So the previous owner of my vehicle, 2012 xkr with 45k miles on it, really put some wear on the bolsters of the drivers and passenger seat as they have worn down. So I want to have them recovered/redone..is there any concern or issues with airbags..meaning are there airbags in the bolster sides of the seats? Has anyone reupholstered their seats?

 

You might research restoration of the existing worn areas. That is, there are services that can repair the worn areas not replace the with new inserts.
When I purchased my XK-R in 2014 from a Chicago dealer, I had a 3rd party inspection. The inspection revealed heavy wear on the driver's side outside bolster in the area we rub getting in and out. I mentioned this and the dealer had a service work on the are to my delight and satisfaction. My Jag had 42K miles at the time. Obviously, it depends on how much damage envolved.
Just wanted to make the point, you may not need the greater expense of a total re-do.

 

I haven't reupholstered my XKR seats, but I've done it on an 80 series Land Cruiser and if I had to do it again, I wouldn't. I was using pre-made replacement seat covers and it was a pain to get them to fit and stretch properly. Google auto upholstery shops in your area and make some calls and pay someone to assume the responsibility of getting it right. Regarding the airbags... there are inflatable side bolster air bags, but not SRS airbags that I know of off the top of my head. If there's no tag on the seat with "SRS" on it, then no, there are no supplemental restraint system airbags in there.

 

I had mine redone not due to wear but to customize them with diamond stitch. The front seats indeed have airbags on the outer sides. If you pick a competent shop it should be no issue.

 

I had the seats redone on my X100 and the airbags were a non-issue for a competent shop. The Workshop manual has the procedure to safely disconnect them.

I just picked up a 90K X150 and the seat bolster was restored (filled, sanded, dyed). Not the greatest job but good enough for me. Unless you examine it, it looks brand new. I'd go that route first unless there is damage and wear throughout the seat (like tears).

Best

 

Indeed. When I bought my 308, it had a tear in the driver's bolster. I had a local upholstery shop to replace just the leather on the bolster. They found some scrap leather remnant with a close enough grain, recolored it to match, and then took the seat apart, used the old bolster as a pattern, cut the new piece to size and sewed it up. If the airbag triggers, its the stitching the bursts. Obviously you don't want it sewed up with the equivalent of braided deep-sea fishing line, but a competent shop will know what its safe to use.

 

Several years ago, the outside upper bolster on my XKR was showing some wear and tear, so instead of having it reupholstered I decided to redye it myself. If I didn't like the way it turned out, I would go the expensive route and have it reupholstered.

The results exceeded my expectations, as the color match was almost perfect and the dye actually filled in the cracks in the leather. Today that bolster is indistinguishable from the rest if the seat. The product I used is a water-based dye/sealant from Dynamix, a UK supplier, and is easy to apply with the supplied small sponge. See my Post #12: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...repair-173932/

Here's the link to the Dynamix leather care website: Dynamix-Leather Care & Repair Specialists|Leather Cleaner|Leather Dye|Leather Repair



For background about automotive leathers, see my old post #15:
How It's Made - Automotive Leather - Then and Now
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...tioner-125145/

 

I agree with Stuart. If the leather isn't cracked or "sueded", a re-dye is an easy DIY. Color match tech is good and the dyes are water based. Several thin coats.