Notes from the shop
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most often.
Sunroof shade repair: why recovering beats replacing the assembly
Dealers often quote a whole sunroof assembly for a shade problem. The panel you already have can usually be recovered instead.
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Boat canvas compared: Sunbrella, Top Gun, Stamoid and Seamark
Waterproof and breathable pull against each other. Any shop telling you one fabric wins on both is selling you something.
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Boat canvas: repair or replace?
A split seam is worth fixing. Chalky fabric is not. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at before you spend anything.
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Bimini top replacement: measuring, bows and fabric choice
Most disappointing bimini replacements are not the fabric's fault. They are a new top fitted to a frame that had already moved.
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Leather car seat repair: what can be saved and what cannot
A clean cut in good leather repairs beautifully. Cracking across a worn bolster does not. The difference is whether the leather itself is still sound.
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What changes the cost of reupholstering car seats
Two shops can quote the same seats very differently. Almost all of the gap comes from four things, and only one of them is the material.
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Car carpet replacement: moulded, cut-pile and what goes underneath
New carpet is the cheapest interior change that makes an old car feel different — provided you deal with what is under it at the same time.
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Convertible top materials compared: vinyl, Stayfast and Twillfast
Nearly every quality replacement top in the US comes from one manufacturer in a handful of grades. Here is what actually separates them.
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Glass or plastic rear window? The choice that decides when your top fails
On most older convertibles the fabric outlives the window. Here is how the two options differ and when replacing just the window is the right call.
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Why convertible tops fail: it is usually the frame, not the fabric
A top that wore out in five years was almost never a bad top. It was a good top fitted over a frame nobody looked at.
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Mildew and mould on boat seats: what comes off and what does not
Black spots on white vinyl are two completely different problems with the same appearance. One wipes off. The other is growing inside the cushion.
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How to clean a convertible top without shortening its life
Vinyl and cloth tops are different materials with different failure modes, and the cleaning that suits one will shorten the life of the other.
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How to repair a torn car seat, and when a repair is the wrong answer
A repair kit can be the right call or a waste of an afternoon. It depends on three things, and the tear itself is only one of them.
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How to fix a sagging headliner (and when the quick fix will not hold)
Pins, adhesive and steam all have their place — and all of them fail on a headliner whose foam has broken down. Here is how to tell which one you have.
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What actually drives the cost of a headliner replacement
Two quotes for the same car can look very different. Here are the five variables that explain the gap, and the ones a cheap quote usually leaves out.
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How to clean boat seats without wrecking them
Most damaged boat seats we see were not worn out by the sun. They were cleaned to death. Here is the method that works and the shortcuts that cost you.
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What does a convertible top replacement actually cost?
What drives the price of a new top — material, window type, and the condition of the frame underneath — plus what a fair quote looks like.
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Marine vinyl vs. automotive leather: what belongs on a boat
Why the material that looks best in your car is the wrong choice on the water, and what we specify for boat cushions and canvas instead.
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Period-correct or upgraded? Choosing an interior for a classic
Restoring a classic interior means deciding how faithful to be. Here is how we think about originality, comfort, and resale.
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