Mended a rip in my Alcantara seat after a suggestion from SWMBO

Darcydog · 5th July 2016, 19:39

My grey Alcantara drivers seat is seriously worn now after 13 years. I have got a nice second set that I shall be swapping the passenger seat base over when I get round to it but for now I decided to try to fix the rip in the base bolster.

I wish I had taken a photo of the rip now but I suspect we all know what a rip looks like on these seats when they get worn.

SWMBO suggested "hem tape" (she was watching "The Sowing Bee" at the time) and gave me a reel of it out of her "tool box".

It is a very thin material that melts when heated with an iron through a damp cloth. So I cut it into strips that fitted the space where the Alcantara had separated from the white base material.

Then with a bit of trepidation I carefully played jigsaw with the material to get it back to where it should be and made sure the "hem tape" was in position. I then laid the wet tea towel over the top and applied a hot iron for 8 seconds as per the instructions.

Lots of steam and sizzles and then I removed the now dry tea towel and Bingo!!! - one mended seat!

The repair is a 95% success with only a very small slither of the white under material still showing. The large 4 inch by 3 inch tear and loose material was well stuck back into place.

Quite a result and so easy I wished I had done it before when the rip was smaller

ZedTeeTee · 5th July 2016, 20:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darcydog

Quite a result and so easy I wished I had done it before when the rip was smaller

That looks quite the effective repair, breathes a bit more life into it

Mickyboy · 5th July 2016, 20:49

Super job and thanks for sharing, I'm going to carry out some testing.

clf · 5th July 2016, 22:01

I used this for fixing the iron on patches to my mats. Works well, although it isnt the strongest, but I think that has more to do with the mats having a piled surface close to the old badge. I thought it would improve by using more than one layer. It doesnt, so dont waste the effort lol.

Darcydog · 6th July 2016, 06:57

What does seem to help is having a seriously "damp" over cloth - virtually wet I would suggest as it is the steam that has to travel through the material to melt the hem-tape.

SWMBO says she tried it once without a wet cloth and it was a disaster - just went into blobs. So the key seems to be plenty of water.

The thicker the material the more water I would suggest.

On the longevity front - I use my car everyday and did the repair two weeks ago and so far it is still as good as when I first did it

ZedTeeT · 6th July 2016, 08:59

That seems like a pretty good solution. Let's face it, alcantara isn't exactly the most resilient material in world and isn't easy to work with especially if it's seen some wear. I have the grey alcantara too but it's not the alcantara that's the problem. After 233k it's worn but intact, the leather is however badly worn and the vinyl sides are destroyed....... BOO!!!

But I have a complete replacement set....... YAY!!!

RobSun · 6th July 2016, 12:31

I had a slight tear, about an inch or so, and a small wear hole, a parting of the alcantara from the leather on the bolster where it had worn. I used some adhesive for cloth and it worked perfectly. Put a little under the tear and pulled it together. Wiped off residue with a wet cloth and you can't see where it was done, so if its only a small rip this method may be easier.

Bob

Simondi · 6th July 2016, 20:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darcydog

My grey Alcantara drivers seat is seriously worn now after 13 years. I have got a nice second set that I shall be swapping the passenger seat base over when I get round to it but for now I decided to try to fix the rip in the base bolster.

I wish I had taken a photo of the rip now but I suspect we all know what a rip looks like on these seats when they get worn.

SWMBO suggested "hem tape" (she was watching "The Sowing Bee" at the time) and gave me a reel of it out of her "tool box".

It is a very thin material that melts when heated with an iron through a damp cloth. So I cut it into strips that fitted the space where the Alcantara had separated from the white base material.

Then with a bit of trepidation I carefully played jigsaw with the material to get it back to where it should be and made sure the "hem tape" was in position. I then laid the wet tea towel over the top and applied a hot iron for 8 seconds as per the instructions.

Lots of steam and sizzles and then I removed the now dry tea towel and Bingo!!! - one mended seat!

The repair is a 95% success with only a very small slither of the white under material still showing. The large 4 inch by 3 inch tear and loose material was well stuck back into place.

Quite a result and so easy I wished I had done it before when the rip was smaller

Sounds like a How To in the making

5th July 2016, 20:49	#3
Mickyboy SERVICING AND DEALER DIAGNOSTICS MG ZT CDTI 135 + & MGZT CDTI AUTO 160 & ROVER 75 TOURER CDTI 160 TROPHY YELLOW Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Hernebay Posts: 4,331 Thanks: 818 Thanked 2,414 Times in 1,141 Posts	Super job and thanks for sharing, I'm going to carry out some testing. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] T4 Owner Jobs done : new UBP, Spy hole mod, Rear hub(wheel bearing),plenum cleaned and emptied, Inline thermostat fitted,Full service, In car Digital tv/DVD Bluetooth Satnav etc, Replaced UBP, Restored headlights,Fixed airbag connection.replaced HP pump,replaced rear light seals,changed intercooler O rings. Jobs to do: ,replace drivers lock,.[/SIZE]

6th July 2016, 08:59	#6
ZedTeeT Gets stuck in MG ZT-T Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Horsham Posts: 874 Thanks: 197 Thanked 239 Times in 207 Posts	That seems like a pretty good solution. Let's face it, alcantara isn't exactly the most resilient material in world and isn't easy to work with especially if it's seen some wear. I have the grey alcantara too but it's not the alcantara that's the problem. After 233k it's worn but intact, the leather is however badly worn and the vinyl sides are destroyed....... BOO!!! But I have a complete replacement set....... YAY!!! __________________ My garage. 03/53 MG ZT-T+ CDTi auto in XPG. 232k and much to do! 21/21 MG ZS ev. Daily. 85/C Capri 2.8i Special. Mine 29+ years. 82/X Talbot Tagora SX V6. Restoration project. 11/11 Hyundai I Load CRDi. Van....... nuff said.

6th July 2016, 06:57	#5
Darcydog This is my second home Join Date: Jul 2014 Posts: 5,428 Thanks: 3,123 Thanked 3,170 Times in 2,096 Posts	What does seem to help is having a seriously "damp" over cloth - virtually wet I would suggest as it is the steam that has to travel through the material to melt the hem-tape. SWMBO says she tried it once without a wet cloth and it was a disaster - just went into blobs. So the key seems to be plenty of water. The thicker the material the more water I would suggest. On the longevity front - I use my car everyday and did the repair two weeks ago and so far it is still as good as when I first did it

6th July 2016, 12:31	#7
RobSun Gets stuck in MGZTT Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Bradford Posts: 529 Thanks: 148 Thanked 256 Times in 138 Posts	I had a slight tear, about an inch or so, and a small wear hole, a parting of the alcantara from the leather on the bolster where it had worn. I used some adhesive for cloth and it worked perfectly. Put a little under the tear and pulled it together. Wiped off residue with a wet cloth and you can't see where it was done, so if its only a small rip this method may be easier. Bob