Another Katzkin thread

So, I’m just curious how everyone else’s Katzkin leather is wearing over time. I find myself drooling every time someone posts pics of their new Katzkin install. I did mine myself a little over two years ago using a $550 eBay kit. Mine look nice but they just don’t look as smooth or plush and as other Tundra seats I’ve seen. In my mind, from a distance they look like custom fit, textured Hefty bags! I know, not the biggest problem in the world, but I sometimes wonder if I got a bad kit or if it’s just the way it’s supposed to look. I’ve installed aftermarket leather in two Sierra work trucks and those look much better then and now.

Am I crazy?

 

Is there stuff you can see in person that isn’t showing up in the pictures, because to me those look pretty nice. Actually they look similar to the stock leather I got in my limited.

Other than that my guess is maybe because you installed them vs having the professionally done which might be why they aren’t perfect?

 

There are many different textures over the multiple types of leather. Maybe you ended up with the faux leather for $550. The estimate I got was more than 3x that price, but that includes install

 

I guess that's what I'm trying to figure out. They are indeed Katzkins, but I'm thinking they might be a low level kit. I'm hoping others will share close up pics of theirs.
Up close, to me it looks more like textured vinyl than smooth leather like others I've seen.

 

^^this

 

getting my Katz installed tomorrow, will post pics when complete.

 

First...I think your seats look fine...really good actually.

Check out the Katzkins site. Their covers can have real leather in three areas;
- The inserts (the main, rectangle parts of the seat bottom and back)
- The faces (the whole seat and back)
- The entire cover
Other than the entire cover, everything else is 'automotive-grade' vinyl. Most of your 'OEM' leather is just the inserts or faces.

Being a cheaper price point, my guess is you have leather inserts. If you have full faces at the price you paid, that's a good deal.

 

They look great in the pics. They seem to fit tight and aren't baggy looking. I'd assume at that price they were not up to snuff in some way so they sold them off cheaper or maybe they are vinyl? Either way I think they look good in pics.

 

Man, I was going to go with one of the eBay kits.....
How does the leather feel?

 

Gotta figure there's a hitch of some kind on that pricing. I wonder if katzkin would reveal it if you called them and asked about the ebay kits? My guess is they are all vinyl or are kits that didn't make it through quality control with a high enough grade. That's just a guess though. I had katzkins installed in my ex wife's venza and I forget how much it cost but I thought they were really good....until I got my tundra platinum, its night and day difference. But I'd say they are on par with the leather in the tundra limited models.

 

I don't think they would try to pass vinyl for leather. My parents f150 had katzkin installed by the dealer, it fells like the thickest leather i've felt in a car before.

 

I agree that their leather is thick. The ones I had in that venza are the thickest leather I've seen. And you're probably right about the vinyl thing. I was just brainstorming on the steep price break.

 

@thomasbus337 How thick did the leather feel?

 

It's a pretty durable material. I contacted the ebay seller I bought them from back in 2016. He told me that the basic factory match kits ( the set I have) are made in bulk in China. The custom order kits are made in Mexico from slightly different materials and are a little bit softer leather.

 

Thanks for the info.

Dang, not sure if its going to make a difference or not for me.

 

What color interior do you have now? From what I've seen on eBay, there seems to be more readily available kits for the crewmax models.

 

I've got black cloth seats now.

I tried to see if there were any ebay kits that were sold directly from katzkin, but didn't see any.

 

here is a pic of my katzkin kit I had installed about 2 years ago and I have not seen any sign of wear on any of my seats really good quality imo my wife has highlander limited leather and although it is nice I can see a huge difference in the leather my katzkins are much softer and like I said don't show any signs of wear my wifes on the other hand show a lot of wear her highlander is 2 years older than my truck but im sure 2 years from now my seats will still look great

 

heres a close up

 

I think yours look great. I didn't really want leather in my truck but every time I see these threads it makes me reconsider...

 

Is that stiching white or silver?

 

the Stitching is Silver

 

Just ordered some from a direct Katzskin installer. Black wrap w/ barracuda insert and silver stiching. 200 bucks cheaper than going to the dealer

 

Same here

 

nice that's a good discount I think I paid like $200 for installation worth every penny

 

Paid 1,500! Dealer was quoting me 1,700

 

mmmm...love that leather...

 

Mine have held up well over the last year, I have no complaints about mine and like the way they look in the truck.