Installing Seat Covers

When looking to personalize a vehicle the quickest and easiest way to be able to do this is through the use of seat covers. Using a seat cover is an inexpensive alternative to reupholstering your vehicle, and can allow an extra layer of protection for your seats.

There are actually two different ways to use seat covers. The first way is to put your new seat covers over the existing upholstery, while the second is to remove your old upholstery and replace it with the seat cover. The first method is my preferred method simply because it is easier, less time consuming, and if done properly will produce results that are indistinguishable from a professional upholstery job.

1. Choose the cover. Take care in choosing your seat covers. You need to make sure that it matches not only your taste, but your vehicle's color scheme. Make sure that you choose the proper style (i.e. bucket seats, individual seats, bench seats, etc.) and size of seat cover to ensure a proper fit.
2. Remove headrest. Once you have chosen your new seat cover, you need to get ready to install it. Do this by initially removing the headrest, if there is one. It's pretty easy to remove the headrest on most seats—simply pull up. While it may stop briefly at the highest setting, all that you need to do is pull a little harder and it will come off.
3. Install new covers. Begin installing your seat covers by tilting the seat forward. This will provide access to as much of the seat as possible, if necessary you can also slide the seat forward so that you can also provide yourself as much room to the entire seat as possible. Next, start sliding the cover over the seat from the top down. It might be a little hard to pull it down completely but don't worry, this is a good thing. The snugger the fit, the less likely there will be wrinkles which can lead to later tears.
4. Tighten seat covers. Once you have the seat covers in place, it's time to fasten and tighten them. Use the hooks that came with the covers to fasten them under the car seat. There are typically all kinds of things under a car seat that you can attach the hooks to, just be careful that you don't' attach them to anything important—like electrical lines. After fastening the seat covers, tighten them down as much as possible to provide to reduce wrinkling.
5. Replace headrest. It's now time to replace the headrest. If your cover doesn't come with holes already in place for the headrest, you will need to make holes for the headrest posts. Make these holes as small as possible using a sharp razorblade. The smaller the hole, then the less likely it will be that they tear later on.