Archie MontroseWhat really makes a car comfortable? Air conditioning or heating? A good, strong radio? For me, it’s the seats. My first car had the world’s worst seats ever, and I had to sit in it for hours too!
From your car’s seats to the headliner and carpets, a car’s upholstery does so much for comfort and hygiene. That’s why getting them changed or repaired regularly can do wonders for your driving.
Lucky for us, there’s no lack of auto upholstery shops in Vancouver. I’ve rounded up my favorite picks from when I got my own seats changed, so read on if you’re ready for an interior change of your own!
How much does it cost to get auto upholstery in Vancouver?
Auto upholstery in Vancouver can cost anywhere from $130 to $400 depending on the material and type of upholstery, such as headliners or car seats.
1. Pacific Auto Trim And Glass
Address: 32 W 5th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1H5
Contact Details: +1 604 876 1780, [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Closed on Saturday and Sunday
Pacific Auto Trim And Glass might have gotten their popularity among locals for their window services, but we wanted to focus more on the “trim” in Trim and Glass. From the get-go, we weren’t disappointed by what we found!
Their upholstery services covered various replaceable materials in a car, from fixing a sagging headliner to completely redoing the interior panels. They provided car seat covers, steering wheel wraps, headliner replacements, and more.
We were also blown away by the customization options for their upholstery. The shop offered a variety of colors, especially for its steering wheel wraps and interior panels. Each was measured and cut to the specific year, make, and model of various vehicles.
They didn’t skimp on the number of supported car brands either. When speaking with customers, many were happy that the shop supports everyone, from daily drivers to owners of luxury brands like Lotus and Bentley.
That being said, customers mentioned wanting some more improvement on their replacements. Some cited noticeable leftover adhesive on their headliners, which could be aesthetically unpleasant.
One last word of advice customers had was to book and order replacement parts early, as the delivery time for these can take quite a while and delay the installation.
Very pleased with their work and how this came out
“I brought in my Lotus Elise hardtop to have the sagging headliner replaced. They replaced this with new black Alcantara, and it looks and feels fantastic! I am very pleased with their work and how this came out.”
– Mr. Jonathan Mackey, Google Review
Kind, efficient and very very knowledgeable
“Absolutely fantastic service. Kind, efficient and very very knowledgeable. I took a difficult hole in the upholstery of my collectors car, they fixed it in a couple of hours and I could not even find the place where the damage was.”
– Ms. Tere Suarez Hannah, Google Review
2. VLC Upholstery Repairs
Address: W 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V3
Contact Details: +1 778 995 3409
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Closed on Saturday and Sunday
Those looking for something a little smaller might want to pay a visit to VLC Upholstery Repairs. This shop was recommended to us by locals when we asked about repair and replacement services that didn’t require us to drive all the way out.
We soon found out why. VLC Upholstery Repairs offered a home service, saving on the hassle of having to travel all the way to a repair center. This drew our attention, and it went over well with the customers we chatted with too.
In addition to that, VLC Upholstery offered repairs for vinyl and leather upholstery. Customers praised their leather refurbishing, especially citing the team’s expertise with the material and ability to restore leather even after years of wear and tear.
Of course, this goes hand in hand with the team’s attention to detail. We were told about the team’s careful work with repairing even the largest tears and rips so that the fix and damage stay hidden.
That being said, what we noticed on our own visit was the limited team. VLC Upholstery only had a few staff members, which meant a longer waitlist for repairs.
As a result, customers left us with some advice to book early, as it can take a long time to schedule an appointment.
Worked extremely hard to take off years of wear and tear
“Sean was great to work with, very easy and he worked extremely hard to take off years of wear and tear. Would strongly recommend him to anyone who loves his/her car and wants to have it looking awesome again! Thanks Sean!”
– Mr. Naved Noorani, Google Review
Made my drivers seat look as it did in the showroom
“Sean’s repair made my drivers seat look as it did in the showroom! Highly recommend- responds to inquiries promptly, arrived at our home at the scheduled time.”
– Mr. Ralph Streich, Google Review
3. Unique Touch Repair
Address: 115 Schoolhouse St #402, Coquitlam, BC V3K 4X8
Contact Details: +1 604 441 6870, [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM, Closed on Sunday
With a name like that, we just had to find out if Unique Touch Repair really did have a unique touch. Drivers looking for an auto upholsterer on short notice might want to check them out, and for pretty good reason.
The first thing we noticed was their wide range of supported materials. They featured the usual vinyl and leather alongside plastics and alloys for dashboards and other structural elements, which was a surprise.
Alongside that, customers also praised the accuracy of their color matching. We find this particularly essential if you’re planning on refurbishing your interior. After all, nothing is more of an eyesore than two shades that don’t match!
What especially caught our attention was their mobile services, able to drive just about anywhere to deliver replacements or repair the client’s upholstery. We find that this makes them pretty reliable in emergencies, as some customers let us know.
On the other hand, be prepared to wait. Customers cited long service and repair times, whether they visited their center or called for mobile service.
One last thing we have to note is the price. The costs of repair and replacements at Unique Touch could be higher than those of other upholsterers, so we’d recommend consulting with the team before ordering.
The leather now looks almost brand new
“The leather now looks almost brand new, and the color matches perfectly with the rest of the seat. I really appreciated his attention to detail and the care he took to ensure the repair was seamless.”
– Mr. Lakshay Sangwan, Google Review
Top class work and professional service
“He spent the better part of 3 hours and just finished the redying and repair and the seat looks like brand new. Top class work and professional service. 5 stars and I highly recommend Unique and Daniel.”
– Mr. Roger Cervo, Google Review
4. United Automotive Interiors
Address: #4, 19510 55 Ave, Surrey, BC V3S 8P7
Contact Details: +1 778 908 4571, [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, Closed on Saturday and Sunday
Now this might be more familiar to those in Surrey. United Automotive Interiors grew in popularity for those who didn’t just want their upholstery repaired, but also modified. We just had to swing by and give it a look ourselves!
We weren’t disappointed at the offerings. As their name implies, the shop largely offered upholstery and even a few car accessories, leaving clients spoilt for choice on what to install in their car. We certainly were when we browsed!
Customers especially praised their customization services. For starters, the shop offered in-house designs for new leather seats, allowing customers to pick or even design them themselves. Ever wanted a logo or name in your seat? Now you can.
That wasn’t all. We also heard good things about their seat modifications, from installing comfortable materials like foam in the seat to full temperature modifications. Customers we chatted with spoke well of these heating and cooling modules, especially!
On the other hand, we did note the shop’s focus on leather, with limited support for other materials. If you’re not a fan of leather seats to begin with, this might be a hard sell.
Finally, a few customers did encourage us to keep other upholsterers in mind as the longevity of their installed parts reportedly left room for improvement.
The staff was very helpful and gave me some options
“I needed to make the seats in my vehicle more soft because they were very uncomfortable. The staff was very helpful and gave me some options to fix the issue. They added a layer of foam under the existing leather covers.”
– Mr. Alex Laurou, Google Review
Great quality and the new car smell is back
“A new interior was a great update for my truck. Completely new look and feel to it. Great quality and the new car smell is back. Was an awesome experience dealing with UAI and they were very accommodating of my busy schedule.”
– Mr. Barend Thirion, Google Review
5. Prince Upholstery
Address: 168 Lolo Lane, North Vancouver, BC V7L 4X8
Contact Details: +1 778 318 9124, [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday: 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM, Closed on Sunday
Prince Upholstery might not turn your whole interior royal, but it might at least help your seat feel like a throne. When we started asking locals about customized designs for upholstery, quite a number pointed us to this shop.
The shop gained its popularity for its willingness to provide custom-designed parts and seat modifications, especially 3D-printed ones. Their upholstery covered a wide range of materials, from standard leather to vinyl and even cloth.
One thing that surprised us when chatting with customers was their conversion services. Some mentioned the shop allowing customers to swap out their materials entirely, going from leather to vinyl while still matching the current design it had before.
Their custom-designed parts were nothing to sniff at either, or so customers let us know. The shop was willing to recreate or upgrade everything from door trims to soft tops with their 3D printed parts, allowing further customization.
That being said, some customers did let us know that the durability of these parts could be an issue. Some were prone to wear and tear, needing constant repair.
Finally, a word of advice customers left was to check the measurements carefully before and after installation, as some noticed inaccuracies during service.
A few days later problem solved
“Thought I’d DIY it with 3M headliner glue. Immediately after peeling back the fabric I knew I was in trouble, what a mess! 15 minutes later I was here selecting fabric and a few days later problem solved.”
– Mr. Ryan Stewart, Google Review
Was a great guide through the process
“Mike did my entire car interior. It is spectacular. We worked from concept to completion and he was a great guide through the process. Can’t recommend enough.”
– Mr. Danny Stern, Google Review
