Northwest Auto Leather Nightmare

[Zennsx]

I ordered A set of all leather seat coveres a couple of months ago from NW Auto leather in Canada and have encountered a couple of problems. First off they sent the wrong colored bolster ,I ordered red they sent black. Secondly somehow they forgot to resubmit a work order to have another set made, Another month delay. So, I'm all set this weekend to do the install I remove the passenger seat and completlely remove the old leather. I started installing the new leather and noticed that the new fasteners dont resemble the old fasteners at all.It seems you would have to remove at least 6 fasteners from the old seatcovers and have them professionally sewn on the new covers . I also noticed there are no holes in the side supports to run your power seat wires.Am I responsible for cutting holes in $875.00 seat covers. I was assured these were direct replacements. At this point I'm really frustrated . Anyone else had these problems with NW Auto seatcovers? :frown:

 

[Arshad]

Hmm, I had mine professionally installed and they didn't mention anything about the wrong fasteners. HOWEVER, I've noticed that my passenger seat back is not fastened correctly. I don't know if this is an issue with the fasteners, or just a mistake during installation. I'll be taking it back to the shop in the next month or two so they can correct the problem. I vaguely recall in the original NW Auto thread (group buy section) that the fasteners were on wrong (backwards?). I think that issue was corrected afterwards, but I could be wrong. The owner of the place seems to be quite helpful, so you may want to talk to him directly.

 

[LJSB]

The changes on the tabs on their seat covers were in a previous post but I'm not sure if it was by them but or by another member of Prime.
I have installed scores of seat covers most of which were OEM and you always have to make the holes for wiring and seat back switches/levers, etc., etc., and other parts. In my opinion NW's product is better than most OEM offerings and among the best replacements I have seen. You have to work to make them fit,as is the case with most seat covers and even more so with the NSX because of the many pieces and sections.
I installed mine and did not have any sewing changes. I don't think that would be a great idea and suggest you take them to a pro.
Ask yourself this: Do you possess the ability and skill that would be required by Honda to let YOU put their covers on their cars at the factory? If the answer is no then your course of action should be obvious.
The novice will encounter problems with fit, wrinkles etc..
It can be done by a non-professional but it is not like wrenching where you line up the holes on the parts and tighten.

I too had a mix up on the color of my bolsters after carefully explaining what I wanted over and OVER.
I settled with what they sent me instead of waiting any longer.They did offer to rectify the problem but I expected it would take too long just like it did for you.
Good luck. :smile:

 

[NetViper]

I had no trouble with mine at all. I had them installed by a LEXUS dealer and have been very happy with the results. Sorry to hear you are having troubles. I am sure they will make it right.

 

[Zennsx]

My complaint with the covers is none Of the mechanical connectors that connect the main cover to the seat frame are close to the OEM setup.I installed the covers and they look absolutely perfect,but in my opinion you shoudn't have to use sheet metal screws through the arrowhead plastic strips that are sewn on the main covers.

If only they would sew a wide plastic tongue on the main seat portion so you could trim it to whatever size you'd like and use the factory push plastic plugs.

The smaller sections that require the hog ring connectors were almost Identical to the OEM setup and I flew through that part of the install.I'll post some pics of the install in a couple of days or so.

 

[MJK]

I did it myself with no problems. If you post some pics, I might be able to help?

PM me if you'd rather.

 

[Juice]

You should have done your research first. All of this has been covered before (no pun intended) by NWAL themselves in earlier posts. I understand your frustration, but everyone that I have talked to (installers) says that NW's product is far superior to most that they have seen and NW admits that using the OEM connecting tabs puts the product in a much more costly price bracket. If you are using aftermarket covers, then you are technicaly modifying your seats. Expect there to be sacrifices if you choose not to use OEM.

I had the same concerns when I got mine. It sucks that they screwed up the first set, but welcome to the world of automotive aftermarket. Stuff like that happens.... a lot. If the tabs are really bothering you, send the seats back, get a refund, and use that money to put 20% down on a set of OEM seat covers. You should see them in 3 to 4 months.

 

[Zennsx]

If your going the distance to make such fine covers out of leather why not sew on better anchoring points.It wouldnt cost a penny more .Theres more plastic used in a toy from a McDonalds Happy meal than on the covers.. :tongue:

 

[Kvonco]

I had my seats done by the leather installer a Honda dealer uses locally. Not one issue with the quality of the leather sent from NWAL. I know nothing about installing upholstery so I took the entire box to the installer and had them inspect each section for any problems as some "kit" interiors can be of poor quality or fit. Mine fit great and the service at Northwest was
excellent. Hope you resolve successfully.

 

[Aiken Drum]

I used a professional installer for the set I got in group buy #2. He did have to rework the connectors a little but seemed unconcerned and unsurprised by it. If you're having issues, spend the extra bucks and just have a seasoned pro do it (do your research to make sure you get a seasoned guy, though).

The guy I used usually buys kits directly from some other shop which he has determined to have the best aftermarket quality available. He says the NW kit is about the same quality.

So, yes, they can be annoying to deal with, and they use funky connectors, but apparently their kits are still pretty good on the whole.

I'm very pleased with mine.

 

[TurboLexus]

Glad to hear of the quality, as i'm leaning towards a set as well. Wondering if you guys did the door panels also, as i'm looking to change them to perforated.

 

[Zennsx]

Maybey I'm just too picky. However, the seats came out absolutely perfect. I just didn't like the idea of screwing the fasteners to the seat pan. I never had any gripes about the leather quality.