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-   -   Slip on Seat Covers Vs Factory Fit seat covers (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/55016-slip-seat-covers-vs-factory-fit-seat-covers.html)

For those of us who are confused as to the key differences between seat covers, here are two pictures.

The red color back rest leather seat is a 'slip on seat cover' where the contours of the seat are not visible and the black color leather seat pic is of a Factory /OE fit seat cover as per the contours of the original seat mould.

Disadvantage with the 'slip on seat cover' is that it is prone to shifting a little with use and is not as comfortable as an OE fit.

But can we stitch the seat covers ourselves at the upholstery shops which is having the same quality as factory/OE seat covers ?

I wouldn't agree with you on this one. I have been using g-sport slip on seat covers, though they come according to the size of the particular vehicle, and have never experienced any shifting or discomfort.

Those red black leather seems to be Stanley.. I mite be wrong.. but they seems to be fitting well..

I have Art leather seat covers from some brand called "Autokame". Cost me 2k less than G-Sport. But I guess a lot depends on the installer more than the manufacturer. I got it installed from Adamjee and he did promise me better fitment if I gave him enough time.. and in times of recession, I'd rather give him time :)

ya it does depend a lot on the installer!!
but in general the fit ons are not as perfect as stitched ones.its not neccesary the stitched ones be OE stuff!!
i got my done in G-sport.check my garage and you can comment on how its finish is!!
it was a slip on cover but stitched specifically to my car seat contours and took 10 days to do so.

My seat covers are pretty well stitched enough to look like they're OE. but then again, people dont expect much from an indica :D

Hey whatever works for each one of us depending on budgets. But try 'OE / factory fit custom upholstery' for better ergonomics, it is way superior to the slip on ones. Real leather is certainly more expensive than the synthetic material ( art-ificial leather) but you can also get an OE fit in synthetic material for a better look and feel. The red and black real leather seats are not stanley but do fit well because they are an OE fit.

Slip-on seat covers do fit well but as mentioned earlier it depands on the manufacturer. The look changes depending on whether you choose art-leather or leather seat covers. It totally depends on how deep your pockets are and how much you plan to shell out for interiors. You can get the same feel and look as OE seat covers if they are made well according to the contours of the seat. In my opinion G-sport does fit well.

Guys,I heared that to stitch the seat cover people usually poke a needle from one end of the seat to the other end.Is this true?Won't it damage the OEM seats?
Is there anyway to make the slip on types to fit firmly,I prefer this way,Since there won't be any damage to the OEM seats. ;)

Factory fitted seat covers are anytime better than the slip on ones. However, at one point of time they tend to get dirty and getting them dry cleaned is a tough job in itself. Therefore we have to get the slip on covers installed on the seats.

If one wants to get neat installation of Slip on covers than they have to be poked by needle in the seat otherwise at on point of time they would start shifting from their original place.

hey Kärlsson,

Thanks for the differentiating snaps, will be helpful to newbie. I too got this "gyan" after visiting and inquiring dozens of car art dealers.
I'm not getting what you refer to as OE seat cover? Do you refer to Stanley and likes, as OE seat covers? Then its not an OE thing, since its after market one. Of course Stanley belongs to premium brands and having better fit and finish compared to others, but one has to shall-out much more. Yes its what you get what you pay for.
As per my understanding the actual OE/Factory fit seat covers are those that either comes with some higher end (D segment) cars and sometimes as Special/Limited edition cars (e.g. sometimes back during IPL, Vento was offered with seat-covers and GPS navigation system, etc.).

I haven't seen the actual process during mine, but the guy explained me that they put a metal rod (don't assume it to be a thick heavy one! just a thin metal strip!) and take stitches around it to match the contour of the seat. Yes, but definitely they poke needle into the original (should not be through it as you described!, I guess) seats. I too was worried about this fact, that even after 3-4 years when we want/need to replace these covers, the undoing of current stitched-covers may harm the seats. But then its way of life!

Again, what is factory fitted covers? (refer to first para of this post). I think you are referring to the normal seats (of course it has to have some cover on) that come by default and not the leather or whatever covers that we put/stitch on it. Or did you mean to say to put slip-on cover on the already stitched leather covers? :Shockked:

OE cover in all budget cars is the OEM fabric that comes as standard fitment. Luxury segment cars have leather (stanley/ovion) as standard OEM fitment instead of this fabric.

OE Cover can be anything - right from fabric, Art leather and genuine leather.

There are totally 3 types of installation. Slip-on's are just over the OE material as described above, where as skin-fit will be on the OE material but will use stitching to maintain the seat contours.

The expensive/best option is to completely remove the OE material and stitch the material right over the foam. This is available with genuine leather options such as stanley/ovion etc.

It seems that a typical seat cover installation involves some sort of stitching or clipping that uses the original seats to hold the cover in place. While there is no doubt that this probably looks nicer, I don't want that. I'm wondering if options like the one shown in the video below are available?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Mm2Y8Zhlo

I'd like to add seat covers to my new Polo but I'm not too keen on the guy doing any stitching or suchlike on the original seats. The purpose of the cover is mainly protection against spills, pets etc.

Any advice? Living in Mysore (if that info helps). Thank you!

Most of the stuff you buy online for about 2-3k, for cloth, covers for the all seats, they are these , i belive.
I could only see the preview shots of the video, but I figured the covers slide over the seats, and are tied down. It does protect, but you'll see a lot of shifting of the material, and if its heavily padded, the material may not be in the same place every-time you sit, which may cause you to lose cushioning.
However, they're cheap enough to get them changed every year. Easily washable.
Just have a good job done, because the tying ropes, hanging around, they look pretty ugly.

This might be a n00b query, but since I have never done this so have no knowledge about it.

I am planning to get seat covers for my car. Most of the accessories shop show me custom built seat covers which can be put on seats just as like that and tighten with attached string. However, I know for a fact that this type of covers get loose over the period of time and slide off from their original place. So I was looking for covers that can be stapled/stitched onto the seats itself.

On enquiry, the accessory guy informed me that the same seat covers are stitched as well and there is no separate covers for stitching. Is it right?