So I have this tear in the front passenger seat, on the side, 4-5 inches forward of where the power seat buttons are. Actually the tear looks like a single puzzle piece getting ready to just spider out. This tear could probably fit under something the size of a quarter. So the question is what should I do to fix it? I stopped by the Dollar store and picked up some clear finger nail polish, and was ready to goop it up, when I hesitated and thought I'd ask first. So should I go ahead with the clear polish? Or should I buy a upholstery repair kit from Wal-Mart / Auto Zone, etc... TIA

 

I am actually wondering the same thing.

Looking forward to some good advise on this one.

 

You might try a leather shoe repair place and see what they use to put leather back together. I would be leary of doing a half ass repair because with leather you really only get one shot before it is ruined. The other option is to just recover the seats, but get ready to hand over some green for that.

 

So what if you have a hole in your back seat... Say a hole that was burned in...

 

I would ask the shoe shop first if they would sell you some clear leather glue first. They have some of the best leather glue around. Some of the leather kits that they sell at the store suck. Don’t use the finger nail polish because it won’t work.

 

Check and make sure it's leather not naugahyde.
My '95 Limited has leather seating surfaces, but the sides and back are naugahyde.

Go to a fabric store for naugahyde advice if you want to repair it yourself. There are all sorts of fabric glues out there. I don't think I'd trust fingernail polish because it usually has acetone in it which will damage plastics.

For leather, you might try Tandy Leather for advice. You could probably stitch it yourself and it would be hardly noticed.

 

I don't know about where you live, but here in Tuscaloosa, AL we have several "Mom and Pop" upholstery shops that also do other automobile customizations. I would look for a place such as this that specializes in fixing car upholstery. I am sure if you find one in your area they have dealt with your problem before and can fix it easily, but not necessarily inexpensively.

Hope this helps!



Brian