Interior swap or aftermarket?

I just bought a '15 XLT with black cloth. I really wanted leather but the deal was just too good to pass up. Now I'm looking to put leather in it but I'm not sure whether to go aftermarket or look for a set at salvage. Which way is more economical? Thanks!

For more than just economics, I'd look to aftermarket. Unlimited color selection and customization, you can add inserts, piping, contrasting stitching, embroidered logos, gathered leather, and so on. Katzkin, Classic Soft Trim, or Roadwire are good kits you can DIY if you have the skills and patience. A local upholstery shop can also install these or sew you whatever you want, but this can start to get expensive.

I wouldn't expect to find too many late model Expeditions or Navigators in salvage. If you do, chances are great they are equipped with climate control seats, so their built-in heating and air conditioning units are going to drive up their cost and installation complexity. And a pretty good chance the seats are tan or King Ranch brown.

If you have 2nd row bench and wanted to think about switching out to buckets, or viceversa, now would be the time. Even though you are in Texas, still consider adding seat heaters first & second row before the new leather goes in.


If you are OK with the color, this kit is an absolute steal:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leather-Sea...ash=item51ef82bc3a:g:R5IAAOSwUEVYCnpF&vxp=mtr

Limo builders don't do many Expeditions/Navigators compared to GM counterparts, but builders can be a good source of new 2nd & 3rd row OEM seats. LCW is in San Antonio, I'm sure there are others in DFW, Houston, Austin, etc.

Wow, great advice! Thanks! I notice that the seats in the eBay link are listed as '09-11. Which year models are interchangeable?

The wife would certainly appreciate the seat warmers...and I feel like I should put the n since my Fusion has them. . Same question I guess. Should I be looking for OEM or aftermarket?

Old thread, but in case anyone else is looking, as far as I can tell seats are the same from 2007-2017. While the heated/cooled leather front seats can be bolted into a truck that didn't come with them, they won't work without some custom wiring and, as far as I've been able to find, I haven't seen a single thread by any Expy or F150 owner who successfully retrofitted them and got them to work. Same goes for adding memory seats where none were present originally. (If anyone knows of a successful retrofit, please let me know!)

2nd row heated seats use old style resistive elements so you can swap those. Control modules are installed under the seat and the switches mount in the back of the front row center console. Be aware that 2nd row seats are not serviceable, other than seat covers and foam, and the seat frames can and will break. (I had one of mine replaced when I first got my truck.) A special procedure is needed to get 2nd row seats out of the truck without damaging the frame/mechanism. I'd bet most junkyards don't know anything about this, so you may be better off keeping your existing 2nd row seats and recovering them.

Buying an entire set of 2007+ factory seats out of a wrecked truck can get pricey but from what I've seen so can getting really good aftermarket leather seat covers. I've seen really nice condition late-model wrecked seats starting at $600 for a pair of fronts and going up to $2500 for all three rows. The typical factory seat covers are mostly vinyl with only a little bit of real leather. Keep in mind, perforated inserts aren't actually real leather but rather synthetic Ultra leather. To get all-leather seat covers, be prepared to pay a LOT more. I've seen prices as high as $2400 for all three rows (just for custom seat covers).

Got all 3 rows and all interior plastics and console and headliner out of a low mileage '07 EB for $1250

Third row power never bothered hooking it up

2nd row bolts in and out super easy dunno what youre on about... "bench" is actually identical to 2 captain chairs minus armrests, you can just ditch the middle seat for a walkway aisle passage

Power fronts, you can splice out the the memory module and just wire straight to the motors

PS seats are same but headrests are NOT, '07 and possibly some '08 have "humane" headrests instead of the "whiplash compliance" gift-to-chiropractors-everywhere ******** on later models

Read your Factory Service Manual for a caution about the 2nd row seats:



This may be what happened to the seats I bought as they are "locked" with the seat backs folded down and won't unlock.

It's also my understanding the headrests are different between Expedition and Navigator though I don't know exactly how.

Yes, with some rewiring you can bypass the memory function on the driver seat. You can also simply swap the seat frame to your existing tracks, adding new wires for the power recliner if your original seat was 6-way power or with little or no rewiring at all if your original seat was 10-way power.

star-art said:

Read your Factory Service Manual for a caution about the 2nd row seats:

"NOTICE: The seat base must be in the locked position, using the shipping pin, prior to seat removal, otherwise damage to the seat linkage components may occur."​

This may be what happened to the seats I bought as they are "locked" with the seat backs folded down and won't unlock.

It's also my understanding the headrests are different between Expedition and Navigator though I don't know exactly how.

Yes, with some rewiring you can bypass the memory function on the driver seat. You can also simply swap the seat frame to your existing tracks, adding new wires for the power recliner if your original seat was 6-way power or with little or no rewiring at all if your original seat was 10-way power.

Click to expand...

Only if you reaaaaally force it.


What theyre ACTUALLY saying is that, much like a seatbelt that only releases when mounted (or opened up and carefully unlocked), the seats gotta be remounted to operate them

Mount it back up itll work again