OK, Tell me whats wrong with this picture !!!!

[seabeelt]

So after waiting for ten and a half weeks, for a two week job, this is what I get back from the upholstery shop.



Not tucked into the seat pan like it should be, pulled over the outside trim that lips the pan and glue everywhere

Im a pretty patient guy, particulary if Im havint to wait on some craftsmanship.

This guy however takes the cake. BS all along the way, having to hound him once or twice a week (starting at about week 4)

the rear seat is pulled so tight on the frame that there are divits at the side of the upper rear seat that you can stick you hand behind.


I should have gone with World Upholstry after having seen this.

They go back tomorrow for correction

[dmwhiteoak]

I hope you got a dicounted rate with this job. There is a local shop within a mile of my place but after waiting 8 months for my visors, When it comes time for the seats to be redone I believe I will take them elsewhere.Good luck with getting this resolved,I believe I could do as good a job as your guy did.

[seabeelt]

No discount. This guy is just short of outright beligerant. Making commens like "sit on a crate until I am done". The seats were supposed to be done and installed before I got the head back from BEEK. that was in April!! I picked them up on the Friday after the 4th and of course we had family time for the weekend , so no working on the car. Last week, I had an extended Naval Reserve exercise that lasted from mid week until Sunday evening so I didnt have a chance to install them until yesterday evening. Once I took everthing out of the back of my quadcab, i noticed the truely poor work. What an a**H***. Now I have to go back and confront this guy and try to get some sort of satisfactory resolution ( and probably no seats for another month) Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

[3wheelernut]

Im sorry your going through this. There are many sites you can make a rant, and put up pictures for people to see, and let them make their own decision. There is also the better business bureau, and this forum to post your information up for people to see. Tell him your going to do this, and let people make their own minds up, as well as lodge a formal complaint with the local BBB and other agencies.

I have found calmly stating the facts and putting [/u]their[/u] behind on the line motivates them to be cooperative. If not its an afternoon of typing and posting pictures. Theres no reason to let any business get away with treating customers like this in this day and age of technology. I run a business and have had a couple others and I would never do this to someone.

[Jimb]

But to answer your question; the first pic is out of focus.

Jim

[seabeelt]

Yes Jim a little out of focus at 4:30 in the morning on my way to work. I was bleary eyed too that time of day.

I have posted negative reviews on"Yelp" and yahoo. Next stop is BBB. I will amend my comments appropriately as the saga continues.

Went to the shop today to take the seats back. First the idiot tried to claim that that's the way they were brought in, until I pulled a spare seat out of the back of my truck, then he tried to claim that the foam was glued to the seat pan(NOT). He had remove my recently refurbished pan vinyl lip trim and has lost the mechanical fasteners that went thought the foam. God knows if he even still has any of those items. Supposedly they will be ready on this coming Wednesday

If anyone has a 71 or similar seats I would much appreciate a photo or two of the mechanical wire fasteners and where they are attached to show this numnuts, seeing as how he now has no reference and nor do I as the seat I showed him was from a 78/9

Second, does anyone have spares they are willing to part with

[focodave]

seabeelt,

Are you referring to the hog rings?:
http://www.pricegrabber.com/autoparts/i ... #_overview

If so, any competent auto upholstery shop should have thousands of those rings and the tools to install them.
If you need to supply them to this guy, then something is radically wrong.

Dave

[seabeelt]

Dave, not hog rings. I could not see vey well when he popped them off to give me the seat pans. But there seemed to be some sort of wire and spring type device that went through the foam side to side. The foam was stuck to the pan, but that was purely from wet/rust. I took the pans home, sand blasted and painted them along with cleaning and re riviting the vinyl seat pan trim that sits on the lip of the pan. That was almost three months ago now. Had to take the rear upright portion back as well because the cover was pulled so tight it was crushing the foam toward the inside of the frame, but only on one side. All I can say at this point is that I am giving the guy a chance to correct his sloppy work prior to taking further steps.

I guess I would offer a word of warning for anyone looking to have work done by Patriot Upholstery in Portsmouth, RI, as at this point I am a very dis-satisfied customer.
R/

[seabeelt]

Still looking for some help with seat foam to pan attachment photos for the front seats that I can present to the upholstery widget. Any Help much appreciated.
R/

[wikkid]

Have you talked to the guys at Convertible Top Guys to get some suggestions from them? They sell tops and new seat upholstery sets, and I am pretty sure they know of at least one shop that would be local to them, and therefore probably to you, too.

[seabeelt]

I have actually reached out to Danny at Fun Imported, just in case I need some spare bottoms. He was going to check into the fastening method for me. He always comes through in the clutch. Cannot recommend him enough as one of our valued vendors.
R/

Wikkid, I didn't think of convertible top guys, even though I bought my top there. Good suggestion, I will give them a call

[baltobernie]

That upholstery job is crap. On the '71 Spider, the bottom foam is held to the pan by the cover. The cover has three small fabric channels on its underside called "listings". In our case, it's a square "C", aligned with the lines created where the front and side bolsters meet the seat bottom (pleated area). Coat hanger-size rods go in these channels. The four rod corners align with holes pre-drilled thru the seat foam. Springs attach to the seat pan, go thru the foam, and clip to the corners of the rods. Downward pressure on the "C" provides definition of the seat bottom contour. If the springs are broken, you can use sturdy waxed cord, like sail-makers twine. Attach to the rods, feed thru the holes in the foam, and pull the whole assembly tight; then tie off. The cover hem is attached to the pan with hog rings; see earlier post. The finished seat and cushion can compress and move slightly when occupied.

If the foam and/or the cover are glued to each other and the pan, the foam will quickly separate from the pleated seat bottom and disintegrate from internal friction. The assembly must be able to move, but still be constrained by the seat cover, which itself has some movement ability due to the hog rings.

I have seen some aftermarket covers that lack the channels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KhuDHkjZ9I

Sorry I don't have photos; DC Fiats intended to do a tutorial on this, but I forgot my camera

[seabeelt]

Wow! Thanks for the great description. I will have to print that out. I certainly couldnt agree more on the "crap" comment.

Thanks very much!!!
R/

[DaveT]

Mike, I know you're on the East Bay but Frank's Auto Top in Cranston has a very good reputation. Never used him personally but I've heard good things about them. They've had some mentions in Hemmings Sport & Exotics too.

[seabeelt]

Thanks Dave, I will keep them in mind if this guy gaffs on Wednesday. I do not have high expectations or hopes.

R/