the price of artificial leather. It looks beautiful, especially at night. Would you please also share pictures taken during the day? The pictures of the seat without the covers were also taken during the day. So that would help us compare both on the same terms.

In Process.

Does such old leather, not properly kept, not smell bad?

Nope, it smells usual leather. As per the leather workers, the leather is one of the best available.

[smileline]

The final result looks amazing.

Excuse me for asking a silly/noob query !!!

Was the original company fitted covers totally discarded ?

In worst case scenario of theses leather seats needing a change, is the whole process easy to re-install new seat covers.

Feel a bit skeptical in removing the original seat covers for installing aftermarket covers.

[Mortis]

Excellent work done by Orchis and a good deal on some decent looking leather.
You can get some full hides from Dharavi as well if you know where to look at pretty reasonable rates.
There are apparently some leather seat specialists nearby there in Sion Koliwada though I'm not in contact with any of them.

Also since the leather has been in storage for a while treat them to a generous helping of a good quality Leather Conditioner all over, especially at the seams, joints, stitched area. Do this a few times every 2-3 weeks in the initial stages. It should help get rid of some of the creases and prevent cracks from forming in those areas
Also before the monsoon you can get some mink oil and apply it on the seats, it adds some waterproofing and also nourishes the leather. Leave it overnight and buff off lightly the next day as it might get a bit sticky and slippery if in excess.
Do note that leather conditioner and mink oil will slightly darken the leather colour

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by smileline

The final result looks amazing.

Excuse me for asking a silly/noob query !!!

Was the original company fitted covers totally discarded ?

Yes. it needs to be discarded.

In worst case scenario of theses leather seats needing a change, is the whole process easy to re-install new seat covers.

Feel a bit skeptical in removing the original seat covers for installing aftermarket covers.

Its like replacing the seat covers, all over again.

However the leather does not spoil so easily. My old car had it for 10 years (1 lac km plus) without any issues.