For those of you who didn't get leather seats on your TCH and are thinking of adding them. You may want to consider a Do-It-Yourself project.

I ordered a set for my 07 RAV 4 from Bill at www.leatherseats.com and installed them myself this weekend. They were $779 shipped and included perforated inserts as well as an install kit. I've discussed it at:
http://rav4world.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12019 .

So far, I'm really happy with the quality and the look.

There are some other threads over there where people bought some "discount" seats, and then found stitching that came undone, etc. They report that the seller didn't return their calls for help.

Anyhow, if you are thinking about leather, you might want to check them out. As always, YMMV!

 

I am not confident in my abilities to install my own leather. Does anyone know of a place that does the installation, and uses good quality leather? I dont want to spend more than $900- $1000. The dealer quoted me $1400 for aftermarket leather. I live in San Diego.

 

Check out Classic Soft Trim. http://classicsofttrim.com/

I recommended them to a Honda Pilot owner who lives in San Diego, and she was very pleased with the results. http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/sho...threadid=10356

 

Another one to add to the list here is www.katzkin.com

 

Both of the above companies, Classic and Katzkin have a good reputation. Classic added a sunroof to my old Highlander and did a great job. I belive that both companies are going to be fairly expensive.

Beware of some of the Internet/E-Bay folks. One guy bought a $499 special off the web for his RAV 4. He found some of the stitching coming undone. Suddenly the seller won't answer his phone or return the calls.

My wife got OEM (Port Installed) Leather on her TCH. It is nice, but the www.leatherseats.com stuff is noticably softer.

I found out on the Mazda 6 forum that several of the guys had bought from www.leatherseats.com and had been very satisfied. They also have a self-install kit and general installation instructions on their website. Bill at leatherseats is a "class guy." I've heard nothing but good about him.

(BTW, I have no connection in any way with www.leatherseats.com, just a good business experience that I want to share with others who may be looking.)

 

Does www.leatherseats.com have affiliated shops that install the leather for you as well??

 

Not that I am aware of, but give Bill a call and ask. I think they normally suggest that you find a local install shop or do it yourself.

 

You may want to check with Toyota first. It is my understanding that Toyota may not accept liability if the air bags fail due to aftermarket leather seat installations. This is what Atlantic States Toyota advised their dealers.

 

Anyone know how much it is for leather from www.classicsofttrim? I can't find a price anywhere.

 

I'd guess that it would be in the neighborhood of $1300-1400. That seems to be the prevailing rate for leather installs from my discussions with my Toyota dealer and the local Classic Soft Trim installer.