[DRIV3R]

Spotted the Red rocket Deja vu.

Last evening at BTM and today morning at Koramangala, good to see you and your Abarth Karthik!

[KarthikK]

The Red Rocket gets Karlsson'ed: Car Interiors upgraded to Scandinavian Leather (1.5mm) upholstery

This revamp was something I had waited for since long. This past week I got the Punto's interiors upgraded to full leather seats, customized by the cool folks at Karlsson luxury leather (Indiranagar, Bangalore) for the Red Rocket black+red theme.

I didn't want something too subtle, and I didn't want something too loud with red patches on the seats et. al. Sajith, the proprietor at Karlsson was a jovial and knowledgeable person to interact with. I was insistent on black with red stitching, open to Sajith's suggestions on how to elegantly do it up further. He showed me tons of designs along with his assistant Suresh, and we finally zeroed in on an existing Alfa-Romeo design - a red + black combination of Scandinavian 1.5mm full leather for the Punto.

I got something else done in red (the part inspired by the Alfa Romeo design he showed) - a borderline piping work done on all the seat outlines to throw in some wickedness into the design, something which this car has been trying to scream hoarse about all along. This was when I paid the advance amount last month, and finally froze the design choice and installation date with Karlsson.


The Red Rocket gets sporty Scandinavian leather seats in Black and Red!! When you choose an Alfa Romeo inspired design, you know you cannot go wrong anywhere!



On D-day, I headed out to Karlsson at roughly 10 AM on a weekday morning. There was just another car that day if I recollect correctly, a Vista owned by a fellow BHPian.


Arriving at Karlsson for the full leather upholstery makeover



I left the keys there and headed back home; Suresh promised to call me when the job was done in the evening. I went back there by 6 PM, when they were still doing their final checks after putting back everything together. I really have to admire their professionalism and attention to detail, no wonder their work is outstanding and is highly recommended by other customers. They really are perfectionists at their job, matching up to OEM standards of workmanship and quality. Thank you Karlsson, Sajith and Suresh for helping transform my interiors to another level altogether! The interiors are another object of envy now with whoever happens to peep into my car or sit in it.


Here are the results of what transpired at Karlsson. I have nothing more to say, the pictures will do all the talking of their work. The dull interiors of the Punto 'Sport' have now been somewhat transformed to a better, sportier interior look. Extra elements added were the red pipe outlining in leather, and red single pattern stitching on horizontal seams to break the monotony of black.

Revamped sporty leather interiors: front row - black Scandinavian leather with red leather piping outlines



A closer look at the front seats





Moving over to the back row -



From the other side


A closer look





Moving back to the front row...





The headrests get red leather piping outlines to throw in some wickedness



The rear portion of all headrests get elegant red stitching





The same treatment goes on the rear seat headrests too!



The gear lever housing gets the leather job with red stitching



So does the handbrake lever!



And all 4 door trims:





The red stitching used everywhere is the single-line pattern



The driver's seat gets the coveted brand logo stitched in



A sportier angle



The seat shape itself is nicely designed, customizing it with leather makes it look even better!



A closer look at the Scandinavian leather texture and red leather piping outlines.



Random shots of the leather and the dashboard view of this customized 'Abarth'







A shot of the back seat looking from the front seat



Any ownership update on this thread is incomplete without a picture of the Punto outside that broken-down wall . GlossMania is back! Paint sealant treatment is done for this car again to keep up gloss levels



A freebie thrown in by Karlsson for being a customer of their European leather



I'll try to throw in a few pictures tomorrow on the Before / After effect of getting the car Karlsson'ed. Else my next update would be on the Paint sealant treatment done and another small add-on for the car. Thanks for reading!

[dipen]

@KarthikK - How does your remapped Punto fare in a straightline compared to a stock GT TDI. It would be interesting to know if you you manage a chance.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by dipen

@KarthikK - How does your remapped Punto fare in a straightline compared to a stock GT TDI. It would be interesting to know if you you manage a chance.

I haven't managed a chance yet, Dipen. My guess is both should be evenly matched now - stock GT TDI and my remapped Punto. With the current map, the Punto is capable of hitting the 11.5 second mark to the big ton. The stock GT TDI also scores something close to 10.5s if I'm not mistaken. On hard acceleration, what lets the Punto down is the short 1st and 2nd gear ratios, else we would probably see almost another second shaved off from the vbox figures.

Right now, the GT TDI would still win in a straightline dash thanks to a more effortless power delivery and better tuned gearbox, especially the 1st and 2nd ones. Plus, like they say, there is no replacement for displacement . That thing has 350cc more displacement, eh?? The roll-on timings of the remapped multijet vgt would be very, very similar to the stock GT TDI, maybe even quicker in the 30-80 or 40-100 sprints but I'm not sure.

P.S - I should have waited another year and bought the GT TDI, me thinks

[ghodlur]

Karthik,

The seats look out of the world. Congratulations on the interiors. Whats the hole in the pocket worth?

Why Karlssons and not Stanley's? I am sure the Karlssons must have used the Abarth for promoting their products expecting a queue of BHPians soon.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

On hard acceleration, what lets the Punto down is the short 1st and 2nd gear ratios, else we would probably see almost another second shaved off from the vbox figures.

How about the kerb weight differences? I thought Punto is heavier too. Can someone confirm?

[scofield]

Karthik, Lovely interiors !! This is something even I am looking forward to get it done on my car.

Did you think of getting those grey panels on the door covered with leather as well?

I am trying to find out a good craftsman who can do this, however all with whom I have had a word are not giving a guarantee that leather will stick well and the curved areas might look untidy. Any talks with Karlsson regarding this ?

If I would want to do anything to the interiors is then , get rid of those ugly grey areas on the door and and on the dash.

Some of them here are suggesting to get it rubber painted to black.

[deetjohn]

Well done! I absolutely love the horizontal red stitching. Karlssons is amazing value for money. Great fit and finish. I would have given the red piping a miss though.

Any reason why the steering wheel was not included?

PS: Please PM the total cost if its okay.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Karthik,

The seats look out of the world. Congratulations on the interiors. Whats the hole in the pocket worth?

Why Karlssons and not Stanley's? I am sure the Karlssons must have used the Abarth for promoting their products expecting a queue of BHPians soon.

Thanks a lot ghodlur! The hole in the pocket is a bit deep. 42k was what the total package came up to for 1.5mm Scandinavian leather.

I think these guys are more into home decor and car leather upholstery only forms a small part of their overall business. They are still yet to take the photos of my car (it had become dark by the time they finished my car that day). I'll share my photos with them soon, they were asking me to mail some pictures which they probably want to put up on their facebook album, just like they do with all their customers' cars.

Some of the previous comments on this thread would give you the information on why Karlsson was chosen over Stanley - by ex-customers.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post3211388

Stanley's leather quality is dwindling, customer service is becoming more arrogant and they are overpriced by miles compared to Karlsson. I found Karlsson quite professional, their european leather quality feels premium and there seem to be a lot of satisfied customers with zero negative comments / complaints on them anywhere.

Originally Posted by ampere

How about the kerb weight differences? I thought Punto is heavier too. Can someone confirm?

Both should be evenly matched in that department. Polo GT TDI must be weighing 1156 kg as per our official review page. The Punto Sport, at least my 2012 version has a kerb weight of 1144 kg.

Originally Posted by scofield

Karthik, Lovely interiors !! This is something even I am looking forward to get it done on my car.

Thanks a lot scofield!

Did you think of getting those grey panels on the door covered with leather as well?

I am trying to find out a good craftsman who can do this, however all with whom I have had a word are not giving a guarantee that leather will stick well and the curved areas might look untidy. Any talks with Karlsson regarding this ?

If I would want to do anything to the interiors is then , get rid of those ugly grey areas on the door and and on the dash.

Some of them here are suggesting to get it rubber painted to black.

Same dilemma for me too. I wanted those things covered in black. Karlsson (Sajith) ruled out this option of covering the panels with art leather or leather. He was saying it is almost impossible to get a permanently sitting fit and finish, thanks to the shape plus many cuts and creases on the panel. He was also suggesting to dismantle the panels and get them painted black elsewhere if that's feasible. Doing it up in art leather will not stay for long and will start stripping away soon. If that blackening effect can be achieved, the interiors will look a lot cleaner isn't it?? Let me know if you come across any solutions for this, I'll also take some cues and get it done later.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Well done! I absolutely love the horizontal red stitching. Karlssons is amazing value for money. Great fit and finish. I would have given the red piping a miss though.

Any reason why the steering wheel was not included?

PS: Please PM the total cost if its okay.

Thanks a lot deetjohn! The steering wheel already came with an OEM leather wrap from the factory. Removing that and doing it up freshly would have been a little tedious thanks to the airbag behind the wheel. I decided to forego this since it wasn't as important now to waste another full day on the swapping efforts , more so when the current wrap is already of decent quality. I'll probably switch the wrap once the current wears out I guess.

[TheHkrish]

The car looks wickedly delicious..

Way to go Kathik

[Rubbertramps]

The seat covers looks gorgeous. I wanted to check out Karlsson's as well. Thanks for the pictures.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The Red Rocket gets Karlsson'ed: Car Interiors upgraded to Scandinavian Leather (1.5mm) upholstery

As you have mentioned the thickness to be 1.5mm, I would like to know whether you have retained the original seat fabric beneath? I personally deter any kind of seat covers on the original factory seats as they tend to be thick & completely mar the original seating position due to the increased height & back support.
Did you notice such, although minor, difference?

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by TheHkrish

The car looks wickedly delicious..

Way to go Kathik

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

The seat covers looks gorgeous. I wanted to check out Karlsson's as well. Thanks for the pictures.

Glad you liked the designs. Thanks a lot for the wishes!

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

As you have mentioned the thickness to be 1.5mm, I would like to know whether you have retained the original seat fabric beneath? I personally deter any kind of seat covers on the original factory seats as they tend to be thick & completely mar the original seating position due to the increased height & back support.
Did you notice such, although minor, difference?

The original fabric seat cover was stripped off and the leather replaced that completely in the same OEM seat shape. This is the reason you can find (from the pictures) no abnormal thickness of the seat covers or difference in seat shape. As a result, It doesn't affect anything in the ergonomics of the seats, apart from making seats a little softer due to a little extra foam padding. It will look almost OEM-ish to a first time viewer.

Fortunately Karlsson, as far as I know, does not encourage the method you detest . The OEM fabric seat covers will be stripped and given to you in a neatly wrapped bundle like this :

[guyfrmblr]

Karthik, the new seat cover looks fantastic . Congratulations, you have a very good taste.

The interior of the red rocket looks 97% perfect. I have reduced 3% for the HU. It looks 50 years older in comparison with the other interior parts. I suggest you to go with a good touch screen HU which will complement with the other interior parts .

[extreme_torque]

Brilliant looking car. I think your's is the most lovingly kept Punto I have seen. Easy to see your love for the car.