Interior - leather on seats

[astaib]

Hello,

I want to renew my seats and interior linings because they are from 2001. And despite the fact that they are in quite a good state, it’s a bit old fashioned, and difficult to clean.

I have a proposition from a specialized sewer to replace only the synthetic part (with the Diamond logo) by a good automotive leather (and keep the existing leather that is on the exterior of the seats) + redo new lining for the sides with the same automotive leather.

I have an offer for 2000€ (2200$).

What do you think?

[Antoine]

Arnaud this thread is going to cost you a lot of money

If you can afford a full refurbishment, I would do it because your current interior looks dated.
A beautiful leather interior will definitely make you very happy AND pay for itself the day you move on.

Important: make sure you comply with the EASA fire test regulations though. Don't know how that works under EASA, but FAA requires that a certified testing company test the combination of leather and foam as installed in the aircraft. It is a $ 100 thing, but it must be done.
If you do an inofficial job, even if it is ok, you might end up with a plane that can't be sold. Not good.

Hints:
- Don't put light leather on the glare shield... too much glare!
- Consider having the leather perforated for breathing - it is a small premium but worth it.
- I am very picky on the quality of stitching... most aftermarket aviation leather jobs have cheap and ugly stitching, but if your supplier is high end car specialist, he probably has the equipment to do a much nicer job than the basic "almost invisible" stitches as in the DA40 leather interior (pre XLT). Look at the XLT and see how much nicer a DA40 can look with a quality leather job.
- Consider seat heating - a very nice and inexpensive mod if you operate in winter!
- Consider better foam!

All in all: a DA40 is worth > 100 K Euro . What expectations do we have on the leather interior of a a 100 K car?

IMPORTANT: AVOID A BRITISH SUPPLIER CALLED JASON COOPER.
He ripped me off, I sued him and won - one of several judgements against his company Custom Aircraft Trimmers.
He just shut down the company and opened a new one called Coopers Aircraft Interiors or something like that ... Very nasty fellow.

[linzhiming]

Under FAA regulations there is a requirement for the material to be certified/tested to be fire-resistant and complying with a certain minimum standard. I presume there are similar rules for EASA-registered aircraft.

[Steve]

Arnaud:

I have the exact same interior as you do. One nice thing about the seats is that in hot climates (like TX) the cloth panel in the center breathes, and is quite a bit cooler than a full leather seat. I would second the advice to get perforated leather if you change the center panels. I'm not so big on the cosmetic aspect of the stitching - the main features for me are comfort and durability, not how good it looks. You will lose a few pounds of payload with the switch to leather...

Steve

[astaib]

Ok, I see!
Where can I find the tests that I have to comply to?

Thanks for all the information so far.

[AndrewM]

Is it worthwhile asking Diamond if they have a solution? I have seen some earlier DA40 models upgraded to the "XLT" leather with the "BMW" UV protected leather which apparently is much cooler on hot days. Probably a quick call or email to Diamond to at least ask is worth the effort.

[linzhiming]

I don't know regarding EASA testing requirements but here is a company (googled just now, never used by me) that does the testing under FAA regulations:

http://kruegerflam.com/Testing.html

[linzhiming]

Looks like here is an EASA one based in the UK (beware no-deal Brexit depending on which CAA their approval is based from ;-) ):

https://www.aerofloor.com/burn-testing/

Neither of the two seem expensive or complicated.

[astaib]

thank you very much!

I also questionned the one I use for my job in automotive.

The description of the test is written in the CS-STAN from EASA

Arnaud.

[Sandy]

If you're considering changing the interior, I love the white that I have in mine.

Sandy