w210 Leather seats going bad - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

biodiesel · #1 01-24-2013, 11:15 PM

Ok, now that I have my e300 running so good I think I will put another 200k miles on it! But the drivers side seat bottom, arm rest, and headliner are DOGS!
Does anybody have experience on replacing these parts and the best place to order the covers? I have looked at GAHH out of CA they are probably the most expensive. Also does any body have experience with German Star out of AZ?

I have not looked as hard for head liners, can they be done locally or is there a specific Mercedes design I should order?

Thanks for any suggestions

Gilly · #2 01-25-2013, 04:57 AM

I've replaced the covers before. Not a bad job if you've done it a few times. If you are slow and methodical you can do it. There are several plastic clips inside which seem tough to deal with at first, but really do a good job. With the cars being this old I wonder if they would be brittle now and need to be replaced. Bottom cusion easier to deal with than the backrest. If you don't do them both I would be concerned with color match. Might want to do the heater pad and also the foam pad as well. There are wires you need to transfer to the new seat.

I've done the headliner. Will be easier to do with the passengers seat removed, but you can do it without doing that. The easiest route in/out of the car with the headliner is the passengers side front door.

I'd try getting the best price out of MB for these parts. You might be better off getting the headliner from your closest dealer due to shipping, they would truck it to the dealer probably without any shipping charge, then if you have apickup or can borrow one to pick it up there; as you ca imagine the shipping would be rather high to ship to your door.
Gilly

Steve M · #3 01-25-2013, 06:42 AM

I don't know anything about seats. I have experience with a W202 headliner.

Is your entire headliner bad, or just the part that slides with the moonroof (if you have one)? Two entirely different projects.

Both parts can be bought from MB, both are expensive. Removing the headliner is a real project, but removing just the moonroof part is easy.

You can buy headliner fabric to recover these items, as I did. I can't say my project turned out good, but it turned out good enough. If you go the "Detailing and Interior Forum" here you will find more info in my headliner thread. It might be good to remove the boards, buy the fabric, and bring everything to an auto upholstery shop.

Main thing is to get the right fabric. American fabric is 1/4 in. thick, German is 1/8 in. You can get away with the wrong stuff on the main headliner, but not on the sliding part.

biodiesel · #4 01-25-2013, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve M

Is your entire headliner bad, or just the part that slides with the moonroof (if you have one)? Two entirely different projects.

Both parts can be bought from MB, both are expensive. Removing the headliner is a real project, but removing just the moonroof part is easy.

You can buy headliner fabric to recover these items, as I did. I can't say my project turned out good, but it turned out good enough. If you go the "Detailing and Interior Forum" here you will find more info in my headliner thread. It might be good to remove the boards, buy the fabric, and bring everything to an auto upholstery shop.

Main thing is to get the right fabric. American fabric is 1/4 in. thick, German is 1/8 in. You can get away with the wrong stuff on the main headliner, but not on the sliding part.

Thanks, actually the fabric is falling down in the back seat! So it looks like I need to find the German Fabric?

biodiesel · #5 01-25-2013, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

I've replaced the covers before. Not a bad job if you've done it a few times. If you are slow and methodical you can do it. There are several plastic clips inside which seem tough to deal with at first, but really do a good job. With the cars being this old I wonder if they would be brittle now and need to be replaced. Bottom cusion easier to deal with than the backrest. If you don't do them both I would be concerned with color match. Might want to do the heater pad and also the foam pad as well. There are wires you need to transfer to the new seat.

I've done the headliner. Will be easier to do with the passengers seat removed, but you can do it without doing that. The easiest route in/out of the car with the headliner is the passengers side front door.

I'd try getting the best price out of MB for these parts. You might be better off getting the headliner from your closest dealer due to shipping, they would truck it to the dealer probably without any shipping charge, then if you have apickup or can borrow one to pick it up there; as you ca imagine the shipping would be rather high to ship to your door.
Gilly

Do you remember your source for the covers?
I am sure I have some color fade but mainly I am looking for good function. I dont have heated seats so that will be a little easier but for sure I want to redo the padding. If I decide to only do the drivers seat bottom it sounds like I could do it myself.

RE: the headliner
Mainly the fabric is coming loose! So I guess I need to just buy the fabric?

Steve M · #6 01-25-2013, 12:18 PM

Well, I did it with American fabric (inexpensive), but if I had cared more about the car I would have redone it with the expensive German stuff before reinstalling the board. This is the type of task that I would have to practice a few times before doing it well. I think many other people would be in the same boat. The problem is, removing fabric and cleaning the adhesive off the board is a project in itself, and I had neither the time nor the patience to do it more than once.

My experience is documented here: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/detailing-interior/305919-sagging-headliner-can-re-foamed.html

A search for "headliner" or "seatcovers" or "upholstery" in the Detailing and Interior forum will probably yield a lot of useful information.

btw, I consider a sagging headliner in the back of the car to be a safety issue. But if you just tear the fabric off I suspect you would have crumbling foam falling into your eyes, which would be worse, I think.

Gilly · #7 01-25-2013, 03:46 PM

I used to work at a dealership, so the source was where I worked.
No idea on the headliner. I had to remove them a few times to R&R the sunroof assembly. I wonder if a trim shop would be the best route, they might be able to do it in place. I was thinking of R&R the whole thing.

I wonder if you could just score a pair of front buckets for the car cheaper than replacing the covers?

biodiesel · #8 01-25-2013, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilly

I wonder if you could just score a pair of front buckets for the car cheaper than replacing the covers?

That alone is a sign the there needs to be a lower cost fix on the leather!

raymond~ · #9 01-26-2013, 02:06 AM

i have spare 210 seats (charcoal) but i suspect the cost to ship to you will be prohibitive.
hope you can find replacement covers at a reasonable price

Gilly · #10 01-26-2013, 04:54 AM

Are they heated seats?
I would assume Charlotte has some fine upholstery shops, you can ask about getting these done professionally, that might be the cheapest route.