1996 BMW M3 Seat Cover Installation - Saving Cows - Tech

This past summer, the majority of the country took a beating with higher-than-normal temperatures. During the heat wave, nobody looked forward to getting into a black leather interior after the car had been parked in the sweltering heat for any period of time. Thanks to the sun's heat, the leather itself would sometimes see temperatures 50 hotter than ambient, and in 100-plus weather that's too hot to touch. But what's the alternative?

Leather is luxurious and smells good when new, but after a few years it can start to resemble the smell of feet. A couple more years after that the leather starts to crack and is expensive to fix. Given the vehicle's reduced value by then, it's usually not worth it.

Our '96 E36 BMW M3 had over 130k miles on the clock and the seats were at a similar point. We were thinking about replacing the seats but aftermarket seats can cost $600 a pop. Plus, we like the factory "Vader" seats in our M3 and we didn't want to lose them. Fortunately, we discovered Wet Okole had the answer: custom seat covers.

Wet Okole was established in Honolulu in '88 and has since opened up a location in Newport Beach, CA as well. And if you happen to live near one of its shops, Wet Okole will install your seat covers free of charge.

The firm uses only the best 100% chloroprene rubber (the scientific name for neoprene) because the material offers UV and ozone protection, is flameproof, resistant to many chemicals and oil, and also waterproof. The neoprene is backed with nylon to ensure a tight fit and to prevent the neoprene coming into contact with your leather or vinyl seats. The installation is also perfect if you lead an active lifestyle and don't want to damage your stock seats.

Pricing for Wet Okole covers starts at $235 for either the front or rear seats. However, there are a number of options, including its Euro Style Half Piping, which somewhat resembles that found in some Lambo, Ferrari and Porsche interiors. This is a $30 option.

In our case, the Estoril Blau metallic paint on our M3 was easy to match with either Royal blue or Cobalt blue. We went with the latter because it was slightly brighter. We ordered the covers with black outer panels and Cobalt half piping throughout. The total came to $554 and they turned up at our door a week later.

The seat covers didn't come with instructions but the process was self-explanatory. If your seats feature thick lateral supports, be careful when pulling the main portion of the cover over them so you don't pop any of the stitching (ask us how we know!). Other than that, it's a piece of cake. The whole thing took about three hours, including time taken to remove and reinstall the seats.

The interior now feels like new again.The neoprene is about a half-inch thick so there's added comfort as well. Now getting in the car while it's been roasting in the scorching summer sun or freezing on frigid winter nights is a totally different experience.The covers don't seem affected by extreme weather at all, and the smell of the neoprene isn't overwhelming, either.

Hawaiians are known to "hang loose" but Wet Okole ensure their covers don't. In fact, they're so snug they barely budge when you get in and out.

The appearance is the best part by far. We still enjoy the fantastic-looking new interior every time we approach the car. These covers can definitely turn an old interior into something worth admiring again.

Although Wet Okole will tailor seat covers to fit any seats you have, the company already has patterns to quickly produce covers for several Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche, Saab and Volvo models. There's a plethora of colors and styles to choose from, and we have little doubt you'll be able to find a combo to suit your taste.