You see the inside of your car more than anyone else ever will. Every journey you are looking at the seats, resting an arm on the door trim and glancing up at the roof lining, so interior wear is the damage you live with daily — long before a passenger or a prospective buyer ever notices it. Our car upholstery repair service restores tired, torn, burnt and faded interiors at our fixed workshop in Greenwich, South-East London, bringing leather, fabric, vinyl and Alcantara back to a condition you are genuinely happy to sit in.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call our workshop on 0207 998 4712.
What car upholstery repair covers
Car upholstery repair restores the parts of your interior that wear, tear, stain or fade with everyday use — seats, roof linings, door cards, dashboards, centre consoles and carpets. Rather than replacing an entire seat or trim panel, we repair the damaged area itself, which keeps the original materials in place and is almost always kinder to your wallet than a full replacement. If your interior was damaged in an accident, we can also carry out the work and handle the repair through your insurance.
Bringing your interior back to condition helps you to:
- keep the cabin looking and feeling the way it did when you bought the car;
- stop small splits, burns and loose trim from spreading into a bigger, costlier job;
- protect resale and part-exchange value, where a tidy interior counts for a great deal.
Car seat repair — fabric and leather
Fabric and cloth seats
Cloth seats take the brunt of daily life: worn bolsters where you slide in and out, frayed seams, snags and stubborn stains. We re-stitch split seams on high-frequency machines, patch and re-weave damaged sections so the repair blends into the surrounding weave, and replace the foam padding underneath where a seat has lost its shape or support. The aim is a seat that looks right and feels right, not an obvious patch.
Leather seats
Leather cracks, splits along seams, scuffs on the driver’s bolster and colour worn away by years of getting in and out are all repairable. We clean and prepare the hide, fill and bond tears with flexible leather-grade compounds, re-stitch seams where needed, then recolour and seal the area so the finish matches the grain and sheen of the original. For heavily worn seats we can re-trim a panel entirely in matched leather.
Leather recolouring and sun-damaged interiors
Years of sunlight fade and dry out leather and plastics, leaving seats looking grey, patchy or shiny where the top coat has worn through. Using airbrush systems and colour-matched pigments, we strip back the tired finish and recolour leather and vinyl to their original shade — or a new one, if you fancy a change. The result restores depth and evenness across the whole panel rather than spot-touching a single mark, which is what makes a recolour look factory-fresh rather than repaired.
Sagging roof linings and headlining repair
A drooping headlining is one of the most common — and most distracting — interior faults, usually caused by the original adhesive failing with age and heat so the fabric sags away from the board above your head. We remove the headlining panel, strip the old foam-backed fabric, and re-trim the board with fresh matched material bonded properly so it stays put. Done at a workshop with the panel removed, the finish is smooth and tight, not the temporary pin-and-hope fix.
Door panels, trim and dashboards
Door cards, armrests, dashboards and centre consoles pick up scuffs, scratches, cracks and worn-through colour at the points you touch most. We repair splits and cracks in leather, vinyl and plastic trim, rebuild worn edges, and recolour the surface to match the rest of the cabin. Small, well-matched repairs here make a surprising difference — these are the surfaces right in your eyeline every time you drive.
Cigarette burns, tears and scuffs
Cigarette burns, sharp tears from keys or buckles, and scuffs from child seats and luggage are all everyday interior damage we repair regularly. For a burn or a small hole we cut back the damage, fill and re-texture the area, then colour it to match so the repair disappears into the surrounding material. Catching a small tear early stops it lengthening every time weight moves across the seat, so it is worth booking in sooner rather than later.
How our upholstery repair process works
Every interior is different, so every repair starts with a proper look at the damage. Our process is straightforward:
- Assessment. We inspect the damage, identify the material, and give you an honest view of what can be repaired and what — if anything — is better replaced.
- Preparation. The area is cleaned and degreased so adhesives, dyes and finishes bond properly and last.
- Repair. We re-stitch, patch, fill, re-pad or re-trim as the job needs, using trim-grade materials matched to your interior.
- Colour matching. Leather and vinyl are recoloured and sealed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding trim.
- Final check. Every repair is inspected before your car leaves, so the finish meets the standard we would expect on our own vehicles.
Why choose our Greenwich workshop
Interior trim work is precision work, and it is far easier to get right in a controlled workshop than at the roadside. Our fully equipped Greenwich premises lets us clean, prepare, dye and cure materials in the right conditions, with the airbrush systems, high-frequency machines and trim tools the job demands. Our technicians bring over 70 years of combined experience across everyday cars and prestige marques, and every repair is backed by our workmanship guarantee.
Upholstery is one part of what we do. We are a full car body repair specialist, so if your car also needs car scratch repair or paintless dent repair, we can put the whole car right in one visit. See the areas we cover across South-East London on our service areas page.
How much does car upholstery repair cost?
The honest answer is that it depends on the material, the size of the damage and how many areas need attention — a single cigarette burn is a small job, a full leather re-trim is not. As a rough guide, the indicative UK ranges below give you a sense of where prices typically start. For a firm figure, the only accurate answer is a quick look at the car and a free quote.
| Upholstery repair | Indicative UK price from |
|---|---|
| Cigarette burn or small hole (single) | from £50–£120 |
| Fabric seat or bolster repair | from £60–£200 |
| Leather seat tear or crack repair | from £80–£250 |
| Leather recolouring (per seat) | from £120–£300 |
| Sagging roof lining / headlining re-trim | from £150–£350 |
| Full leather re-trim (per seat) | from £250 |
For a wider view of interior and exterior repair pricing, see our car body repair cost guide.
Car upholstery repair FAQs
Is it worth repairing car seats?
In most cases, yes. Repairing a torn or worn seat keeps the original materials in place and is almost always more cost-effective than replacing the seat or living with the damage — and it protects the car’s value, where a tidy, cared-for interior counts for a lot at part-exchange.
Can leather seats be repaired?
Yes. Cracks, splits, seam damage, scuffs and worn or faded colour are all repairable. We fill and bond tears, re-stitch seams, and recolour and seal the leather so the repair blends with the grain and sheen of the original hide. Only the most severely deteriorated leather needs a full re-trim.
How long does car upholstery repair take?
Most repairs are completed within one to three days, depending on the extent of the damage and any colour matching or re-trimming involved. We will give you a realistic timescale when we assess the car.
Can you match my existing interior colour?
Yes. We colour-match leather and vinyl using airbrush systems and matched pigments so the repaired area blends with the surrounding trim. We work with leather, vinyl, fabric and Alcantara.
Do you guarantee the work?
Every upholstery repair is backed by a six-month workmanship guarantee, on top of the final inspection every car passes before it leaves the workshop.
Book your car upholstery repair in Greenwich
You spend more time looking at your car’s interior than anyone, so it is worth having it put right properly. Bring your car to our Greenwich workshop and we will restore the seats, trim and finish to a condition you are proud to sit in. Request your free, no-obligation quote today.
Or call our team on 0207 998 4712.
