RE: E30 Leatherette Sport Seats????

["Fadeev, Alex" <Alex.Fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I need a replacement Beige Letterette driver's seat for an 
> E30 as mine is falling to peices. Anyone have an idea where
> I might be able to find anew one?

Robert,
	If your seat frame is falling apart you can weld it ($20 after you
take the seat apart and bring it to a local shop). If it's the upholstery,
you can get a $50/piece replacement from the dealer. If it's the pad, the
dealer also has them but those are pretty expensive. That brings us into the
price range of replacement seats.
	Since you have a Leatherette seat, I will assume it is 'comfort' not
'sport' seat. Replacement should be plentiful at the junk yards. Those
within the driving distance should sell you a comfort E30 seat for $50-100.
A few Roundel advertisers will sell you those for $100. Others will ask for
$250-300 with a straight face ;-). Unfortunately junk yards do not take very
good care of the interior pieces they sell and you'll be lucky to get a seat
with upholstery in perfect condition. 
	Replacement E30 sport (is/M3/iC) seats are harder to find and BMW
NAPPA leather (30+ mulched and glued rat skins for an E30 seat) deteriorates
a _lot_ in 10 years. Particularly when not been meticulously cared for. The
sport seats should cost $100-200 depending on condition. I would not buy
them sight unseen. Finally, they will not match the shape and texture of
your leatherette seats. Sport seats are also much heavier and sit a bit
higher then comfort.
	If you don't mind interior miss-match, I would also look at
aftermarket seats. You can get a decent adjustable aftermarket seat for
under $500. Non adjustable seats can be had for a lot less.

good luck,
alex

P.S: I had replaced the upholstery on my E30 comfort seats and it was a pure
hell job. I would not do it again (although $50 for a brand new upholstery
bottom seamed like a good deal compared to a new seat). To do it right, you
will not only need to take the seat apart, but thread the new upholstery
piece through all the tiny hooks and hinges to attach it to the pad. It will
take 3x as long as you think and requires at least 2 pairs of hands. 
	On the plus side, you will discover an amazing amount of cargo space
in your E30 with passenger seat mounted in place of the driver seat
disassembled in your living room. 

------------------------------