after market leather + sun roof

crowej

hi guys,

anyone know where i can get leather fitted decently, not just ***ty seat covers but leather that looks like it was factory fitted ?

i am also interested in a fully electric sun roof.

its for an 06 saab 93 btw

Anan1

To be honest, I'd sell the car and buy one that has leather and a sunroof. I have two reasons for saying this. Firstly, you're going to pay €2,500 for leather, plus €1,000 for the sunroof. Secondly, the car will be very hard to sell with aftermarket leather & an aftermarket roof. It wouldn't surprise me if it were worth less after the alterations than before.

Wishbone Ash

There's a place in Santry Hall industrial Estate (just beyond Omni SC) that does it. Can't think of it's name now. Your talking c. €3,000 for leather.

(The place is full of new 5 and 7 series Beamers getting leather fitted - I would have thought it came as standard on those.)

Anan1 wrote:

I'd sell the car and buy one that has leather and a sunroof.

Agree.

nxbyveromdwjpg

For the leather - http://www.zenithautomotive.com/Gallery.htm

Anan1 wrote:

Secondly, the car will be very hard to sell with aftermarket leather & an aftermarket roof. It wouldn't surprise me if it were worth less after the alterations than before.

?? - How do you figure?!

Anan1

nm wrote:

For the leather - http://www.zenithautomotive.com/Gallery.htm





?? - How do you figure?!

That's just how people are. An aftermarket roof, for example, will have involved cutting into the structure and wiring of the car. People will worry about rust, leaks, electrical problems, parts availability, the fact that their roof will look different from the roof on every other SAAB, etc etc.

mike65

Agree, while you might get lucky with the leather (from a breakers) retro-fitting sunroofs is a mugs game for me.

Mike.

Wishbone Ash

Wishbone Ash wrote:

There's a place in Santry Hall industrial Estate (just beyond Omni SC) that does it. Can't think of it's name now.

Just remembered it - Cartronics.

www.cartronics.ie


UNIT 3C, SANTRY HALL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, SANTRY, DUBLIN 9, IRELAND.
TEL: + 353 1 8623644 FAX: +353 1 8623598 MOBILE: + 353 87 2577 907
EMAIL: INFO@CARTRONICS.IE

colm_mcm

Cartronics are the business! they do all high end stuff, 5 series, E class etc. for the dealers before the cars are registered. I've done loads of cars there, and the finish is as good as factory. That's true of leather interiors and sunroofs.

Gerry

crowej wrote:

hi guys,

anyone know where i can get leather fitted decently, not just ***ty seat covers but leather that looks like it was factory fitted ?

i am also interested in a fully electric sun roof.

its for an 06 saab 93 btw

I have to strongly advise against this as well. The only way to do it is to get factory leather, either buy a different 9-3, or hunt for it in a breakers yard. As for the sun roof - should have bought a car with one. DO NOT get an aftermarket sun roof. A lot of the time in car ads, you'll see a sun roof described as "factory" - this is to reassure people that its not an aftermarket job, which nobody will want.

colm_mcm

Gerry wrote:

DO NOT get an aftermarket sun roof. A lot of the time in car ads, you'll see a sun roof described as "factory" - this is to reassure people that its not an aftermarket job, which nobody will want.

What are you basing this on?

A Vector model is gonna be around €6,000 more than his (presumably) Linear/Linear Sport. It's also gonna cost him a few grand more just to change from one 06 to another, not to mention what changing to an 07 will cost.
If you get a sunroof made by a reputable, well established company and get it installed by a company (such as Cartronics) who are accepted in the motor trade to do very high quality work, where's the problem?

I've traded in a lot of cars, and I wouldn't pull back the price of a trade in if it had a non-factory sunroof - as long as it's not one of those tacky pop-up cheap jobbies. On some cars I'd prefer to have an aftermarket roof than a factory roof which is known to be problematic.

Anan1

colm_mcm wrote:

I've traded in a lot of cars, and I wouldn't pull back the price of a trade in if it had a non-factory sunroof - as long as it's not one of those tacky pop-up cheap jobbies. On some cars I'd prefer to have an aftermarket roof than a factory roof which is known to be problematic.

It's been a while since I worked in a dealership, but I would have been very reluctant to take in a car with an aftermarket roof, a/c etc. They're much harder to get rid of, for the reasons outlined in my earlier post.

colm_mcm

Anan1 wrote:

It's been a while since I worked in a dealership, but I would have been very reluctant to take in a car with an aftermarket roof, a/c etc. They're much harder to get rid of, for the reasons outlined in my earlier post.

You should see some of the more modern sunroof installations. they're a million miles away from the dodgy aftermarket stuff I think you have in mind. Models like the Webasto Hollandia are indistinguishable from factory roofs and have all the features of factory roofs, like automatic closure position memory and anti-choke.

Anan1

colm_mcm wrote:

You should see some of the more modern sunroof installations. they're a million miles away from the dodgy aftermarket stuff I think you have in mind. Models like the Webasto Hollandia are indistinguishable from factory roofs and have all the features of factory roofs, like automatic closure position memory and anti-choke.

That's a fair point, I guess.

gyppo

I would go down this road myself regarding leather trim:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Saab-9-3-Aero-leather-interior-black-for-5-door-and-9-5_W0QQitemZ190039636173QQihZ009QQcategoryZ10416QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A good deal cheaper than getting a custom leather interior.

colm_mcm

gyppo wrote:

I would go down this road myself regarding leather trim:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Saab-9-3-Aero-leather-interior-black-for-5-door-and-9-5_W0QQitemZ190039636173QQihZ009QQcategoryZ10416QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

A good deal cheaper than getting a custom leather interior.

these aren't gonna fit an 06 9-3. those seats are off the old model (completely different) 9-3.
Even if they were off a new model (03 on) there would be safety implications to fitting seats (containing side airbags) from a car that may have been crashed. Also, leather seats from a 4 year old car should be showing some age.

Aftermarket leather seats won't invalidate your warranty or compromise your safety.

R.O.R

I've seen quite a few examples of Cartronics work on Leather seats and a couple of examples of Autoglaze's and both are absolutely top notch. On a few models it's actually better than factory fit as they do the door cards as well.

There are quite a few dealers who use these guys to fit most of the leather on certain vehicles as it's quicker to pick up non-leather models from stock and retro fit. On a brand new 9-3 I'd have no qualms about getting the leather done by Cartronics (say Hi to Gerry) as long as it goes with the interior colour scheme.


I would have reservations about an aftermarket sunroof. I have never had one of these fitted - for good reason. Getting this done is fairly rare, but I know of 3 cars that had it done, and all 3 leaked. I haven't seen one (I don't think) but I know in most cases they are very similar to the factory option and could be passed off as factory fit, still wouldn't chance it myself though.

Larry David

R.O.R wrote:

On a brand new 9-3 I'd have no qualms about getting the leather done by Cartronics (say Hi to Gerry) as long as it goes with the interior colour scheme.

Stop being such a friggin' namedropper. You went there before - who cares?

The OP: Oh, and by the way, R.O.R from boards.ie says hi
Gerry: F*ck off. Idiot.

R.O.R

Time of the month Larry or are you always a cock?

gyppo

colm_mcm wrote:

these aren't gonna fit an 06 9-3. those seats are off the old model (completely different) 9-3.

Oops, didnt cop that.
But heres another auction, and it is an 06 interior.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Saab-9-3-Complete-White-Leather-Interior-2006_W0QQitemZ280037810447QQihZ018QQcategoryZ10416QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Granted, white might not be to everyones taste.

My original point was that secondhand high spec interior trim can be sourced in the UK a lot easier/cheaper than here.
Your point regarding safety issues is very valid, and worth noting.

kdevitt

Have seen Cartronics work - it is completely factory quality. They use the same colours as the car maker, and you will never be able to tell it didn't come from the factory that way.

As R.O.R said, some dealers send their cars in there to have the leather added, they were recommended to me by two BMW dealers. When I was down there - there were about five cars direct from the factory waiting for retrims - BMWs, Audis and a Skoda, they still had some panels covered in the protective plastic / paper that they're transported with.

Skip the sunroof though...

Gerry

Fair enough colm, I'll take your word for it. Its good that theres at least one crowd that takes pride in their work. I do take your point that the aftermarket stuff has come a long way, even to surpass the factory in some cases. BUT, what if it wasn't fitted by cartronics? There are so many cowboys out there fitting aftermarket gear to cars, I'd need to see proof that it was fitted by a reputable crowd.

Anan1

Gerry wrote:

BUT, what if it wasn't fitted by cartronics? There are so many cowboys out there fitting aftermarket gear to cars, I'd need to see proof that it was fitted by a reputable crowd.

This is what I was thinking too. Even if the quality of the work is outstanding, there will be an element of doubt in the mind of a future purchaser. Someone buying a SAAB expects a SAAB sunroof, a SAAB leather interior, etc.

Mc-BigE

colm_mcm wrote:

Cartronics are the business! they do all high end stuff, 5 series, E class etc. for the dealers before the cars are registered. I've done loads of cars there, and the finish is as good as factory. That's true of leather interiors and sunroofs.

Do these dealers in question pay the VRT/VAT on the new car with or without Leather/Sunroof?? options added......? I think i know the answer to that one already;)

Mc-BigE

colm_mcm wrote:

Cartronics are the business! they do all high end stuff, 5 series, E class etc. for the dealers before the cars are registered. I've done loads of cars there, and the finish is as good as factory. That's true of leather interiors and sunroofs.

Do these dealers in question pay the VRT/VAT on the new car with or without Leather/Sunroof?? options added......? I think i know the answer to that one already i.e VRT/VAT before leather/Sunroof added and sell to unsuspecting customer who ticked the Leather/Sunroof options list.

Seth Brundle

If it is sold with the sunroof, etc then VRT & VAT are applied (vat will be liable regardless).
However, if the car is bought and then a sunroof/leather/whatever is ordered VRT is not liable

Larry David

R.O.R wrote:

Time of the month Larry or are you always a cock?

No - just wondering what you felt the the necessity was to say "say Hi to Gerry"?
If it wasn't just for name dropping purposes (just letting us know you're 'tight' with the cartronics boyz), and you actually wanted him to say Hi, then why not give your real name, which would enable the Op to fulfill your request?

Gerry

Anan1 wrote:

This is what I was thinking too. Even if the quality of the work is outstanding, there will be an element of doubt in the mind of a future purchaser. Someone buying a SAAB expects a SAAB sunroof, a SAAB leather interior, etc.

Yeah - as far as saabs go, I'm very much in an "old saab" frame of mind, and the approach would be different. I've a 91 900 turbo, and one of the features is the electric sunroof, the motor for it is in the boot so the roof is essentially silent. However, it is important to ensure the drain holes do not get blocked up. Theres a lot of knowledge out there on how to fix them etc. If it was an aftermarket sunroof, that would not apply, and there might be other issues. There is a big concern about originality with these cars, so it would put a buyer off for sure.
The interior issue is also different, it is really common to swap leather seats into a 900 that came with velour, and really easy also. It then looks original, and a buyer will never know that it was not. There is no safety issue either, as long as you are capable of using a ratchet to tighten bolts properly.
But, some buyers are really fussy. A guy I knowwants to swap his leather seats for different ones, because he has looked at the 900 brochure for 1993, and has decided that the ones in his car were not fitted that year. Most people don't care to that extent, but then they may not be prepared to pay top dollar for your car either.

Anan1

Larry David wrote:

No - just wondering what you felt the the necessity was to say "say Hi to Gerry"?
If it wasn't just for name dropping purposes (just letting us know you're 'tight' with the cartronics boyz), and you actually wanted him to say Hi, then why not give your real name, which would enable the Op to fulfill your request?

You weren't just wondering, you were being abusive. I, for one, am interested in peoples experiences with Cartronics. Come to think of it, it wouldn't surprise me if the OP were too.

Larry David

Anan1 wrote:

You weren't just wondering, you were being abusive. I, for one, am interested in peoples experiences with Cartronics. Come to think of it, it wouldn't surprise me if the OP were too.

That wasn't my point - giving his opinion on Cartronics is fine, but why bother saying "say Hi to Gerry" when he actually didn't want The OP to say hi to gerry (otherwise he would have given his real name)?

Zoot

I inherited a BMW from my old boss a while back. It was her car from new and became mine by way of it being a company car - then sold off to me.

Cartronics had added an alarm and sunroof when the car was new. Both worked perfectly and caused no problems at all.

Personally, when buying a car, I don't check that sunroofs etc are factory fitted. Perhaps I should but usually when everything's working as it should I have never found the need.

Just my 2 cent.

Eoin

Anan1 wrote:

This is what I was thinking too. Even if the quality of the work is outstanding, there will be an element of doubt in the mind of a future purchaser. Someone buying a SAAB expects a SAAB sunroof, a SAAB leather interior, etc.

I can totally understand someone being wary of an aftermarket sun roof (though I was briefly tempted to get one for my car - I really miss having one) but would leather make a big difference; it should be quite obvious if it's a good job? Or can new upholstery be a warning sign for something else?

colm_mcm

Gerry wrote:

The interior issue is also different, it is really common to swap leather seats into a 900 that came with velour, and really easy also. It then looks original, and a buyer will never know that it was not. There is no safety issue either, as long as you are capable of using a ratchet to tighten bolts properly.

There's a lot more to the seats now though. Side airbags being the main concern. Would you swap a steering wheel including airbag from an older Saab and put it on your 06?

Larry David

colm_mcm wrote:

Would you swap a steering wheel including airbag from an older Saab and put it on your 06?

Who said anything about a sterring wheel? You're just making that bit up! They're talking about putting leather on seats.

gyppo

Larry David wrote:

Who said anything about a sterring wheel? You're just making that bit up! They're talking about putting leather on seats.

I think you're missing Colm's point, which was about airbags in seats. He mentioned the steering wheel as it is also a SRS component.

colm_mcm

Larry David wrote:

Who said anything about a sterring wheel? You're just making that bit up! They're talking about putting leather on seats.

My point was (and still is) Saab seats contain airbags, would you swap airbags from one car to another without knowing the history of the donor

You wouldn't swap the steering wheel containing an airbag from another car, so why would you swap the seats containing airbags? If you swap Linear for Vector seats, you swap the entire unit, not just the covering.

Cork Exile

Any idea on how much an aftermarket sunroof costs including fitting?

Victor_M

Anan1 wrote: »

It's been a while since I worked in a dealership, but I would have been very reluctant to take in a car with an aftermarket roof, a/c etc. They're much harder to get rid of, for the reasons outlined in my earlier post.

Cartronics fit 'aftermarket' sunroofs for most of the main BMW dealers, their leather is BMW factory leather, it's just cheaper for them to get it put on in Ireland and charge the punter the full price, or if someone is looking for a particular spec.
I had the leather replaced in a 328Ci front seats only a few years ago, dealer split the cost with me but it worked out costing me 500 and the dealer 500 for BMW sports seats (front only so prob about 2K for the lot), and the same goes for the sunroofs, you can't tell the difference between the OEM and aftermarket ones (from cartornics anyweay) as the are the same thing.

I'd sell the car myself and just get one with the extra bits he wants, but if the OP really wants to get it done then Cartronics is the place to go.

antodeco

He's probably sold the car since posting :rolleyes:

MercMad

antodeco wrote: »

He's probably sold the car since posting :rolleyes:

............Haahhaa.....well spotted !

Just for the record, Cartronics work is excellent, particularly on BMW's. There work on Mercs & Land Rovers is less impressive and is easily distinguishable from the factory work.

Aftermarket sun roofs are ALWAYS easily spotted if you know what to look for !

Fr Dougal

Great info in this thread lads. I am really interested in the Cartronics feedback.

I looked at two 06 cars this week, same model and almost the same mileage (low).
One of them has leather seats.
The Black one has loads of extras, a nicer colour but velour seats.
Both retailing for exactly the same price from two different main dealers.

I prefer the black car but it doesn't have leather. Dealer offered me €1250 better trade in price and said he would have leather fitted by Cartronics (Included in the price). He said the 2006 model did not have leather and reckons the other one had leather fitted after market. I was a bit dubious about it but after reading this thread I think I will go with the black one and let him fit the leather.

Fr Dougal

Well, picked up the car last week. Leather looks and feels great.

Excellent job by Cartronics and to my eye it looks just like Factory fitted.

Stevie Dakota

Result, I would go as far as to say the leather used by Cartonics is BETTER than factory leather. Still, it is pretty traumatic to see how much of the car is torn apart when the re-trim is being done.

Eoin

Can you post some pics?

Victor_M

Good stuff, glad it worked out for you. Stick up a few pics if you can.

loricomic

I was thinking of adding a webasto sunroof to my new saab, I am out in California, American Sunroof was recommended..
Always had a factory one, wasn't able to get it in this car, just don't want any problems with leaking , etc