Three Things You Should Know If You Are Thinking About New Upholstery For Your Car Seats
At a certain point in the life of your car, the upholstery of your seats will begin to show noticeable wear. For many reasons, this wear may be premature, and the seats may look much worse than your car's odometer would indicate. You may be thinking that it is time to have the seats reupholstered. The following are a few things you should know before you take this step.
You may want to consider repair
It may be the case that your car seats are not in as bad of shape as you might think. With a good, professional cleaning, any hard-to-remove stains can be eliminated. The problem, however, is that there a few places that are not stained. Often, these spots are cuts or tears. Another issue with some car owners is burns in the upholstery. For any of these reasons, it may be possible to repair the seats for a much lower cost than that of buying new upholstery. You need to find a shop that does both repair and new upholstery work to find out the possibilities of repair; then you can get an estimate of the difference in cost.
Get several quotes for new upholstery
Although it is a good idea to get several quotes for any work done on your car, this takes on greater significance when it comes to upholstery. The materials needed are approximately the same for each shop, but it is the level of skill involved in upholstery work that makes each shop different. When you look at the finished work and do a close inspection, you will understand that there is an art to this type of labor. For this reason, you should avoid the low-ball pricing that you may receive. Those who are good at their craft will demand fair pay for it.
You don't need the same material and color
If you want the exact same material and color, you could end up with a large bill because the upholstery company may need to order the material directly from the car factory. There are usually alternatives that are a close match in color, and there may be a material that is lower in cost than what you currently have. Also keep in mind that you don't need to get new upholstery for every seat. Sometimes the front seats are more noticeable, especially with a two-door coupe.
Getting new upholstery for your car can give it a newer appearance. But you may be able to get by with repairs instead. Always get a few quotes, and be wary of the low quote that seems out of line with the others. This type of work takes experience. And take your time to look at all of possibilities for color and material. This can change the total cost of the work greatly. Reach out to a company like Automotive Cosmetic Repair Specialist to get started.