Tint Plus in the press - Sheepskin installation

Many years ago, the automotive aftermarket discovered the adaptability of genuine sheepskin as excellent auto seat cover material, as it stays warm in cold weather and cool in warm weather.

According to experts, sheepskin will not compress beneath the weight of the human body. As a result, a layer of air remains trapped between the sheepskin cover and the body surfaces of a seat's occupant. This is probably the reason why those of us who have driven long distances on quality sheepskin seat covers didn't experience the usual dampness in the small of the back. In addition to its temperature-regulating characteristics, sheepskin makes an attractive seat-covering material. In the past, retailers could choose finished product from a multitude of sheepskin seat cover manufacturers that offered handsomely packaged covers of varying quality with a less-than-tailored fit. Frankly, most of those covers weren't anything that a discerning motorist would want in their vehicle. What passed for a seat cover was in reality a section of sheepskin cut to a generic size of cushion on popular stock seats. The cushion was fitted with elastic straps to hold the skins in place. Most of the manufacturers covered the main seating surface in sheepskin, but that was the best they could offer.

Even back in those days ihere were companies offering truly tailored sheepskin seat covers, but those tailored covers were expensive. If you consider the workmanship necessary to create a tailored seat cover, you'd understand why they weren't cheap. For these reasons, and dozens more, the market for custom-tailored sheepskin seat covers never really took off.

Fast forward to today, and sheepskin retailers can order fully tailored seat covers for most popular models ot both cars and light trucks. "It's really the way to go," said Joe Hammer of Tint Plus in Laguna Hills, California. "I've been selling and installing sheepskin seat covers for years. My market now consists of quality-conscious people who want good sheepskin covers that fit well. For most applications, I simply call in the order to my supplier who will make up custom-tailored covers for most makes and models. There's enough profit between my cost and the suggested retail price that I can afford to include installation. Frankly, the covers are so well tailored that installing them is a snap." There still exists successful automotive retailers that market packaged, "one-size-fits-all" sheepskin seat covers that are cheaper for both the retailer and the consumer. But investigating custom-tailored covers might be a good idea for auto trimmers/upholsterers looking to offer their customers an upscale version of the classic sheepskin seat cover.

To see just what's involved in the installation of a custom-tailored cover, ATRN visited Hammer at Tint Plus and documented the installation of a set of covers from his supplier, Sheepskin Experts, Inc., of Van Nuys, California.

At Tint Plus, primarily a window-tinting operation that does some sales and installation of specialized auto accessories, a small sheepskin display generates a surprising number of seat-cover installs.

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