Whats the best way to deal with this and not break the bank?

[N Heat]

This is the front seat of my 2002 Suburban. Its not a daily driver, and sees 3-5k miles a year nowadays. Certainly I dont wanna spend much to help this. My initial thought is some gorilla tape and some cheap seat covers from Amazon? The thing about the Aazon seat covers is obviously the fit, that thin fabric slides so much on leather. Suggestions? Id love to keep a sensible fix under $50.

 

[JHZR2]

Yikes. Must have rough pants or snag the seat or something.

My first thought is seat cover - no it won't fit well.

Next thought is some sort of near color match vinyl or leather and some good glue. I'd probably try to add stuffing, glue a patch from the inside, then one from the outside. Maybe sew it together with the hide as well.

Maybe a good used seat or cover isn't that much $? Have you checked eBay?

 

[The motor guy]

Duct tape to hold it together then a seat cover over that.

 

[dishdude]

You should be able to get a new factory seat cover and easily replace that. I wouldn't bother with tape or aftermarket full seat covers unless this is a real heap. Fixing it right should be around your $50 budget.

 

[jeepman3071]

Definitely some tape to smooth it out a bit, then a decent seat cover. You can find some on ebay/amazon that are more vehicle specific and fit pretty well.

 

[Brojo]

I stapled on old towel on my 2003 z71 seat. It's very tacky yes, but its comfortable and cheap, and you can pull it tight enough to fit snug before you staple it down. Sometimes facebook market has some of these model seats for sale in decent condition.

 

[billt460]

Call a few boneyards and see if they have one that got totaled?

 

[alchargo]

I'd get a new cover, something like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273512681899

Little more than you want to spend, but a more permanent fix.

 

[SZR48207]

Pull a part yard. They're full of GMs.

 

[JeffKeryk]

If the bolster is OK then a decent cover like alchargo posted.
Otherwise, call the wreckers; good luck.
Perhaps scan Craigslist for someone parting.

If you are keeping your Suburban, I would pony up the $$ and fix it right.
Again, good luck.

 

[exranger06]

I used to own a '99 Explorer and I needed a new driver's seat. I found a '00 Mountaineer in the junkyard with leather seats in beautiful condition. Cost $50 per seat. I ended up replacing both front seats just because it was a sweet upgrade from the original ones.
Maybe bring it to a local upholstery shop and see what they would charge to fix it. It might be less than you think. They might be able to replace only the section that's damaged.

 

[Dave9]

Yes, trim a piece of foam to take up the void of what is worn away, use high quality (new, so the adhesive isn't degrading much yet) duct tape trimmed so it has no square edges where it is cut (which will peel up faster), then get the best fitting seat cover your budget will allow, and use some 3M/etc spray adhesive to tack it down.

Another option is troll the junkyards for newer vehicles with seats in good condition and not care that it doesn't match the other seats. If it's powered, be sure to get the wiring pigtail(s) from the donor vehicle to make it easier to wire up.

An upholstery shop is probably going to charge more than $50 for labor alone, unless you find that rare retired person on Craigslist that is only doing it for supplemental income.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted by dishdude
You should be able to get a new factory seat cover and easily replace that. I wouldn't bother with tape or aftermarket full seat covers unless this is a real heap. Fixing it right should be around your $50 budget.


You obviously have never bought or installed a new factory leather cover.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by user52165
You obviously have never bought or installed a new factory leather cover.

Yeah the one for my old BMW (which surprisingly is still available) is around $550. When I needed mine repaired a while back I took the cover to a local seat shop and they sewed in a replacement vinyl piece for around $100. They didn't have any leather in a color that was close and the vinyl didn't match exactly either, but it was good enough for a 23 year old car.

There aren't very many cheap fixes for this problem that will hold up very long.

 

[ad244]

Find a used seat

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted by user52165
Originally Posted by dishdude
You should be able to get a new factory seat cover and easily replace that. I wouldn't bother with tape or aftermarket full seat covers unless this is a real heap. Fixing it right should be around your $50 budget.


You obviously have never bought or installed a new factory leather cover.

This is going to beat duct tape and a Wal-Mart seat cover. $62.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Driver-Bottom-Leather-Seat-Cover-For-1999-2002-Chevy-Tahoe-Suburban/323920813559?fits=Year%3A2002&hash=item4b6b2f5df7:g:eQAAAOSw08ddwmlp

 

[N Heat]

Originally Posted by dishdude
Originally Posted by user52165
Originally Posted by dishdude
You should be able to get a new factory seat cover and easily replace that. I wouldn't bother with tape or aftermarket full seat covers unless this is a real heap. Fixing it right should be around your $50 budget.


You obviously have never bought or installed a new factory leather cover.

This is going to beat duct tape and a Wal-Mart seat cover. $62.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Driver-Bottom-Leather-Seat-Cover-For-1999-2002-Chevy-Tahoe-Suburban/323920813559?fits=Year%3A2002&hash=item4b6b2f5df7:g:eQAAAOSw08ddwmlp


Now that is interesting. I bet its a bear to install.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted by N Heat
Originally Posted by dishdude
Originally Posted by user52165
Originally Posted by dishdude
You should be able to get a new factory seat cover and easily replace that. I wouldn't bother with tape or aftermarket full seat covers unless this is a real heap. Fixing it right should be around your $50 budget.


You obviously have never bought or installed a new factory leather cover.

This is going to beat duct tape and a Wal-Mart seat cover. $62.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Driver-Bottom-Leather-Seat-Cover-For-1999-2002-Chevy-Tahoe-Suburban/323920813559?fits=Year%3A2002&hash=item4b6b2f5df7:g:eQAAAOSw08ddwmlp


Now that is interesting. I bet its a bear to install.


Very easy to install. Take seat out and remove the side trim pieces. Then peel the cover off - it is secured to the foam with velcro. I just did an 05 and took me 30 min total and looks great. I did use the real leather cover but the cheaper cover linked below will install the same.

 

[joel95ex]

junkyard... even if it's cloth there are tons of gm's in yards

 

[meep]

yeah - any cheap patch on this will feel messed up beneath you and quickly tear. I prefer gaffers tape to duct tape and 3 rolls of that to make this good and sturdy would be as much as a $50 junkyard seat.