Leather car seats wear in the same places: the outer bolster of the driver's seat, where you slide in and out, cracks and then splits, and the colour rubs off the seat base and the top of the back. Leather upholstery repair for car seats means fixing that wear without retrimming the whole interior: cleaning, filling and recolouring, restitching a seam or replacing one worn panel. Tell us the vehicle and the damage, with a photo, and we pass it to independent motor trimmers and leather repairers near you. They quote you directly. The request is free, with no obligation.
What can be repaired on a leather car seat
- Faded or rubbed colour: cleaned, prepared and recoloured with a matched leather dye
- Fine cracks: filled, sanded and recoloured
- Split seams: restitched with matching thread
- Holes, burns and tears: patched from behind and filled
- A worn-through bolster or panel: cut out and replaced with a new piece of matching leather
If several panels are gone, recovering the whole seat may make more sense; see car seat upholstery. Vinyl and faux leather seats can often be repaired in the same way.
Recolour, repair or a new panel: how to choose
A recolour suits leather that is sound but faded. Once the leather is split or worn thin enough to show the backing, a new panel is the lasting fix. The trimmer matches the grain and colour as closely as possible, but on an older car a new panel can look fresher than the rest, so many people recolour the whole seat afterwards. Collapsed foam under the bolster makes the leather crease and crack, so ask for the foam to be built up while the panel is off. For the couch at home, see leather couch repairs.
Airbags, heaters and looking after the repair
Side airbags sit in many seat backs, behind a tear seam in the cover. If a repair touches the seat back, ask the trimmer how they keep that seam correct. Seat heaters and sensors sit under the base and must be refitted and tested. After the repair:
- Clean with a mild leather cleaner, not household sprays
- Condition every few months, more often in dry Highveld winters
- Use a sunshade, because sun through the glass dries and fades leather
Slide in rather than dragging across the bolster.
What affects the price and what to ask
The price depends on the size and number of repairs, whether a panel is replaced or only recoloured, colour matching, foam work and whether the seat must come out. Ask:
- Can you match my colour and grain, and will the repair show?
- Does the seat come out, and are airbag and heater connections checked?
- Do you do small repairs at my home or office, or only in the workshop?
For buying hide yourself, see upholstery leather and vinyl.
What to include in your request
- Vehicle type, year and seat colour
- Which seats and panels are damaged
- Fading, cracks, split seams or holes
- Side airbags or heated seats
- Clear daylight photos
Leather Car Seat Repair for homes, cars and businesses
- Homeowners and tenants: the family sedan whose driver's bolster has cracked from years of climbing in and out
- Restaurants, hotels, guesthouses and lodges: chauffeur and lodge vehicles with leather seats that must look right for guests
- Offices and businesses: executive company cars kept presentable with recoloured, restitched leather seats
- Car, bakkie and taxi owners: dealers reconditioning leather seats before a used vehicle goes onto the floor
- Boats, caravans and 4x4s: leather seats in 4x4s and campers cracked by dust, heat and long trips
- Clinics, salons, spas and gyms: doctors' and home-care vehicles with worn leather seats that need a tidy repair
- Churches, schools and halls: official vehicles where the leather seats need repair rather than a full retrim
- Upholsterers, makers, designers and DIYers: car valeters and dealers sending seats out for colour and panel repairs
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair a leather car seat?
Can a cracked leather car seat be repaired?
Will the repaired panel match the rest of the seat?
Do you repair leather car seats yourselves?
Leather Car Seat Repair 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