Seat covers - real replacement covers

[whtbronco]

So we have finally worn through the outside edge of the driver seat on our 2004. At 316k miles it's no surprise, even more so considering I had to slide out for about 10yrs due to substantial physical issues. The rest of the leather looks nearly new. The vinyl on the outside of the driver seat split years ago. I repaired it twice and just let the vinyl go after the third. Now there's a tiny hole in the leather, the outside edge is getting thin so I'll replace it before long. I want a cover from TheSeatShop, $254. I already have their foam in the driver seat and we all know they make very nice products. My wife wife reminded me we have spent a lot of money on the vehicles this year so I thought I'd look around. Most of the time I am not willing to consider price very much, but this is one place I can.

So I found a couple other shops in Houston, TX, all with covers reported as Made in the USA. They don't quite match the factory form, they have each replaced the felt over the hinges and inside(against the console) with vinyl it appears. I'm okay with that, appearance isn't critical, form must follow function for me. Anyone have any experience with these companies or their products. US Auto Nation, US Leather Car Seats or US Auto Seat Cover?

Here's an eBay listing and current price for each if interested.

US Auto Nation $94

https://www.ebay.com/itm/262658714279?fits=Submodel%3AEddie+Bauer%7CYear%3A2004%7CModel%3AExpedition&_skw=2004+expedition+eddie+bauer+driver+seat&itmmeta=01KR9YY1KYATPT61TK8ZBFM8XX&hash=item3d27adeaa7:g:zZcAAOSwOyJX9E5R&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAABAGfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xBCiau9oNkpeeQ0PNDYCYHUhxYWZXG%2BtyJexCdFJUqCrih6O2v%2Brqennj3aqEkPyBWTF12GknA2ihuB9m8IgYSD1gI%2BrXK4FtIZwkdKeBSY6MslwKBTy8fctj82q0EHSY2P%2F7hGy%2ByUIgv0mU%2Fak8u81cOq0wnmE1GLUYm1NK1WS8A3FGWu%2BeCiAx51jfnuWSwy%2BN1mWx3jR%2FaYaLUpI5b7CTJ2t9L6QloR6RAN1kozDnmO63sUsAN9pOj19zsSxR2mmcLhxcCf3BCoEUcueKlJYRm1hEholQ2hZEUDda5pqeMLAfTunJTjARYYZPAluJE%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMmpr4vsJn

US Leather Car Seats $107

https://www.ebay.com/itm/122909601788?fits=Submodel%3AEddie+Bauer%7CYear%3A2004%7CModel%3AExpedition&_skw=2004+expedition+eddie+bauer+driver+seat&itmmeta=01KRA6KGYZ97FBKZ5FJDHACMB8&hash=item1c9dfbaffc:g:qIgAAOSwiwZcE08O&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAABAGfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xBCSWH%2BfvDckwdf4KZiw7EIURV0VkdGqsDz1gcnET0bkdnB59ez33D15ppQqHD6Ekx2tX3RKMyyeqFQFicIbnbwzWfEk%2FJl7HcWcYFfaVUMxl04K8bdj88QA8dgeOQl0YefGWaBL6bMPWIW6WKh8Q78G3mFwFfb7iYWIcVb0MuGRxWnTbyzf6q3yQ%2BW%2BFDvTNYB%2F0reWzQXCzNom5KQPPNeQ80fqF8Lwn2EcWPX43cgPkX3jRr61KdpgNedvduMO9pg4ZY6PzfJb4o%2BSCPpuO8WrvlNG%2BelmtqdhAdi0LKGS%2BpCgu8bXb2ecjpfhM8S%2BtY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBMkJDOxsJn&autorefresh=true

US Auto Seat Cover $119

https://www.ebay.com/itm/336472576756?fits=Submodel%3AEddie+Bauer%7CYear%3A2004%7CModel%3AExpedition&_skw=2004+expedition+eddie+bauer+driver+seat&itmmeta=01KR9YY1KZ5SYJT85Z7GVB1XRZ&hash=item4e575412f4%3Ag%3AxwMAAOSwEzxYSNah&itmprp=enc%3AAQALAAABEGfYFPkwiKCW4ZNSs2u11xD8PmHZzJTU4Ugc6Iz9Fduzu92RWLtSXA3IIMqPEmw%2F0jkHk6%2FfiJtc%2BKLvBTqxpndJRgrOMQ1zHXD%2BvY%2F40K0tsz8bFYfxisNx5q8MhLDqVdvSfIjtYF%2F6BctHh8yGAx82WZtuoOViNSlex%2BIqQ6zd3Y7CDihyVaPRSNqOm6bcU6kq5hANtpb6SvAi4W8X440RzUnoc6bisfTi%2F7VepTYtmJw7qdo1wFB1qByhoGt5LAaW2IS%2FwDdwL02RQMgWAgWTsoQGbWplvTtCO2l7dq6BezudvOyk9beEVSXEzJC7YDWDb33%2FiZtG6c8GhJXo8FekLLoHYWXWPpy%2FvCCC9RRL%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR56a-L7CZw&var=545953008070

 

[Gary Waugh]

Best of luck, whatever you go for, I have only ever used the seatshop and been very happy with their products, as you say they are quite expensive, but the quality and color matched very well.

 

[Broncoholic]

Sorry to say...I second TheSeatShop. I completely refurbished my 2003 front seats (cushions, bottom and back covers) in Oct 2017. Covers are still great and I don't do regular conditioning on them. It's my daily driver - not many miles each trip, but plenty of trips = in/out slides that wear the surface. Full factory look and feel, and I could feel the seat cooler again! It wasn't cheap, but it's still one of the better investments to the truck.

 

[whtbronco]

This is exactly what I expected to see in response. My wife sure isn't gonna be all that happy though, . She knows we're better off doing it once with decent materials/parts than twice with the right stuff the second time.

I reckon we'll go with TheSeatShop again. I have no complaints with their products or service and I don't recall any from others either. Thank you gentlemen.

 

[Broncoholic]

The question to be answered is - how long do you really plan on keeping it?

5 years ago I called my wife to ask about spending $2k to fix my AC. Her response?...."you're not gonna get rid of it and you're not gonna drive it without AC, so why are you calling to ask? Just tell them to fix it." She was right lol

The seats and AC are the 2 most costly repairs and they were totally worth it. I've outgrown driving vehicles in Florida without AC

 

[whtbronco]

The question to be answered is - how long do you really plan on keeping it?

5 years ago I called my wife to ask about spending $2k to fix my AC. Her response?...."you're not gonna get rid of it and you're not gonna drive it without AC, so why are you calling to ask? Just tell them to fix it." She was right lol

The seats and AC are the 2 most costly repairs and they were totally worth it. I've outgrown driving vehicles in Florida without AC

I heard that. Far to hot and humid not to have A/C in FL.

Yeah good point and that's how I often think about repairs. Such as the almost $450 it cost me to get a new OEM intake manifold that I installed 2 weeks ago.

After recently driving a 2024 Expedition for 7 days and 800 miles, in FL of all places, I realized there's no way I would buy a newer vehicle. I expected I wouldn't care for it. I did not expect to find that all the electronic crap made me angry, the seats were awful and be in and twice my wife had to shift since I was unable to grip the dial enough to rotate it. The upside to all this was our adult kids thought my reactions to the various issues were absolutely hilarious, it's good to laugh . So I'm certainly not looking to pay $1500 a month to replace what I have.

 

[acampinoob]

I realized there's no way I would buy a newer vehicle. I expected I wouldn't care for it. I did not expect to find that all the electronic crap made me angry

Keep in mind that there is actually a LOT of information out there about Ford and Toyota being one of the largest data brokers out there. For 2025, the cameras on the inside watch you and report a score that the insurance companies pay for. The worst part of it is that if you cover the camera up, it alerts you by throwing a visual indicator, turning off the AC, and turning off the music. People have had problems driving with their hand in the center of the wheel where the camera is obscured. Ford went the direction of keeping shareholders happy instead of customers. NO FRICKEN THANKS

 

[whtbronco]

Yeah I'm not a fan of the vast majority of modern technological advancements. I still don't want or need any features my 78 Bronco didn't have.

This all seems strange to people that know me well because I have worked in IT for 30yrs. Maybe it's not so strange, I see just how bad it can be and in many cases how bad it already is. I'd love to leave the IT industry, but I'm stuck now.