Seat Bolster Replacement from Alpina - a little bit shocked

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Thu May 25, 2017 2:15 pm

OK, in the very near future I will be completely stripping the interior out of the B3, carpets, dash, the lot.

The purpose of the strip is to perform some rust prevention, install dynamat sound insulation, and fit another Alpina higher spec interior along with the accompanying blue carpets, etc. Oh and change the Steering Column as well.

The replacement Alpina interior includes the emblems sewn into the fabric, blue piping that actually matches the colour of the car (velvet blue) and of course the dash/glovebox, etc.
The blue carpets and mats also match the piping on the leather seats.

Now, in general the leather is in very good condition with no tears, and with patients and a heat gun managed to remove all the small indentations that nappa leather is susceptible to. Just a good steam clean is now needed and a bit of additional work to incorporate the HK setup currently in my car.

The only issue is the drivers seat (well of course), on the RH side bolster the leather needs dying and the piping needs repairing.
So, I contacted the very nice man at Alpina Sytner to find out if it was possible to supply a replacement bolster to the spec of the car that the interior came from.
He duly contacted Alpina in Germany who replied that they were working out the price (not a good sign I thought).

A week later the price for doing the work was received:
Â£1356.83 plus VAT

Now I need to contact Eamon at Sytner to find out if this is a replacement for the whole seat or just the bolster as originally requested.

If its just for the bolster then holy shit. This seems like a "well we do not really want to do it - but if you insist this is the price" type of price.

I will find out a bit more on Friday how this price was calculated.

Anyway, it looks like I will be contacting some very talented upholsters instead around the Wiltshire area.

More to follow.

Kev

BarryM · Post by **BarryM** » Thu May 25, 2017 3:08 pm

It's obviously nice to go original when you need to but the repair of a seat bolster can probably be done at least as well if not better by a quality specialist and for a small percentage of that price.

jolls · Post by **jolls** » Thu May 25, 2017 5:13 pm

If you don't mind a drive these people have been around for a long time http://www.b-trim.co.uk

Sab · Post by **Sab** » Thu May 25, 2017 6:01 pm

This firm has been recommended to me by the firm who did the bulk of work on my car.

I've spoken to them and they are professional and know their stuff.

Definitely worth a call.

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Fri May 26, 2017 8:18 am

jolls wrote:If you don't mind a drive these people have been around for a long time http://www.b-trim.co.uk

Yep, thanks for the recommendation, B-Trim is on the radar for the re-trim of the M6 (eventually) when it is all back together again.
Wanted something more local for what I want doing ... but if all fails and depending how busy they are ...

Kevin

Metrics · Post by **Metrics** » Fri May 26, 2017 8:30 am

Kevin, that price will be for the whole section of the seat, e.g. If upper side bolster will be whole backrest half, of seat cover in leather, or if the base will be that half.

How bad is the damage? You'll be surprised how much damage to leather can be repaired to look like new, including rips and holes. It's actually quite easy to do yourself with time and patience and the right gear. Or you can give the seat to various specialists who can do it. Not only will this repair be cheaper than putting in new leather, it will also mean the leather grain and shade will be perfect.

MCB · Post by **MCB** » Fri May 26, 2017 11:21 am

As Metrics has said I would be careful about replacing just sections of a leather seat. The natural grain of the leather and colour being the main reason for that. Although there is not that much grain on nappa leather. Simple wear and cracking can be rectified very successfully as shown in this video. At a fraction of the cost you have mentioned.
http://newagain.co.uk/articles/buttonizing-db7.htm There are other videos on that website that show just what can be done with regards leather repair. Including cigarette burns and scratches.

Our B3 wagon has red nappa leather and both bolsters on the drivers seat had to be replaced because of large holes. Even though they used red nappa leather for the repairs there was still a problem of colour match (you wont have that problem with black) Therefore it was decided to re-colour the complete interior. Total cost just under Â£500. You can see the before and after results here. http://thealpinaregister.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=19099

With a bit of research I am sure you could find someone local to you that can carry out the same kind of work. Good luck.

DogWagen · Post by **DogWagen** » Fri May 26, 2017 12:14 pm

Depends where you are in Wilts but Southbound Trimmers in Stockbridge might be worth a try (southboundtrimmers.com). I have used them in the past to repair bolsters (Porsche - not BMW/Alpina); Dave Nunn's workmanship was excellent and price was sensible.

Hope that helps,

Mike

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Fri May 26, 2017 7:52 pm

Metrics wrote:Kevin, that price will be for the whole section of the seat, e.g. If upper side bolster will be whole backrest half, of seat cover in leather, or if the base will be that half.

How bad is the damage? You'll be surprised how much damage to leather can be repaired to look like new, including rips and holes. It's actually quite easy to do yourself with time and patience and the right gear. Or you can give the seat to various specialists who can do it. Not only will this repair be cheaper than putting in new leather, it will also mean the leather grain and shade will be perfect.

Yep Asim, talked to Eamon at Sytner car parts, a very nice and helpful gentlemen, and it is the whole top half of the seat.

I was also able to get details regarding the cost in which Alpina have to initially buy the seat covers from BMW, then customise accordingly with additional padding, emblems and piping, etc. Then finally sell through the BMW network who then apply their additional BMW tax (almost a double wammy).

Actually Alpina sent their apologies via Sytner regarding the price quoted as they know how expensive it is, but at least we have an idea on the process. Feeling a little bit guilty regarding my little rant regarding the Â£1356.00 price.

Kev

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Fri May 26, 2017 8:16 pm

MCB wrote:As Metrics has said I would be careful about replacing just sections of a leather seat. The natural grain of the leather and colour being the main reason for that. Although there is not that much grain on nappa leather. Simple wear and cracking can be rectified very successfully as shown in this video. At a fraction of the cost you have mentioned.
http://newagain.co.uk/articles/buttonizing-db7.htm There are other videos on that website that show just what can be done with regards leather repair. Including cigarette burns and scratches.

Our B3 wagon has red nappa leather and both bolsters on the drivers seat had to be replaced because of large holes. Even though they used red nappa leather for the repairs there was still a problem of colour match (you wont have that problem with black) Therefore it was decided to re-colour the complete interior. Total cost just under Â£500. You can see the before and after results here. http://thealpinaregister.com/forums/vie ... hp?t=19099

With a bit of research I am sure you could find someone local to you that can carry out the same kind of work. Good luck.

Yep Terry, seen your interior and very nice indeed.

Kev

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Fri May 26, 2017 8:18 pm

DogWagen wrote:Depends where you are in Wilts but Southbound Trimmers in Stockbridge might be worth a try (southboundtrimmers.com). I have used them in the past to repair bolsters (Porsche - not BMW/Alpina); Dave Nunn's workmanship was excellent and price was sensible.

Hope that helps,

Mike

Near Swindon, checked their website, as you say they are Porsche specialist but will put them on my list, thanks for the heads-up Mike.

Kev

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Fri May 26, 2017 8:31 pm

Mmm, I guess a couple of pics will not go amiss ...

Metrics · Post by **Metrics** » Fri May 26, 2017 8:38 pm

Hmm, the leather can definitely be renovated to look like new. I think the challenge you have is the damaged piping. A small section could be fixed easily but this looks quite badly worn through in long section?

rattusM3 · Post by **rattusM3** » Sun May 28, 2017 12:18 pm

Metrics wrote:Hmm, the leather can definitely be renovated to look like new. I think the challenge you have is the damaged piping. A small section could be fixed easily but this looks quite badly worn through in long section?

It was the piping that made me try Alpina first.

MCB · Post by **MCB** » Sun May 28, 2017 10:20 pm

rattusM3 wrote:
Metrics wrote:Hmm, the leather can definitely be renovated to look like new. I think the challenge you have is the damaged piping. A small section could be fixed easily but this looks quite badly worn through in long section?
It was the piping that made me try Alpina first.

Piping is an easy fix. It is exactly that. A piece of solid plastic pipe that they place the leather around and stitch it in after they have separated your bolster leather. The wear on the bolster leather itself could be sprayed and you would never know the difference. I bet you could get that fixed for around Â£100.

You could of tried this new product. But it looks like you have lost the plastic piping from your bolster and there would be nothing for the product to adhere to. It could of been ideal otherwise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MSk9cb1LFg