Clazzio seat covers - the details no one mentions

I installed a set of Clazzio covers on my '16 over the last few evenings and came across some things that no one else seems to mention.

I ordered the black leather/black stitching/black pipe version (which was already in stock) and received it a few days later. Shipping was fast, product was well packaged, no complaints. A separate zip-lock bag contained a part-number diagram, installation instructions and plastic tool to help push the covers into tight places that you fingers might not get into.

The cover page of the instructions starts off with clear writing in good English, but subsequent pages quickly turn into what appears to be a sloppy gibberish to English translation. Sentences have weird (half-page-size) spaces in between words, writing is incredibly poor, etc. Not a big deal, but does not impress.

Instructions are also not as detailed as they could be, and skip certain things altogether. For example, they show how to install the front head rest covers, but have no info on how to do the rear ones. Think the install is identical? Think again. The rear headrests require the cover to be spun around 180 degrees (when compared to the front headrest covers). Again, not a big deal, but not impressive, either.

The entire install took about 3.5-4 hours for the best fit these things are capable of. The end result looks like like all of the photos you've already seen, so I didn't bother with photos, but can take some if anyone wants to see. The install was easier than I anticipated, and at times I felt that the Clazzios could have been tighter.

To a stranger's eye, the covers looks taught and well fitting. Look closer and you'll see that if you press on the front seats in the area your back goes into, there's about an inch of empty space behind it (until your finger or back touches the original seat & covers). This is rather sloppy, but not really felt when you actually sit down into the seat, so as long you don't OCD over it, life will go on.

The covers also expose a tiny bit of the original seat cover around the pivot points of the front seat bottoms and seat backs. No matter how much you adjust the covers, you'll never fully hide the original seat covers from view. This doesn't stand out and call attention to itself, but again, my OCD is kicking in.

When installing the cover for the front seat back, you must first unclip the part of the original seat cover that covers the rear of the front seat and folds under the seat (being held there with hooks). Clazzio instructions say that this part needs to be tucked up and under the new seat cover. This works, but any time you touch the back of the front seats (or use the seat pockets), you'll feel the lumpiness from all the crap that was tucked under there. Annoying.

I read somewhere that only the inner part of the seats is actual leather, and that the side bolsters and everything else is another material. This is accurate. The non-inner parts of the seat covers are of a very cheap feeling material - the exact same material that local taxis (namely, Prius models) always have in them. Kinda leathery, kinda slippery, kinda cheap feeling.

For comparison's sake, my living room couch is a 3-seat recliner that I bought for ~$900CAD (regular price). The entire couch is made of a much, much higher quality leather - thick, soft, and like a woman's ass, you just can't get enough of squeezing it. The Clazzios ran $600CAD (~$450 USD), have half the cover material, no "couch" frame or reclining materials, no shipping-a-huge-item expenses, etc. Clazzios can be, and should be better material for the money.

The final downside is the length of time it takes for heated seats to kick in. With the original covers, seat heating set to max (level 3) would get uncomfortably hot after about 2-3 minutes. With the Clazzios on top, the same max level took 10-12 minutes before it became comfortably warm, and I knocked it back down to level 2 after another 10 minutes or so. An extra 20 minutes to get to the same warmth level is a pretty damn huge difference, and it makes sense since there's foam padding and extra leather (probably 1/4 inch of material total) to heat up.

I originally wanted to get Katzkins. I've seen Katzkins in a friend's truck and while I didn't go over every inch with a fine tooth comb, I was impressed by them. Locally, they run $1500CAD installed. That includes a 12% sales tax and likely the same 3-4 hours of labour, so apples to apples, let's say just over $1000CAD for the seat covers themselves.

I bought Clazzios because they were half the price. For the money spent, they are not a bad option so long as you can live with the downsides I mentioned above, but they are definitely a value (vs. quality) option. If I had to do this again, I'd pay the extra for Katzkins.

 

If I do it all over again I will go with Katskinz next time as well. Not real happy with the Clazzio's myself, and I bought the protection package as well for 3 years. And have already used them twice.

 

Odd, when I tried that in the store the other day I got slapped, and then hit with a restraining order. What's your secret?

Seriously though: Good info, thanks for posting.

 

Very helpful have been looking for some feedback on these covers. Kinda bummed at the moment may have to go another direction.

 

With about a week's worth of use, the seats seem to be heating up quicker. Perhaps the foam material underneath has gotten compacted and transfers heat better? Wild guess.

 

You do know that the leather in the Katskins is only the center sections of the seats right? The rest of the seat material is vinyl. They also don't have a gap because they are a full cover replacement over the seat frame and attached with hogrings while Clazzios are seat cover over seat covers, no attaching points to the seat frame.

I would put the Clazzios at 85 - 90% the quality of the Katskins at about 40% the price. Keep in mind one is just a cover while the other is a full upholstery replacement. There IS a difference.

 

Yes, I'm aware of the attachment differences.

Sounds like the materials are the same, then, since Clazzio is also leather only in the centre section. Although the set of Katzkins I saw in person felt better on the sides/edges than my Clazzios do. Maybe they have full-leather options? I don't know.

 

I have Katzkins installed in another car so I can make a direct comparison of the quality hence my comparison percentage. To me they're pretty close in the quality of the leather and vinyl.

AFAIK there is no full leather option but if there were now it would probably double the cost. As for install costs, a professional installer would charge approximately $500-750 for the whole interior if you were to buy the seats yourself and deliver. Some installers will get a better deal on price than private party so you can order and install in one shop which may lower the overall expense. You're still looking at about $1500-2000 cost overall depending on how fancy you get with your design.

Nothing at all wrong with Katzkins for an aftermarket upholstery replacement, I like them a lot in my other car but for a leather interior option, the solid color Clazzios at about $430 delivered is a pretty decent option for a lot of people.

 

Clazzios are priced appropriately in a world where Carhartt branded nylon covers are $330.

Seat covers aren't cheap. Even the low wow factor brands are $300. Clazzios look great and fill the need of their price point.

They're just not what they aren't.

 

i think Clazzios seat the best for the money a friend didn't even realize it was a seat cover

 

I know this is an old thread, but how are your Clazzios holding up?? How are the heated seats??