Searching for car upholstery near me usually starts with one worn thing: a split driver's bolster, a door card coming loose, a roof lining resting on your head. Motor trimmers handle all of it: seats, door panels, carpets, headliners, gear boots and full interiors for cars, bakkies, kombis and taxis. Tell us the vehicle type, what needs doing and the material you want, with a photo or two if you have them, and we pass it to independent motor trimmers in your area. They quote you directly. The request is free, with no obligation to accept any quote.
What car upholstery covers
Car seat upholstery is the bulk of the work, but a trimmer does the whole cabin:
- Seats: recovering in cloth, vinyl or leather, new foam where the cushion has collapsed, or a single panel where only a bolster is worn (see leather car seat repair)
- Door cards and side trim: new vinyl or cloth inserts, loose panels reglued
- Roof linings that have dropped (see roof lining repair)
- Carpets, gear and handbrake boots and steering wheel covers
- Bakkie and kombi bench seats, taxi seats, truck cab seats and classic car interiors
Choosing cloth, vinyl, leather or faux suede
Cloth is cool in summer and kind on the budget, and an OEM-look cloth keeps a car close to standard. Vinyl wipes clean, which suits work bakkies, taxis and families with small children, though it gets hot in the sun. Genuine leather costs more and needs conditioning to stop it cracking in dry Highveld winters; many trimmers do leather conversions on cloth seats. Faux suede inserts with vinyl or leather bolsters grip well and wear well. If you only want protection rather than a retrim, fitted seat covers cost less and come off again.
What the job involves, and side airbags
The trimmer removes the seats, strips the old covers to use as patterns, repairs or replaces the foam, then sews and fits the new covers with hog rings or clips. Two things need care:
- Side airbags in the seat backs deploy through a tear seam in the cover, so ask how the trimmer sews that seam on your seats
- Seat heaters, occupancy sensors and wiring must be refitted and tested before the car leaves
A sunshade helps whatever material you choose.
Car upholstery prices and what to ask a trimmer
The price depends on how many seats, the material, whether the foam needs rebuilding, how complex the seats are (electric adjustment, airbags, heaters, split rear benches) and whether door cards and carpets are included. Ask each trimmer:
- Is the quote per seat or for the whole interior?
- Which material grade, and can I see samples?
- How do you handle the airbag seam and sensors?
- Is there a deposit, and is the work guaranteed?
If the seats are sound but grubby, ask about upholstery cleaning first.
What to include in your request
- Vehicle type and year
- Which seats and panels need work
- Cloth, vinyl, leather or faux suede
- Side airbags, heaters or electric seats
- Photos of the worn areas
Car Upholstery for homes, cars and businesses
- Homeowners and tenants: the family hatchback or SUV with a split driver's seat and children's wear in the back
- Restaurants, hotels, guesthouses and lodges: shuttle vans and lodge transfer kombis whose seats take daily guest wear
- Offices and businesses: company pool cars and sales reps' sedans kept tidy for visiting clients
- Car, bakkie and taxi owners: dealers, panel beaters and fleet owners retrimming seats before resale or after repairs
- Boats, caravans and 4x4s: 4x4s, campers and game drive vehicles with seats worn by dust and sun
- Clinics, salons, spas and gyms: patient transport vans and clinic vehicles that need wipe-clean vinyl seats
- Churches, schools and halls: municipal bakkies, school buses and church kombis due for a seat refresh
- Upholsterers, makers, designers and DIYers: panel shops and car restorers sending out interior work to a motor trimmer
Frequently asked questions
How much does car upholstery cost?
Where do I find car seat upholsterers near me?
How long will my car be in the workshop?
Does Reupholstery.co.za do the trimming?
Car Upholstery by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg