SewFine Vanagon carpet opinions

[jimf909]

Hi All,

I'm looking for opinions and photos for the SewFine Vanagon carpet kit (seat pedestals, forward cab, etc.)

I'm especially interested in hearing if you think the installed SewFine carpet looks better than a reasonably clean 30 year-old oem carpet.

- Does your SewFine install look reasonably close to OEM in terms of fit? Does it look "lumpy" or does it look like its a great fit? (I understand the SewFine carpet has quite a few more seams and the colors will be slightly different).
- How has it held up over the years? Folks have been installing these kits for over a decade, what do they look like after years of wear?

I've read these threads...
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=226910
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8906392
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=610236
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=433549

...and looked at the SewFine gallery (page 7)...
https://sewfineproducts.com/Vanagon-Interiors-Gallery?s=97

My oem carpet is reasonably clean after a few pro-steam-cleanings but it's got wear that any 300K mile carpet would have.

Do you recommend replacing OEM with the SewFine kit?

Thanks.
_________________
- Jim

[Californio]

i'm disappointed in the Sewfine's I installed about 5 years ago. The carpet was way thinner than OEM, seemed cheaper than the Home Depot carpet I put in my rental units. Now it's pretty beat. I do use it hard--van is a camper but it gets a lot of construction materials in it, and then there's the dog.

Doing it over I'd look for alternatives.

[newerwesty1987]

I was very happy with the full kit I just installed. I had a naked metal tub to work with which helped. I also did a high-end sound insulation install before laying it down. The fit was just about perfect but for someone that's not used to that kind of work, they might have some trouble. If you take your time and don't go crazy with glue it should be fine.

There's a little lumpy spot here and there but it has to have seams for certain parts, like around the forward shifter wall area. I reduced mine by trimming the underside up. I was also going over top of sound blocking materials and it still looks nice to me.

It feels great to me and is higher quality than other kits I've dealt with on other builds. It's a true auto-grade carpet which is very different than hardware store, house carpet. For the relatively low price, I can't imagine doing better and would definitely look far better than 30yo carpet. You could always pay a shop to custom build a kit but that's going to be a lot more.

[87RedWesty]

I installed a Sewfine front carpet kit about 18 months ago. The old 30+ year-old carpet was just too depressing, even after professional cleaning. So I went with a new color (dark blue) that works well in my Westy. I laid down sound dampening material everywhere, installed the new carpet, and then bought new rubber mats for under the feet and a new metal console between the seats. So it's not a standalone installation, but part of a package, and most of the high traffic areas are covered with something else. I'm very happy now. It's way quieter and the color just warms up the cab. Of course, when I was done the 30+ year-old seats looked really dated, so I saved my pennies and got rebuilt Recaro seats installed, picking a center color that is close to the carpet color. Happy camper here.

[djkeev]

FWIW....... I've been fixing up cars since the 1960's...........
Excepting the crappy felt like carpet provided in todays low end models, I've NEVER found replacement carpet that is better than OG carpet.

The aftermarket folks don't have the floor shaped molds to form the carpet to the contours of the vehicle.

They rely on multiple pieces to cover what OG covered in one formed piece.

Aftermarket may have better colors and may be more plush, but the fit will be contrived and in multiple pieces with some iffy spots.

Dave
_________________
Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[4Gears4Tires]

Yeah, well, I've been fixing up cars since the early 2000s and I agree with you!
_________________
'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[pnwkayaker]

At one point you'll need to consider that you're talking about 30+ yrs old carpet that has been well used (especially for campers) - no amount of cleaning will restore its "factory-new" look.

Sure, the original fit might have been perfect, and no after market replacement might equal the original. However, the Sewfine kits are very well done, lots of color options, and will bring back lots of life back to your van (and they're very resistant to use).

I installed my Sewfine full carpet kit almost 8-9 yrs ago, and I'm still very happy with it, I'd definitely do that again.

I'm now planning to order from Sewfine new upholstery for my seats and cushions (mix of 30+yrs upholstery and 25+yrs old Eurovan seats).

BTW, to the OP, we're both located in Seattle - if you want, we can try to coordinate to meet and I'll show you the installed kit (send me a PM).
_________________
87 Syncro Westy EJ25 ("Tardis")

Seattle Meetup at Marymoor (link)
A collection of Simple Useful Mods (SUM) (link)

[PDXWesty]

I am very happy with my Sewfine carpet kit. If you take your time with the install you will get very good results. Mine still looks great after 6 years.
_________________
89 Westy 2.1 Auto

[jimf909]

Thanks to everyone for your real-life experiences. Each response was helpful.

pnwkayaker, thanks for the offer. I may ping you to check-in. This is a project I've been contemplating for about a year and it may move higher on the to-do list this spring...if it doesn't get smothered a half dozen other possible projects.
_________________
- Jim