With the amount of time most people spend in their cars, seat covers help to protect the new car interior or hide the damage already done. Seat covers personalize and decorate a car. Some seat covers insulate the seats, offering greater warmth in the winter and a cooler surface in the summer. Installing seat covers takes less than half an hour. With a few pointers, get the best fit to keep the seat covers comfortable and protective.
Read the manufacturer's instructions before beginning installation. Most universal seat covers do not fit over armrests and may not work with all types of seat belts. Universal seat covers will not fit every seat. You may need to adjust universal seat covers regularly.
The seat cover installation will go more smoothly in good light. If possible, choose a sunny day and park the car outdoors. Have a flashlight and a utility knife on hand.
You must remove the headrest before installing most styles of bucket seat covers. Pull the seat cover snugly over the seat, tugging and smoothing it from the top of the seat to the bottom.
Place the flashlight in the foot well, aimed at the underside of the seat so you can attach the straps or ties above the bar or wires to keep the seat cover from interfering with the seat adjustment mechanisms.
Line the seat cover's seams up with the edges of the seat. Center the seat cover over the seat's back and the seat area. In some models of seat cover, there will be loops under the bottom flaps of the seat cover. The SeatCoversUnlimited website advises putting the ties through the loops and guiding the ties and seat cover flap through the crease between the seat back and the seat portion of the car seat. Run the ties through the matching loops under the flap at the front of the seat cover and knot the ties firmly.
If the universal seat cover comes with straps or clips, attach them underneath the seat. Pull them tight and link the S-clips together or press the Velcro firmly.
Pull the straps and fasten the Velcro or hook the hooks under the seat.
The universal seat cover's ties and straps serve to hold the seat covers snug on the seats.
Use the utility knife to make small holes in the seat cover lined up with the brackets for the headrests. Reinstall the headrest. Now you have as close to a custom fit as you can get with universal seat covers.
