ok so i have a new job now and with this comes an increase in funds available to finally getting some stuff done on my truck that have been getting put off for some time. First and foremost are the items that are having problems and/or are due for replacement. My truck goes to the dealership first thing in the morning to have the passenger side exhaust manifold gasket replaced...then in the next two weeks i am having a complete tune up done followed hopefully by a front end alignment and replacing shocks, ball joints and anything else front end or suspension related. Truck has 84,000 miles on it. After all this gets done I am looking at getting my trucks tired Lariat Leather interior replaced. Its definitely showing its age and the previous owner did nothing to take care of it. Has anyone else had their entire interior replaced? Just want factory look, with maybe a softer feel? I have never really thought the factory leather was all that comfortable... I have looked online but cant seem to find an accurate price as to what replacement leather covers run for both the front and rear seats. I dont think its something i can attempt on my own so i understand that im looking at some pretty hefty labor charges...just want to know if anyone else has had it done, how it turned out, how long it took, and how much it ran them.

thanks for all the help

 

I just got my cloth seats on an '06 F150 replaced with leather made by Katzkins and had it professionaly installed at one of their recommended places. All in all it cost right at $1200 for front and back on a supercab. My cloth seats were in no way worn out but they stained easily and I never really liked them. It was the only thing on my truck I didn't like. It was well worth it to me.

At 84,000 your truck has a lot of useful life left in it. If your replacing gaskets, front end parts, and trying to get it in tip top shape why not treat yourself to some new leather if it needs that too.

I say go for it. Make it a nice truck all over.


PS...I just looked at your truck in your gallery pictures. No question about it now, go for the new leather. That's a nice looking truck.

 

i appreciate the compliment...shes at the dealership right now for her exhaust manifold gasket replacement...one of the guys in the service dept offered to buy her from me this morning...i need to get some new pics up since i detailed the truck this weekend...how soft is that katzkin leather, is it just me or has GM leather traditionally been softer than ford leather? wondering if the softer leather would hold up better over time rather than the hard coated leather ford uses from the factory?

 

I don't know about GM leather being softer than Ford's. I just rented a suburban for my wife to drive from Oklahoma to Georgia and back to go get our son (He's at Fort Benning and on his way to Fort Bliss in Texas). The suburban has leather and it felt and looked close to Ford's factory leather to me.

The two big auto leather company's that produce probably the most aftermarket leather interiors are Classic Soft Trim and Katzkin. The cost of the two are identical. The two leathers are different to the touch. Classic Soft Trim is smoother and Katzkin's have a little more "texture". The way they differ from factory Ford leather is they are 100% leather. Not "leather trimmed" as Ford calls it. Both company's produce better than factory seat covers.

The real difference in a good leather recover and one that's just so-so is the installation.

Try to find a shop that does mostly dealership cloth to leather swaps and they can do it wrinkle free. The place that did mine (South Side Trim in Fort Worth, Tx) does about twenty or more conversions a day. They do all the dealership work in that area plus the average joe like me who walks in and wants it done. It literally took about an hour and a half from start to finish on the installation and it looks absolutely flawless, both the leather and installation.

My seats are charcoal colored with stone inserts to replace the XLT "Flint" colored cloth interior. It matches my dash and console perfectly. When you order the covers be sure to see the samples on whatever color you go with in person and don't try to go by the color chart on the company's web site. The place that orders the leather and does the install should have a sample group that you can actually take out to your truck and see what goes best with the rest of your trim.

Hope that helps some.

 

Oh yeah...if your get Classic Soft Trim or Katzkin installed by one of their recommended installers you get a three year/36000 mile warranty on the leather, workmanship on the stitching in the leather, and workmanship of the installation.

 

well i located a guy locally who does all the cloth to the leather conversions for the area dealerships...hes got great references and is who katzkin recommended i go with.. he quoted me 1095 for front and back seats to be redone with katzkin..just a single color, i want it to maintain its factory look, and i definitely want the texture that katzkin has like you were talking about...im supposed to head over to the shop tomorrow to look at some vehicles there that he has recently done. I was not aware of that warranty on the katzkin, that is a great bonus!

 

That is the identical quote I got in Fort Worth on a single color for front and rear.

Post some pictures after you get it all fixed up.

 

i definitely will..im going to see if he does new interior carpet as well because mine is stained severely underneath the seats, not really visible but I know its there and that bothers me terribly...figure he is gonna have the entire interior out to reupholster so no better time than then to replace the carpet...once i get it back to close to original new condition im gonna throw some power upgrades on...got my eye on some custom tunes, a new muffler, and an intake for sure and probably some E-fans. Ive got to locate a paintless dent removal service in my area to try and get rid of the only two small dents in the whole truck, door dings - one on the lower drivers door all the way down in the blue two tone area so its almost invisible to the eye, and the other is on the passenger fender up high by the antenna, still not sure how that one got there.