Upholstery shop

Specific conversations and info for the BMW E28 M5 and M535i.
Rich in Tupelo
Posts: 2917
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Spring Hill, TN

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Rich in Tupelo »

Downs upholstery in Kosciusko, MS.... Father/Son shop. Been around for a long time. I was happy with the work but as with any shop, results can vary.

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unwrapping before install..

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Mark 88/M5 Houston
Posts: 8548
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Far North Houston

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Mark 88/M5 Houston »

^^ Lovely interior Rich! ^^
Pattonky
Posts: 127
Joined: Dec 26, 2011 10:28 AM
Location: Richmond, KY

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Pattonky »

Met Rich at the vintage and both he and the interior were quite nice. Whole car was nice for that matter!
Karl Grau
Posts: 9708
Joined: Mar 10, 2006 7:34 PM
Location: Sandy Eggo

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Karl Grau »

Those seats look great Rich! Just out of curiosity, where did you source the fabric?
2wheelsoff
Posts: 61
Joined: Nov 12, 2010 1:01 PM
Location: US

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by 2wheelsoff »

What is a fair price to recover front and rear seats (comfort seat with armrests) from those that have done it our have had quotes? What is a likely turnaround time too? Hoping I can have interior done while waiting on last parts for engine swap.
Rich in Tupelo
Posts: 2917
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Spring Hill, TN

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Rich in Tupelo »

Karl Grau wrote:Those seats look great Rich! Just out of curiosity, where did you source the fabric?
World upholstery before they ran out
Rich in Tupelo
Posts: 2917
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Spring Hill, TN

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Rich in Tupelo »

Pattonky wrote:Met Rich at the vintage and both he and the interior were quite nice. Whole car was nice for that matter!
Thanks for the kind words. Looking forward to seeing everyone again next May. I booked my room early.
jhh925
Posts: 913
Joined: Jul 11, 2015 12:23 AM
Location: Reno

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by jhh925 »

In the Bay Area, I can strongly recommend Juan at Alameda Upholstery on Eagle Ave. He did my entire interior (dash included) other than the doors, and I'm very happy with the results. I don't have my notes with me, but I'll try to update this post later with contact info.
freedspeak
Posts: 487
Joined: Oct 13, 2014 10:18 AM
Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by freedspeak »

Has anyone used Korman's for interior work on the east coast? Looks like they do pretty much everything and I've heard great things about them in general. Wondering about their prices...

http://www.kormanautoworks.com/e28r.htm
wkohler
Posts: 50921
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by wkohler »

Why would someone go to them for upholstery? I'm sure they farm it out to a local shop if customers want it. Hell they might even recommend someone they have used, but the seats in that M5 are done incorrectly and sloppily so I don't see the point of asking.
freedspeak
Posts: 487
Joined: Oct 13, 2014 10:18 AM
Location: Raleigh, NC

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by freedspeak »

wkohler wrote:Why would someone go to them for upholstery? I'm sure they farm it out to a local shop if customers want it. Hell they might even recommend someone they have used, but the seats in that M5 are done incorrectly and sloppily so I don't see the point of asking.
That was my point, I was trying to find out who Korman uses or if they in-house it. I did note the lack of piping on the 535is seats (didn't see any e28 M5 interior pics?). Is that what you were referencing? I'm not hung up on piping, which will be abused in short order with normal wear on a daily driver. Was there something else you noted as poor quality?

I'm really just looking for the best local upholstery shop (and some references) in/near Raleigh NC..need all my seats done. So maybe that's the better approach.

Anyone know of such a beast?
wkohler
Posts: 50921
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by wkohler »

The thing with the black interior. Probably got it mixed up with the Canadian M5 they mentioned for obvious reasons. The seats look like shit. If you asked me to circle the area that is of low quality on the seat, I would circle the whole seat. Twice. Just to be sure.
eastside_m5
Posts: 28
Joined: Jun 08, 2010 11:10 AM

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by eastside_m5 »

At the Vintage this year I spoke to someone who had his seats redone at Korman. They looked nice, but I believe he said the sourced it out.
I would be curious to know who they use. I need to do mine also and they are close enough for me to use.
msimanyi
Posts: 3
Joined: Aug 09, 2022 9:46 PM
Location: Santa Ana, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by msimanyi »

I know I'm bringing back this exceptionally old thread, but can anyone tell me if Juan Ortiz in Costa Mesa is still in the upholstery business, and if so can I get his contact info?

Thanks in advance,

Mike
Philo
Posts: 2166
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Long Beach, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Philo »

Mike, I heard he's still in the same location where Auto Kennel was located. 1974 Charle St, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.

I have an old number from 20 years ago for Juan.., give it a try. If it doesn't work let me know and I'll drive down and get his new info. (424)224-0711
msimanyi
Posts: 3
Joined: Aug 09, 2022 9:46 PM
Location: Santa Ana, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by msimanyi »

Thank you Philo!

If the number doesn’t work, I’ll give Paul a ring at Auto Kennel and see if he knows any helpful info. Worst case, that’s only a few miles from me.

It’s very kind of you to offer the feet-on-the-ground research, but it’s likely a lot easier for me if your location info is correct.

Mike
vinceg101
Posts: 4802
Joined: Jun 20, 2007 2:40 AM
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by vinceg101 »

msimanyi wrote: Aug 10, 2022 9:56 AM Thank you Philo!

If the number doesn’t work, I’ll give Paul a ring at Auto Kennel and see if he knows any helpful info. Worst case, that’s only a few miles from me.

It’s very kind of you to offer the feet-on-the-ground research, but it’s likely a lot easier for me if your location info is correct.

Mike
He's still very much in business at that location; unfortunately he is also still extremely booked as he is in very high demand.
That cell number is still current as is his email: juanortizinteriors@gmail.com. However, he takes a while to respond (cell phone is better).
If you're serious about hiring him for your interiors, get a hold of him, meet and talk to him and get on his schedule, but be prepared to wait.
He is truly a master craftsman in every definition of the term (his work on my Taurusrot interior from last fall):
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msimanyi
Posts: 3
Joined: Aug 09, 2022 9:46 PM
Location: Santa Ana, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by msimanyi »

Excellent! Thank you Vince.

I don't mind the wait.

My brother passed away on July 5th. While I have both an E36 M Coupe and a '95 M3 - the latter for competition only - my brother had and loved his '96 M3 for years. He just had it repainted in Feb/Mar, and I promised him I was going to finish it "right."

Everything I've seen online about Juan meets that "right" concept in my mind.

I will reach out to him and be prepared to wait, knowing it's worthwhile.
Etip
Posts: 155
Joined: Sep 05, 2021 2:06 AM
Location: Seattle

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Etip »

Curious- for people who have done their interiors, what is the rough cost? I have an M5, so interested in sport seats.
And if anyone has done the console also?
vinceg101
Posts: 4802
Joined: Jun 20, 2007 2:40 AM
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by vinceg101 »

Etip wrote: Aug 11, 2022 1:45 AM Curious- for people who have done their interiors, what is the rough cost? I have an M5, so interested in sport seats.
And if anyone has done the console also?
PM'd
canezino
Posts: 19
Joined: Oct 01, 2022 12:34 AM
Location: San Francisco

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by canezino »

vinceg101 wrote: Aug 11, 2022 11:34 AM
Etip wrote: Aug 11, 2022 1:45 AM Curious- for people who have done their interiors, what is the rough cost? I have an M5, so interested in sport seats.
And if anyone has done the console also?
PM'd
I am about to embark on this journey -- I was asking for a ball park pricing
sheebs
Posts: 111
Joined: May 31, 2013 8:46 PM
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by sheebs »

As long as we've reopened this thread, has anyone interacted with Ken Sorenson's in Pasadena recently? Is Ken Sorenson himself still affiliated? Was just perusing the latest Yelp reviews and it seems they all refer to someone named Tony in the last several years.
jhh925
Posts: 913
Joined: Jul 11, 2015 12:23 AM
Location: Reno

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by jhh925 »

Etip wrote: Aug 11, 2022 1:45 AM Curious- for people who have done their interiors, what is the rough cost? I have an M5, so interested in sport seats.
And if anyone has done the console also?
Depends on how far you go. If you're only doing the seats + headrests I'd think that $5000 is an entry point to have it done from scratch with the correct leather by a decent upholsterer. I paid $6,500 for my seats. The pre-made re-covering kits will be cheaper, but the results to my eyes are always pretty crappy and easily recognizable.

Dash & door parts are will be additional. Parcel shelf & steering wheel will add more. Headliner will add more yet again. Other variables will include choice of materials (off-the-shelf dyed leather? Or get custom dyed hides? and I don't have experience with how some of the rarer fabrics cost vs leather, but I'm sure it ain't cheap). It's gonna be pretty easy to spend $10,000 to $15,000 - and then still find flaws in the work.

And for the M5 in particular, one annoying obstacle I've found is the stitching. There are shops out there that are very good at matching the original stitching on the seats (color & thickness of threads, length or "pitch" of the individual stitches, etc.), but I haven't even seen any examples anywhere on the inter-webs where a shop has done a really god job of matching the very tight stitching on the center dash parts & the armrests / grab handles in the doors. (And if someone knows of a place, share it!)
Philo
Posts: 2166
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Long Beach, CA

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Philo »

Stiching to me is what defines a good upholstery job. Furniture, auto, commercial, it's got to be right. On 80s BMW seats the double row seat pad and backrest stiching is very specific. Thread color, gauge, row width and an eual step stich track left to right is the only way to make it "proper". And the only way to acheive this, given the correct thread is sourced, is with the right machine. Most shops will not have a double needle walking foot machine. If they do, is it setup to produce the proper width stich ? The only guy in SoCal that has this setup is Juan, I know because I gave him this exact machine years back :D

As for the center console, most shops will not split or thin out the the leather to do the dash properly which is why things look bulky around the corners. Shops also won't "skive" the sewn edge to get the peices to lay flat without leaving a french seam inner witness mark. When I did my interior I had a company on the east coast split a hide for me and I skived the edges by hand with a razor blade. What a pain in the ass that was and developed a true appreciation for those special German people that assembled our cars. Having said all this, will the typical M5 owner break out a caliper to check the stiching ?.., probably not. But for me this is the stuff that keeps me up at night especially if I was paying 15k !! Also, the center console, drivers footwell cover, glovebox, and dash are all sewn with a double needle machine that has been needled-down to run a 92 gauge thread and a 3/16th width stich track. For the seat thread gauge you should use 238 or heavier and needle-up appropriately and retard the timing slightly on the hook.

Sorry for geeking out on sewing. Have fun quizzing the upholstery shop owner on his machines and thread !. Btw, years back I couldn't source the correct color thread for the heavy stich on the seats so I had some white 238 gauge custom dyed. Very expensive and ruined the thread bonding so I don't recommend it. HTHs
Last edited by Philo on Oct 12, 2022 11:55 AM, edited 2 times in total.
Etip
Posts: 155
Joined: Sep 05, 2021 2:06 AM
Location: Seattle

Re: Upholstery shop

Post by Etip »

Hey, I appreciate the info. Very interesting.
Thank you!!
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