Bartlett Corporation Leather on Ebay - $150!

Yes there is a way
Look for the screw!
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-technical-discussion/39297-not-enough-leather.html
The photo is out of focus but you can see the hole in the plastic for the screw.
undo the screw and both pieces of plastic can be removed together ( with contortion)
without breaking the clip joining them

 

Hi too! Yes I'm impressed.
I've been away a while
My seats are still ok! Still get compliments how good the interior looks.
BTW I used black tie wraps I dont know if colour matters
Just reading all the pages of this thread

 

Oh shoot, I should have picked that up from the photo you had provided. Could have maybe saved some screws/clips from breaking:

[imglink]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/prius-technical-discussion/6557d1194204828-not-enough-leather-screw.jpg[/imglink]

 

March 2007 - over two years, time flies!

 

My guess is that Bartlett is only temporarily off of eBay. PriusLewis noted in an earlier post that they were in the process of changing warehouses around May 4.

 

I just finished the entire rear seats and found the same issue. I had the extra metal rod from the bottom piece job so I used it. It was shorter but I was able to swap with another rod where a longer piece isn't needed.

 

Same as mine needed metal rod from base
installation order
rear seat base
rear seat back 40%
rear seat back 60%
passenger seat front
driver seat front ( work out what to do with height control)
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/40006-drivers-seat-too-high.html
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/36162-possible-lower-drivers-seat-2.html
I never got around to covering the center and arm rests but they look ok in cloth
Headrests - I squeezed them into the leather without removing the cloth
They look as though they cant possibly fit but they do
Anyone have trouble with the rear armrest going back up fully?

 

Mine also sticks out a little. I put the leather over the cloth on the armrest as well. I think it ends up being a little too fat to go all the way back into the pocket.

Has anyone figured out what the sticky backed "fiber" pieces are for?

 

I hate the black plastic clips.

I found those pieces with sticker on one side after I finished the rear seats. I think those pieces should go under the carpet for cargo when seats are folded down.

Did I mention I hate those black plastic clips? I may have to remove them again to put those stickered boards.

 

I damaged a few but only one side. I was able to twist the deformed side back into place.

 

I used a pair of forceps for places where you can get underneath the clip and tilted the things back and forth until they came out.

You can slip the carpet pieces around the top of the clips and then can get to the underside of them in many places. Mangled a few but put them back next to ones that were in good shape. They still hold pretty well.

 

I agree. I'd much rather do front seats only if I had to do this for a living.

 

Guys,

I added the bladder/pump for lumbar support on my drivers side while I was doing the leather upgrade. This really works good! It feels great on your back and can adjust from no support to a real firm pressure in the lumbar region. I'm ordering another one for the passenger side.

They are really easy to add, even if you want to add them later. Get the 250-1454 front mount unit and you just slip it in between the leather and the foam. It's got two strips of double sided tape. Once you've got it into the position you like (pump it up with a 12v battery to check position), just peel the tape strips, re-hog ring the seat back bottom and hook up to power. www.brandondist.com

Ed

 

Sorry, missed this before. No, I didn't need to use any adhesive. When I put back the armrest piece back into the door panel, I just use metal screws to secure it. The pressure from the screws are holding the leather on the fabric.

Very much like in the PDF Boo posted.

 

Yea, I was a bit disappointed with the vinyl center console cover as well. I got it to fit to try out and my wife loves it. I will decide to keep it or change back to the black PriusbHood leather cover once the front seat install is done.

I used a pliers to "unfold" the metal clip. Even then, it was a tight squeeze. The center console does not open and close easily now because the cover is now touching.

 

Back Seat Done!

I'm hoping the fronts are easier!

I agree with the clips being worthless. However, luckily they can be fitted with the seats in place, so we finished up everything else and reinstalled the seats. I plan to try Pep Boys and NAPA tomorrow - we broke most of them.

Some tips - I bought the slightly bent (angled) hog ring pliers. Straight ones would have worked better. The compound leverage cable cutter to cut the stock hog ring pliers was a real hand saver. I fitted the headrest leather over the stock upholstery - is that what everyone else did? I took the stock upholstery off the back center armrest and replaced it with the leather cover. Mine also seems to stick out just a bit, but not bad. The entire job would have been exceedingly more difficult had it not been for the instruction .pdf posted in this thread - THANKS AGAIN!!! I had the same issue with the missing wire that has been mentioned. I cut the plastic stick off the stock upholstery and inserted it in the same location where the wire would have gone. Worked like a charm. Pay attention to how the plastic tubes that the headrest posts go in are oriented. Also, make sure they are inserted all the way - the tabs that pop out to hold them in place in the metal tube they are inserted in are in the way for the headrest post if you don't get them seated. EDIT: Forgot to mention, my wife figured out how to zip the headrests. She used a needle with dental floss tied to strong yarn. Lace the floss then the yarn through the zipper hole. Use the doubled over yarn to zip the zipper. When you reach the end, slide the yarn out. Worked Great!

I printed 2 copies of the instructions and my son helped me with the job. He did the removal and replacement of the seats while I was upholstering. He also helped a lot in stretching and holding while I ringed the hogs (oink! oink!). We took about 6 hours to do the backs. Having help probably cut the time in half. THANKS, TROY!

Everything went well except we reversed the plastic tubes for the center headrest. I need to remove them again (if I can) and reverse them so the headrest will lock in place. Luckily it's the center, which has never been used since I have had the Prius. Also, while stretching things in place for the 3/4 seat back by myself I slipped and sliced my finger open. I managed to get the bleeding stopped and get back to work with the help of my wife. THANKS, DEAR! So be careful - there are lots of very sharp surfaces on the seat frames that are normally never seen by anyone but upholstery professionals.

I still need to procure more buttons and attach the carpet backs. I also need to recover the two pieces between the seat back and the side of the car. Both of those jobs can be done after work in the evenings. We're going to the daughter's tomorrow for Mother's Day. Her hubby is a professional mechanic and we may tackle one or both of the fronts. I'd really like to get these DONE! Final note: I do miss the old-world traditional smell of leather. These smell OK but not like vat died leather in the "old days" However, I read in Car and Driver a few years ago that many of the new car smells we all loved were not healthy, and manufacturers started changing the way they process many of the materials. Sigh.

 

Re: Back Seat Done!

I let my guard down and cut my thumb today as well. As the PDF stated, to those starting the larger back seat, wear a glove!

 

upholsterers have a special tool like a narrow bbq fork which they slide underneath the head to squeeze both prongs on the clip
I found that using the back edge of a normal dinner knife I could press in the prong one side, lift the head that side, then ease the pressure slightly and bring in a second knife from the other side. You need to ease the first knife pressure as the clip needs to slide in the hole back towards the first knife to allow the second prong out.
Keep quiet about why you need to borrow the knives