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A few members enquired about my seat covers, so I thought I would do a little write up on them here, to not hijack the original thread.
I have had them on my truck for about 7 years. I bought both the front and rear sets and an additional 3 yards of the raw neoprene material to do a few interior mods to match the covers. I love these things. They were a little expensive (roughly $500 for whole set) but I thought they really brought out the spirit of a first gen 4runner being "waterproof" and all.
I use my truck as my DD, so they saw quite a bit of use. I originally installed the covers back in late 2003. Being from NJ, I also installed retrofit heated seat upgrades at the same time. I get all sorts of compliments on the covers, and most people that are not savy to what a 1st gen 4runner is think that they are stock original covers and not something put over the top of original seats.
I especially liked the extra protection that they afforded the interior against the weather since I drive around with the top down every day that it is not raining during the summer, and have had a few times that I could not get the top up fast enough. I simply swiped the water off of the seats and did a quick blot with a towel and the next morning everything was dry.
I am about to replace the fronts with a new set since the current ones have worn through in a spot or two and are starting to retain stains that will not scrub out.
I am attaching a few picts of them installed as well as the center console cover and the shiftboot that I made out of the additional material. I have since gone on to recover the door panel tops with the black neoprene as well as the rear side panels which really ties the whole thing together.
The Good: "water resistant" I say this because if you were to let a puddle of water sit on them it would surely penetrate through the threads eventualy. Look great, and very custom. Nice assortment of colors to chose from. Custom made to order with logos, map pockets, etc. Excellent custom fit. Never once did these thing move around.
The Bad: Pricing is a little steep. (approx $260 for front set and $250 for rear set) They give you "sweat-butt" in the summer. They take a little bit of care for longevity. (scrub occasionally with special soaps and anti-bacterial kit that company sells you with covers)
All-in-all, I am very satisfied with them, and am going to order up a new set for the fronts.
The 4Runner SR5 logo on mine (along with all other not-domestic logos) are not on the website anymore. Call them up or e-mail and they will send you the logo sheets. They have TRD, 4Runner SR5, Land Cruiser, Tacoma, etc.
Nice write up. I like them a lot. The quality looks top notch. I wonder if you could find something like this in a sturdier material than neoprene that might last a bit longer, and not give you the old sweat but Love the black/gray two tone. That's exactly the route I'm going with my interior. Looks GREAT!
What color gray did you use?
Last edited by BlackSCRunner; 02-25-2010 at 08:50 PM.
I've seen these in person. I lived in Hawaii for 5 years and these things were everywhere. Especially the beach runners. They are a little pricey for my liking but very well worth it. If they hold up to the high salt content of ocean water, they will hold up anywhere.
Yea way to pricey for me. I love them and they look great but man I cant justify the cost, my stock seats still look great and are gonna hafto work for now. Nice post and cool seat covers.
I found a used set on craigslist for 125 bucks for my 3rd gen (front and rear) and I love them. Looking for a set for my 1st gen, they're just a ton of money new!
I have a set of black ones and I cannot say enough about them. Absolutely the best set of covers out there. Well worth the money. Especially if you surf, or get in and out of your truck wet. The fitment is very very good and they hold up for a long time.
I've been on the fence for so long, mostly due to the price. I know you get what you pay for. When I swap buckets into my 83 I think i'm going to throw some of these on there.
I bought two sets of Wet Okole for my green jeep: Kelly Green and Orange purchase in 2012 and 2013. I would switch them from year-to-year so they only got a couple years' exposure completely. I washed them, but did not use the UV product. It's a jeep for crying out loud: it's in the mud, the sun, the rain...
The orange faded horribly into pink in the first year of summer in Virginia ungaraged and top-down. They look awlful because the fading is not regular: the piping remained stable, the side panels retained most of the orange color, but the main seat and headrest look like a orange-pink color gradient you would use in a PowerPoint. I threw them away.
The green has not faded as much after one summer, and has faded evenly including the side panels. Drivers seat had some extra wear after 2 years where I slide in.
While covers are easy to wash, stains from food, sweat, water...DO NOT wash out easily.
Overall, you buy these pricey covers because of the color customization and comfort. But if the color is unstable and fades within a year or two depending upon exposure, then WHY BOTHER? Naysayers and company reps will say, "oh, it would have been better if you used the UV Protectant"; but I say BULL! $10 for an 8 oz bottle for covers you spent $600 for????
Put the UV protectant into the covers themselves, figure out how to stabilize your colors for expected usage. $600 for a 2 year lifespan on an open jeep is UNSAT!!
Three of my Supras wear Wet Okoles - 1 of them for over 12 years now. There is a reason I keep buying them - total satisfaction. Any issues I have had (such as broken tightening buckles) are my own fault. As they are garaged, I can not speak to the fading issue mentioned above, and all stains have washed out completely
02-25-2010, 08:10 PM
Love the black/gray two tone. That's exactly the route I'm going with my interior. Looks GREAT!
lol
Wet okole color fading/wear/staining
