I have a 06 FEH with upholstery. I find it to be poor quality, uncomfortable, and difficult to clean. A Dyson vac cant even get the dog hair off those seats. I am considering seat covers or biting the bullet and taking it back for a factory re-do to leather which costs $1400.00. Ive been on some sites which offer good quality leather seat covers but I have airbags in the seats and Im certain this will make them not work. I cant see how they could activate if there is a seat cover over them. I would like some advice about this. I got a good deal on the car so much so that I bought one with upholstery which is not my preference, but I have paid to have a real tire mounted for the spare and I hate to put $1400.00 into the interior. Maybe Id do better just to trade it in for one with leather which has a sticker of $500 or so. Thoughts?
Thanks,
Greenie

 

I saw this problem with VW passat as well. A friend bought one with cloth seats, very light color. During the winter with heavy coats etc, the dark fabric of the coats got stuck to the car's upholstery....Yeeeesh what a mess. The interior looked terrible. He finally got it cleaned and they put some kind of plastic seat covers over the cloth. If you trade it in, you would probably take a big depreciation hit. Might be better to go to a good car upholsterer and get some quotes for leather. I'm sure you would loose over 1400 if you trade.

 

Rather than a trade, you might want to try selling privately. I'm not sure about the FEH, but I know a used Prius often sells for more than a new one. You may get more for it that way.

Regarding seat covers, the best I've seen are Wet Okole. They custom fit for airbags too.

I agree, the upholstery is pretty bad. Not sure what to do about the hair... maybe a lint brush. As for stains, use Oxy Magic from Armor All. It worked miracles on stains... even old worked in ones.

 

Anne, can you give me the details on your spare tire? Is it the Eco Plus which is the brand of the other tires? Did you get a new FEH rim to match? What about cost? Can you see it hanging below the bumper?

After just having a tire replaced and putting 400 mile on the donut, I was going to buy three more for the future. If everything works with real spare on the hybrid, I may go ahead and order a FEH rim also. Just always thought the battery took some of that space and a full spare wouldn't fit right.

TIA GaryG

 

No, the donut is for weight issues. People who have a full size spare have noticed a slight decrease in FE. (Also LOL at the buying 3 more; not that I don't blame you, just at buying three.)

Anywho, sorry to hear you don't like the interior. I myself really like it, and haven't had a problem keeping it clean and find it really comfortable. (Now the exterior is a different story. Snow, sleet, rain, and salted roads makes me glad I got gray to hide some of that dirt, when you can see the exterior.) I suggest if that's the only thing you don't like, then either changing it or covering it rather than getting rid of it.

 

My '05 interior is taking a beating. I play in a band and loading my gear in and out of the back is making my carpet get hairballs much quicker than my old Kia Sportage. The plastic side panels are getting scuffed too.

This is probably the only thing I dislike about this car.

Also, they like to pull up the carpet at the dealership in the back to show off the battery. So with equipment always going in and out the back that carpet keeps getting pulled up. VERY ANNOYING!!!!!

 

you need to get a furniture pad to line the back of the car when loading equipment. i'm not sure where to find them, but possibly at a uhaul rental/store type place. mine are hand-me-downs from my dad when he used to do sound and video work, and they're probably 20+ years old and still in good shape.

i've also got my hockey bag and sticks being tossed in the car. the black tape on hockey sticks can make for nasty sticky scuff marks, so i try to always place them with the blade down to minimize movement.

 

I just saw something today at AutoZone (maybe Pep Boys, I was at both today) which might work, it looked like a thin felt(?) pad to keep the garage floor clean. If it's thin enough it might work as a temp. cargo area liner. Just roll it up when done. Gee, maybe I should have gotten one...

Fred

 

There are seat covers with the proper breakaway threads, I have seen them for the Prius. Just be sure if you order seat covers that they are listed as being for use with side airbag equipped seats.

 

Hi,
About my spare tire, I decided I did not want to take delivery of the car without a real tire and rim. It cost me $335. It matches the rim of the other tires and has the same tire that came on the car from the factory. You cannot see it from behind. I dont notice any decrease in FE compared to the charts on this site. I feel better knowing I have a real tire if I have a blow out on a trip.