Do you have an automotive project that you’ve put off until next year? Did “next year” turn into almost ten? I’ve owned my 1991 318iS for eight-and-a-half years, and for the duration of that ownership I’ve been saying that I would recover my ripped and torn driver’s seat “next year.” It’s something that time and time again has been demoted to lowest priority amidst other projects.
My 1991 318iS and the “other project.”
Being a more budget-friendly option than a 325i/iS of the same era, this 318iS is equipped with vinyl-covered sport seats instead of leather. The Natur vinyl has held up to 33 years and 164,000 miles of wear and tear extremely well, with the high-traffic driver’s seat the only upholstery showing the battle scars made from a love of driving.
This E30’s interior certainly hasn’t gone unloved as I’ve performed a number of cosmetic and functional updates during my ownership: I’ve sourced and replaced the original cracked dash (my fingers still hurt just thinking about this eight-hour job), I’ve taken the seats and carpet out for a deep cleansing, I’ve added rear headrests (a must-have safety item for my kids), I’ve installed a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, I’ve updated the sound system, and I’ve added a set of stylish black-and-tan Coco Mats. It’s a nice place to be for a spirited drive or a long road trip.
One day I woke up and said, ” I’m going to swap the dash today.” Whew!
Having already addressed the front seats’ functional deficiencies by replacing blown seat shocks—small gas-filled tubes that are necessary for seat-back adjustment—it was finally time to give the driver’s seat a face lift, or a new face entirely.
Depending on the condition and material of damaged upholstery, there are a couple of options for repair. Cracks or tears in leather or vinyl can be patched, filled, textured, and painted using either do-it-yourself kits or by contracting a professional—this is the face-lift option. There are also a number of companies that make complete seat upholstery kits, allowing you to give your interior a new face. With either option, skill and experience are key as both are art forms.
A box of fresh E30 upholstery, delivered right to my doorstep.
I opted for the “new face” route, and ordered a front-seat upholstery kit from a California-based mail-order upholstery shop. Given options of material, pattern, and color, I picked the same Natur vinyl with solid bolsters, perforated/dimpled center sections, and three longitudinal stripes as the existing seat. The company had me send them a number of photos of my existing seats for verification purposes, and a couple of weeks later a box of new made-to-order E30 sport seat upholstery arrived at my doorstep. The pattern matched, the color matched—even the piping matched. The upper and lower center sections included new foam padding and batting attached, as well as long plastic clips for sections that aren’t hog-ringed to the seat frame.
Panels, panels, and more panels of upholstery.
An E30 sport seat consists of eight separate panels: two lower bolsters, a lower center, two upper bolsters, an upper center, a head rest, and a seat back. The entire seat needs to be disassembled to replace each of these panels—something not for the faint of heart. In addition to keeping track of countless clips, nuts, bolts, and washers, the seat sliders, tilt, raise, and extend mechanisms need to be removed. To top it all off, the original upholstery needs to removed, piece by piece, the seat frame and seat pads (the foam below the upholstery) need to be checked for any damage, and then it all needs to go back together, with the new upholstery panels pulled, clipped, and hog-ringed into place for a smooth and clean appearance. Whew!
I typically don’t shy away from a challenge, but I had major reservations undertaking this project. Thankfully, my friend Jerry Valega, whose 1986 325e I wrote about earlier this year, offered to showcase his skills and restore my driver’s seat. Jerry has plenty of experience, having repaired at least twenty sets of BMW sport seats, with the results of his first BMW interior restoration still residing in his beloved 325e. He has specialized tools, spare parts, and strategies for handling what lies beneath the surface, making even the most horrendous seats look, feel, and operate like new.
Like a glove!
With the driver’s seat from my 318iS removed and loaded into my 2015 328i Sport Wagon, I headed over to Jerry’s garage to learn a thing or two. Jerry can easily disassemble an E30 sport seat from memory in less than 30 minutes—probably faster without me looking over his shoulder and peppering him with questions. With the seat in seemingly 100 pieces, it was time for an assessment.
Jerry reassured me that my seat was in good condition in comparison to some basket cases that he’s worked on. This frame was free of rust and corrosion and all metal tabs and mounting points were free of cracks and still present. The bolster pads were mostly in decent shape, though both the lower and upper left bolsters had tears and needed repair as these take a lot of abuse during entry and exit. The lower seat pad also had a tear that would need to be addressed. BMW does sell new upper and lower seat pads kits, but the pads from my seat could be saved (saving me around $400).
For the bolsters that could be immediately recovered, Jerry showed me how to place, pull, and secure the new upholstery. After massaging it into place, he’d take a step back, look at it, and say, “No, it has to be perfect,” and then he would start over and make fine adjustments. I left Jerry to his art and was pleasantly surprised the next evening with a text, “The seat is DONE.” While he had sent me photos of his progress along the way, I’d have to wait until pickup to see the final product. Suspense intensifies!
Not that there was ever any doubt, but after Jerry worked his magic, it looks and feels like a new seat. The lower center padding no longer sags and the seat adjustments are sharp and precise. The new vinyl presents nicely over the original repaired bolster pads. Jerry even went as far as repainting the tilt lever, which was previously chipped and showed exposed metal. The replacement upholstery’s color is almost a perfect match to the rest of the interior, allowing me to keep the original upholstery on the front passenger and rear seats. Now that this E30’s interior has been given a new lease on life, I think some seat time is in order. Road trip! —Mike Bevels
[Title Photo by Avery Bevels]