Seat Covers Research Guide

An Introduction To The Ordering Process
An Introduction To The Ordering Process

At AutoAnything, we strive to make ordering your seat covers a quick and painless process. Because the majority of our seat covers are made-to-measure, we will ask you key questions about which factory options you have on your vehicle. We probe because we want to ensure that your new seat covers fit snugly while leaving room for airbags, ergonomic controls and seatbelts.

Before you order your seat covers, our advice is that you take a trip out to your vehicle and give your seats a brief visual inspection. While you're looking them over, take the time to answer these fundamental questions, which you will be asked during the ordering process (don't worry, there will not be a final test):

  1. What is the year, make, model and series of your vehicle?
    This is, of course, the most important question of them all. In order to have seat covers that fit, we need to know what vehicle they are fitting into. A Yugo's seats bear no resemblance to a Bentley's. If you are unsure about the year, make, model or series, your registration or your pink slip can give you a definitive answer.
  2. What style seats do you have?
    Whether it's bucket or bench seats, we have a seat cover for you. Based on the year, make, model and series you select, we will show you a drawing of your seat style. However, you should visually double-check to make sure that the type of seat in your vehicle matches the type of seat in our graphic.
  3. Do you have power seats?
    Modern cars use electronic controls wherever they can, and this includes moving the seats forwards and backwards. Take a look on the sides of your seats to see if there is a control panel, and note which seats do or do not. Sometimes, the driver's seat will have this amenity while the rest of the seats work the old-fashioned way with an under-the-seat lever.
  4. What is your seat material?
    Different stock upholstery requires different inner linings. If your seats are leather or vinyl, which tend to be slippery, an inner lining with better grip is needed to keep the covers from shifting around. Likewise, if you have cloth seats, then your seat covers don't need to grip as tight.
  5. How many doors does your vehicle have?
    This one is pretty obvious, but it makes a big difference because 4-door models sometimes have a rear seat that does not match the 2-door coupe. Just to be on the safe side, we've included this handy door reference.
  6. Do your front seats contain side impact airbags (SIPS) that deploy out of the side panel of your front seat?
    This question is very important because a seat cover has the potential to interfere with your vehicle's safety features. If your vehicle does have side impact airbags, most semi-custom and all universal fit seat covers will block them. Custom fit seat covers, however, have special openings to accommodate SIPS.
  7. What type of headrest does your vehicle use?
    Because some seat covers go all the way over the headrests, or have an optional headrest cover, we will need to know which kind is in your vehicle.
  8. Where does your seatbelt come from?
    Some cars have seatbelts that come directly out of the back of the seat, so the seat cover has to have special openings stitched in. Others are attached right to the side of the automobile, so no special holes are needed. Which kind does your vehicle have?
  9. Does your seat have an adjustable lumbar support system?
    For added driving comfort, many auto manufacturers are installing lumbar support systems into car seats. The controls for these systems are usually found right on the side of the either the driver's seat, the passenger's seat or both.
  10. Do you have pivoting armrest(s) on the driver's seat? The passenger's seat?
    Last, but certainly not least, we will need to know if your seats have built-in pivoting armrests. With this question answered, you're on your way to the joys of seat cover ownership.

Take pictures of your interiorAll of these questions are extremely important for ensuring that you get a seat cover that fits exactly. During the ordering process, we will also ask for contact information, just in case we have additional questions about your seats. We may also need a photograph from BMW, Pontiac and Mustang owners because seat style can vary so dramatically.

If you run into any questions of your own while shopping for seat covers, AutoAnything has a skilled team of professionals with expert advice to help you with any inquiries. Give us a call at 1-800-874-8888, or write to us at sales@autoanything.com.

We hope you have found our Seat Covers Research Guide Center a good guide in helping you choose the best Seat Covers for your vehicle. It is AutoAnything's goal to provide the most information on the Internet and through our Auto Accessory Specialists on every product we sell. If you have any information that you think could help improve this section, please email us at researchcenter@autoanything.com.