Suede Retriming

[MLM 57]

Oh really? post when you are done mate, would like to see how it comes out. I want to change my steering wheel , nothing screams 1993 build more than my steering wheel but I heard its not as easy tochange as others since the Airbag light is built into the wheel and not on the dash? anyone know?

Here it is. Black suede with red stitching. Im 99% happy with it, but you can never get home jobs to look completly factory, it only took 6 hours of hand stitching..

swheeloa1.bmp

[tsamb 0]

Man! Alcantara headliner! That is such a $300k 760Li touch! (That's the only BMW I've ever seen a factory alcantara headliner in.)

Looks super slick. Awesome job.

Personally I'm not a fan of the dash accents in alcantara -- give me burled walnut or brushed aluminium any day. But I'm loving the work you did on the pillars, parcel tray and headliner.

Did you take off the original fabric on the headliner first? If so, how easily did the original come off?

[bimmer boy 21]

Here it is. Black suede with red stitching. Im 99% happy with it, but you can never get home jobs to look completly factory, it only took 6 hours of hand stitching..

Man that looks really nice! If I were to ever get a steering wheel retrimmed I'd proberbly go pro for that, I question my stitching skills haha. Where did you learn to do the steering wheel or just did it and learnt while doing it?

Man! Alcantara headliner! That is such a $300k 760Li touch! (That's the only BMW I've ever seen a factory alcantara headliner in.)

Looks super slick. Awesome job.

Personally I'm not a fan of the dash accents in alcantara -- give me burled walnut or brushed aluminium any day. But I'm loving the work you did on the pillars, parcel tray and headliner.

Did you take off the original fabric on the headliner first? If so, how easily did the original come off?

Cheers mate, Im not 100% sold on the dash parts but thouhgt it might add something to the dash just to be unique, If I could Id like to get hold on a set of wood trim for it but I doubt they are that easily found in NZ.

Yeah Ive only ever seen suede trimming on those parts in a few 760li's and one of our M6's at work have it also. Its a really expensive option but makes the car seem so much nicer inside. Deffinatly worth while doing its so easy.

Umm I didnt take any of the orignal fabric off as it was all mint and solidly stuck and the headliner was out of a 1999 model E36 or so the stamp says, so it will be a while before that sags which I doubt it will now since I drenched it with glue!

Its one of those things you have to see in person to appreciate it, pictures dont do it much justice, it doesnt stand out as much as that, more subtle. Now if only people like Alex stop stroking my headliner it will be sweet haha

[MLM 57]

I just learnt it on the fly by looking how the original one was done. The process is easy enough just tedious. I have not done any sewing before either. As a version one its ok but i now know a few things to improve for the next one. Maybe use M colours for the stitching like the CSL and M3. I saw a convertable M3 at Jerry Clayton taka on one of my many visits which had tri colour stitching.

Cost to retrim if someone else did it $500+

Cost of me doing it $20.

Edited May 20, 2009 by MLM

[bimmer boy 21]

Ahhh yeah thats how I did the stuff in my car my looking at how it was originally done then doing it and if I f**k up then Id just have to buy some new parts haha. So Im glad I didnt ruin anything!

Yeah we got quite a lot of cars at Jerrys that has the M coloured stitching on the steering wheels, I want a new steering wheel, like a the Evo M3 type then perhaps look at retrimming that..

[tsamb 0]

I don't suppose you have airbags in your pillars or headliner, do you? Would it be any different with airbags in the pillars? (I have side curtain aribags in my A and C pillars.)

[MLM 57]

I don't suppose you have airbags in your pillars or headliner, do you? Would it be any different with airbags in the pillars? (I have side curtain aribags in my A and C pillars.)

I would Not recomend retimming over your air bag at all. The existing material is designed to rip upon deployment of the air bag. If you covered it you might have an air bag which didnt deploy or worse blew all the trim off the A pillars etc turning them into projectiles....aimed at your head.... Not good. There might be ways arround it ie pre splitting the fabric but i wouldnt want to be the one to test its effectivness.

[bimmer boy 21]

Airbags are for pussys anyway haha

[danthaman01 0]

Airbags are for pussys anyway haha

lol great call

[jordyboy2 0]

I would Not recomend retimming over your air bag at all. The existing material is designed to rip upon deployment of the air bag. If you covered it you might have an air bag which didnt deploy or worse blew all the trim off the A pillars etc turning them into projectiles....aimed at your head.... Not good. There might be ways arround it ie pre splitting the fabric but i wouldnt want to be the one to test its effectivness.

The fabric around the airbags in my e46, are already split ie it looks like the fabric is wrapped around an insert

[crazyarab 6]

Man, thats a really sweet job man... how much does that stuff cost?

[bimmer boy 21]

Man, thats a really sweet job man... how much does that stuff cost?

All depends mate, real suede or decent alcantara is quite costly, you can use macrosuede which is pretty much just as good for about $40 a metre, and then you gotta buy the glue and it depends what a few hours of your time is worth..