Kernow-disco

New Member
Hi all
I've just purchased a TD5 and the drivers seat squab is ripped, does anyone know where I could get either material to replace the panel or a full squab cover.
Cheers
 
Re-asking this question as I am in the same position and Exmoor have confirmed that they do not do Disco seats any more. Too much trendy Defender demand I suspect and people with deep pockets.
There are two small tears in my drivers beige leather seat squab that are beyond repair. So I have a number of options:
1. I can put some canvas underneath the affected area and secure it with Copydex. This will stabilise the damage, prevent it getting worse and the Copydex will not damage the leather. I can leave it like this almost indefinitely.
2. I can get a professional seat trimmer to replace the panel. Downside is that matching the leather does not appear straightforward and it would probably need to be separately re-coloured. Looking at £150 + VAT for the panel and about the same again to re-colour.
3. I can find the squab from a passenger seat (should be in acceptable condition and suitably patinated) and do a straight swap as they do not appear handed. This would be the easiest and probably best option IF I can find a suitable donor. Problem is that the drivers squab is the bit that is worn on every D2 and I'm unlikely to find a replacement on its own.
3. I can find a full interior, use the squab and bin the rest (I doubt I would find a buyer for an interior without a pax seat.) About the same price as getting a trimmer and new leather, but I have no where to store the remaining interior, so it would likely go straight to the tip, and that does not sit well.
4. With minor narrowing it would be possible to have the seat squab repaired using leather from a seat back, and there is one available now without the squab. But the seat would not be the same and I would know the difference.

My plan is to do 1 while I wait for 3, but it could be a very long wait. Does anyone know of a good beige leather D2 seat squab available?
 
I did option 3. I actually got a full set of seats on ebay for 99p. Only took the passenger seat and swapped the swap part. Drivers seats are usually just as worn.
 
Have you looked on ebay, under 'hide, leather, upholstery' to see if you can get a skin of the same colour? There are lots there but getting the correct coour might be the difficulty as the screens do not always show a true match.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BEIGE-55...=item442845bccd:g:6pQAAOSw0NtbbEDf:rk:38:pf:0

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-...=item3d76a9863f:g:W9MAAOSwQjxbvgtA:rk:15:pf:0

With the hide, it might be worth trying a local college to see if they do Upholstery classes and then, under guidance, you could do a brilliant job yourself. Someone might even do it for you!!!
 
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Thanks for the suggestion I'll take a look. The problem is that having spent sometime with a very skilled re-trimmer (mainly classics, but also LR) and having gone through his entire collection of beige hides, nothing came close even though away from the seat I would have sworn some were identical.
His advice was to find a donor seat with good leather and use that. If I can find a good squab with beige piping I will just swap them over, if I can only get one with black piping I will get him to transplant a panel.
 
Wheeler Dealers on the telly never have a problem having seats repaired, and always at little money.
 
Wheeler Dealers on the telly never have a problem having seats repaired, and always at little money.
If replacement seat upholstery is available it often is for popular classics, then no problem.
Having a panel replaced can be done by a number of trimmers around here at a reasonable price given the skilled labour involved. The problem is matching 18 year old beige leather. I'm not trying to match patination, but I would like to match colour.
If I were a dealer looking to sell it on quickly I would follow the standard practice (used in WD) of getting as close a match as possible and then having it coloured to match. Sometimes this works well long term, sometimes the colour does not last. Trouble is I want to keep this vehicle and am happy to wait for a good long term solution.
Leather seats can last for a very long time if they are cleaned and fed regularly to maintain the suppleness and resistance to cracking. The red leather seats on my TR2 are original and in good nick and they were fitted 63 years ago.
 
OK long term solution eventually presented itself. I managed to buy a full set of matching seats for £175. The passenger seat cushion is in excellent condition and I have swapped this for my driver's seat cushion. With only one person it took about two hours (not including waiting for 30 mins after disconnecting the battery before disconnecting the pretensioner). Care is needed in disconnecting and reconnecting the J clips to separate the seat back and remove the cushion, but stripping the EBay set was good practice and gave me a suitable spare when I broke the trim by the seatbelt - there is a plastic pin that needs removing first.
My interior is now in very good shape and as a bonus the drivers heated seat now works. Now all I have to do is sell the rest of the interior on.....
 

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