How to Install Leather Seat covers in a Miata

Is it time to re-skin your Mazda Miata or Eunos Roaster convertible? We've got you covered, or in this case your "covers". Join us this week as we learn how to install leather seat covers in a Miata.
Today's seats come to us from a 2004 Mazdaspeed MX-5 Miata. The interior of this MX5 has seen better days and is in need of a restoration of its leather seats. We are going to be doing the leather seat repair with a set of leatherseats.com miata leather upholstery kit. We did not opt for Katskin leather, instead seeing what leatherseats.com leather is like. If you wanted to see a real leatherseats.com customer review, you've come to the right place. We are open, honest, and tell you how it is in this howto. We are a customer, just like you would be, so you'll get honesty!
This custom upholstery is of pretty good quality. We show you how to disassemble a NB Miata seat, remove the leather from the roadsters seat frames, and to add the miata leather seat covers back onto the frames. We use lots of hogrings, because thats what you do when you upholster seats. Hog rings, Hog rings, Hog rings!
00:00 - Intro
00:22 - Removing the seat rails from the oem leather seats
00:59 - Seperate the backrest and the bottom from one another
01:25 - Removing the backrest portion of the leather seat
02:23 - Removing the backrest leather
04:11 - OEM old leather vs new leatherseats.com leather color comparison for a Mazdaspeed Miata
04:47 - Installing new leather on the seatback
05:07 - Installing a Hog Ring for the first time
05:39 - Seat Heater Pad Install (aftermarket heated seats!)
06:48 - Removing the seat bottom leather hog rings. Hog rings, hog rings, hog rings!
07:13 - How to remove the seat lever cover from an NB Miata seat
07:42 - Pulling the seat bottom leather off of the frame
08:16 - Installing new leather on the seat bottom
08:51 - Stretching leather over the seat bottom
09:31 - Using heat to flatten out wrinkles and shrink for a tight fit
09:44 - New leatherseat.com covers compared to OEM Leather seat covers (review time!)
10:32 - Doing the second seat is a lot faster than the first one
10:51 - How to remove the seat lever from an NB Miata seat without breaking it
11:07 - Using heat to flatten out wrinkles and shrink on the second leather seat cover
11:18 - Finishing up seat #2
11:30 - Review of the newly upholstered seats and installed in the miata

[@Shaheer4771]

I am currently doing this on my nb1 with nb2 seats. I am currently doing the seat pan because it is RUSTY. Thanks for this video

[@CarGuyFridays]

Hope it works out! Your welcome for the video

[@tgy119]

I did foamectomy to my seats this past winter. Was skeptical before starting but the results are life changing. No more slouching to see the tach and speedo. I just cut the bump from the bottom of the seat, lowered my seating position by about an inch.

[@CarGuyFridays]

When changing out the skins it's the optimum time to do a foam foamectomy I agree. In this case... I'm just not that tall :)

[@jynclr]

I died at the 3 pigies! :D

[@CarGuyFridays]

We try to keep it fun :) glad it worked!

[@ivorwm2291]

Thanks

[@CarGuyFridays]

Yw!

[@JonBoehm]

Thanks for the vid. Doing basically the same work. I did the wiring before the seat leather. I seriously underestimated the time it takes to wire up the seat heaters. Finding and drilling safe wholes for the switches, finding and making wire connection points, and routing and securing the wires took forever. Any report back? Please say this is worth it (seat heaters). :-) Again thanks for the vid!!

[@CarGuyFridays]

It's totally worth it. We did end up wiring them up. It just wasnt interesting enough to actually create the video. I just sit and melt like butter in them. They were also fantastic in the fall when it's a bit chilly out and putting the top down. You'll love them. Dont give up!

[@anthonymoy4471]

Is there something you clip the hog ring to in the seats?

[@CarGuyFridays]

Yep, there sure is. There are metal rods running through the oem seat foam.

[@fly9lngolf]

Did you use Standard or Ecstasy Leather; or 100% leather option? Thanks.

[@CarGuyFridays]

My Invoice says "premium leather" on it. I think it was standard though. It's still holding up well!

[@TreyEthridge]

How did the seat warmers work out? Did they work at all? All the way up as you had hoped?

[@CarGuyFridays]

They work fantastically! Top down in the fall with the seat heaters on high and heater on is amazing

[@FahmiiYusof]

Hey where did you get the new skin and how much did it cost?

[@CarGuyFridays]

Got it from leatherseats.com. I had a few options so it was on the high side. I believe close to 1k

[@mattleblanc2001]

Where did you get the new seat skins at?

[@CarGuyFridays]

Leatherseats.com. they are still holding up well. As the sun beamed on them and people sat in them the few remaining wrinkles have gotten smoother and better looking. So far I'm happy with them