Restoring/Saving your seats from tears (firming up your seat bottom): Cheap and Easy!

 by Douglas Muresan

First thing I noticed on my seats in my 91 Turbo was that the factory leather was not in contact with the bottom of the seat foam (where your butt goes).  It was as if over the years the foam had been compacted and left an air space between the leather and seat bottom foam.  This appeared to be causing the factory leather to pull away on the sides of the seat bottom.  I’ve had other “2” owners sit in mine and comment on how my seats feel like they are brand new.  On the contrary, they are not new!  Here is the secret!

If you look underneath the seat, you will see a wire mesh or zig-zaggy spring metal material.  This is what holds the foam up under the actual seat material (leather or cloth, whatever you have).  You will have to place something on top of this wire mesh, and under the seat foam to boost the seat firmness back to preference.  But what to use, you ask?  Smutty romance novels!  Just bare with me here.

Those romance novels that you find at garage sales for like a nickel work best.  Yea…that’s right…the ones with Fabio on the cover, on some deserted island with a fair maiden in his arms.  These things are in abundance and come in a variety of thickness’.  Although they may only be a nickel, this is highway robbery.  I tried to read one once out of curiosity, and trust me, low ball the proprietor of the garage sale,…..offer a penny.

 Anyhow, I recommend starting with one about a quarter inch thick and trying this out first.  Actually buy about five or six of different thickness, they’re so cheap you can just throw them away if you don’t use them.  But first, you have to do something about that smell.  Yes, I think they all came from the publisher with that musty basement smell sprayed on, but I haven’t figured out why yet?  The solution; get some freezer sized Zip-Loc bags that are extra thick.  I actually used two bags for each novel to keep the interior of my “2” from smelling like a musty basement.

Just double wrap the novel in the bags and slide them in on top of the wire mesh, and under the seat foam.  Things will be a little tight, built this will just take some trial and error.  I actually had to try a couple different thickness’ before I found the perfect firmness of the seat.  Also, you may have to move the novel around under the seat until you get the desired position.  The romance novel fills in the gap left from the foam being compacted over the years.  And it doesn’t feel like you are sitting on books eitherJ Before you know it, your seats feel like new again. It’s just that easy!

Douglas Muresan 
muresan007@hotmail.com

Last Update: 03/27/2000 08:30:02 PM