Just installed OEM Leather front seats!

[BUZZCAMARO]

Got Leather?

A: YES

I've got a '12 LS in IOM bought new in March '12, the cloth seats were not bad but I always wanted leather seats, especially the ones that were inferno which were/are limited to the package you bought or special ordered. They were limited to certain colors chosen also which I think were IOM, black and I don't know, but I think white also.

Anyway, what I've done is I found an ad on Craigslist in my area for a set of IOM leather seats in perfect condition, located only 45 miles away. I
at the ad, and nailed it shut last week.



I've allways wanted a car with leather, never had one, so wasn't sure of how I'd feel about them after having them, and I can tell you it's evan better than I thought.

Not only that but now the driver's side has full power adjustments. Thats right, just plug and play and now the up/down/back/forth/ and tilt are all power. Before, only the tilt was power.

The only thing I had to change was the female side of the safety belts, at first I thought they were exactly the same but the belts were not clicking closed. So out the seats came and I removed both of the females, and replaced them with those from my cloth seats. Plugs were exactly the same and this was very easy. Here is a pic of them, those from my LS are on the right, I don't know if these seats came out of a 2LS, 2SS, or 2LT, all I know is these needed to be changed.



What do you do with your original seats if you buy a set of these 2nd hand? I was thinking the same thing, and after bringing them in the house, the answer is easy, keep them They are nice to sit on as any normal chair but cooler So far, I've put one of them on a dolly, which raises it up and allows it to scoot around, but not sure if I need to screw them down or if this is the best method to mount them onto something.
The original gammer's chair!

I wasn't expecting this to be so much of the enjoyment factor, but the smell is a major upgrade, very pleasant scent. Yes, the looks of course do ad allot of class, the feel of sliding in, and how the color is an exact match.

BTW, the door and dash inserts were originally lt. grey, I had removed and painstakingly painted them IOM.

For last year or so I've had the rear seats deleted anyway, so them not coming with the fronts was not a major issue. But if I find (and have in the past) a set for the back seats, I'll get them. I don't know why they'd want to separate them, except for installation in other model cars which was the reason in this case.

How did I pick up both front seats? Easy, removed both of them before going and sat on a dufflebag, how else? Used a big clip to hold the safety belt to look as if I was wearing one in case I was pulled over or if there was safety gestapo on the beat.

Removal of the front seats is super easy as long as you take this advise from me which I have not read in any thread on this topic: Heat up the bolts with a propane torch, this melts the locktite on them and the T-50 bolts will easily give way using a simple socket or if your fortunate, an impact wrench. After they are out you might want to use a wire brush to get the rest of it off, I used a wire-wheel attached to my drill to speed it up.

There is only one plug, about the size of a cassette tape and un-plugging it was really easy. Simply use small screwdriver to slip into locking tab which slides out to the side.

Before removing front seats slide or move them all the way forward, after bolts are removed tilt up and reach under and un-plug them. After that the hooks on the front of track will release them when tilted forward.

Price???? I paid what he was asking, and was very lucky somebody else didn't get them before me. I've seen various OEM sets on ebay, but to ship these seats would surely be expensive as, each one is about 45 lbs. and would have to be crated and freighted. So, to find them in the exact color I wanted, in perfect condition, and local for pick-up was a very rare find..BTW I picked them up on my birthday, maybe there was paranormal assistance.

Comfort? You can't beat them, they couldn't possibly be more comfortable, just took a 1400 mile trip and my fanny was happy the whole way, better than the cloth seats.

These seats come in only 4 colors (from the googled GM specs for 2012's). I'd have considered black if I grew weary of looking for the matching IOM set.

The colors from the googled specs are: black, IOM, grey, or beige. Now, if I had a yellow or red, or some other color camaro, I might have prefered to re-cover them using one of the aftermarket cover kits so as to get them with matching colors. GM should have offered them that way, I guess variety in paint and interior colors is not one of their best suites.

[Josh.Duncan]

Looks good! I have a 2014 1LT/RS and I'm looking and getting the beige leather seats put in!

2014 Red Hot 1LT/RS Coupe

[Soybeanrice]

Very nice. I too am planning on doing this, although black will do just fine for me .

You said this was plug and play right? Also, how much did you end up paying for those seats, if you dont mind me asking.

[Chevy_cowboy]

Looks good, I love the IO leather.

Occasionally just the leather seatcovers pop up on ebay and craigslist once in awhile also... probably people upgrading to katzkins or similar.

More work than swapping the whole seat, but probably cheaper and easier to ship.

[two_wheel_mayhem]

Those look really good, lucky find.

I can't imagine sitting on a dufflebag for 45 miles, lol.

[Dmpsix]

Enjoy your seats! Those are awesome.

[BUZZCAMARO]

Originally Posted by Soybeanrice

Very nice. I too am planning on doing this, although black will do just fine for me .

You said this was plug and play right? Also, how much did you end up paying for those seats, if you dont mind me asking.

Yes, no modifications at all except switching the female side of the seatbelts. Everything else is an exact fit.

I paid (sit down)........(get ready to roll over and take a nap).... $575 cash in person/pick-up. I've been keeping an eye on those at ebay, none come close to that in price, so don't expect to get a deal like that.

Check Craigslist (where I found mine) for those in your area.

This may sound strange but I thought there was a moldy un-pleasant sent in my car from the day I got it, since I got these seats it's gone. I've had brand new concert T-shirts with this same problem, came to learn that not all fabric is made from virgin materials. Some of them (evan cotton) is re-cycled, and if you can imagine where they get the stuff from to recycle than you know why there might be a stench. A brand new car (now has only 10 K miles) should have nothing but very pleasant scents, my car is kept in a garage and rarely been out in heavy rain. This is not a case where I had let rain get inside or spilled milk, etc, it's been kept very, very clean. I've read one guy here say similar things about interior odors, that the windows allow water to get into the jambs evan when all the way up. Well, I don't know about all that, all I know is the new leather seats went in, and the oder has left the car, smells better than new money