Finished Katzkin leather upgrade, Degreez install except for switches

I finally finished my Katzkin and Degreez installation on my 8k mile '21 Tundra. Now I just need to decide where I'm going to put the switches. The Degreez install adds another level to the upholstery installation time. I've done other upholstery installs and this was the most difficult. I could only find one Tundra installation video for the unit installation and didn't agree with everything that was done.
Some things to consider:
. You may need another vehicle to drive during the installation, it's going to take a few days.
. Take a day or so break between seats and let your hands heal. You're going to get cut.
. Have some band aids and use some light gloves.
. Have a well-lit, warm, clean area to work and get a headlamp.
. You're going to need some tools.
. Order stainless hog rings and the needle nose hog ring pliers and some good 8" side cutters.
. Watch a lot of videos on the upholstery installation.
. Don't start until you have everything.
. Opinion: The Degreez vent is a vent and not an exhaust for the lean back which is a closed area.
. I did not need a steamer although my basement has a woodstove and I had a pot of water on it. It was cold during some of the install.
. You will need to disconnect the battery and will lose your trip miles and distance to empty. My radio settings remained.
. Along with others, I agree to start on the rear seats first. Note your head rest notches.
. Take a lot of pictures before tearing things apart.

 

Or pay a skilled hand $350 and get it done in few hours It worked for me.

Great job by the way

 

Yes. Definitely pay for skilled installation if possible and make sure they have done the installation on a Tundra, especially the Degreez units. Maybe find out who the dealers in your area use. I wanted to save my original seat covers so I decided to do it myself. I can see where some parts might get broken but fortunately, I didn't break anything, the prep videos definitely helped. I don't know about the crew cab but the double cab rear seat plastic covers are painful to remove, and they are difficult to come apart, but you have to remove them first. The actual installation of the leather I wouldn't mind doing again and even the seat heaters but not the Degreez.

 

Get the console cover to match. You can buy them for $15-$20 on Amazon and EBay and they match my Katzkins perfectly.

 

Yes. That is on my list. The one shown looks very nice.

 

I did test the Degreez units before and after the leather installation. I'm not 100% sure but no way they are going to put out the same heat or heat as fast as seat heaters. You can only really hear the fans on the cooling/vent cycle, so the fan speed is definitely low on the heat cycle. I just don't see the heat being efficient on a really cold morning. Some of the heat or cooling will be ambient as the interior heats or cools. We'll soon see.

 

I'm posting some images of the Degreez install for the lean back. On the bottoms I was able to locate near the center, there are only a few choices. On the lean back I had to notch the lumbar plastic supports and had to install the unit at an angle on the driver side. There seems to be some misinformation on the protrusion of the fan side tube through the foam. On the Katzkin information it states to cut off flush. On the videos they state to leave 1/2" or so through the foam for the pad. The problem is that the tube dead heads on the pad, so it is similar to placing your hand over a hair dryer to obstruct the air flow and the air is supposed to flow throughout the pad. It will still flow air but I'm not sure it's as efficient.
As a side note, I have seen some complaints on the seat comfort. In cutting out the foam for the pads, I noticed some differences in the density of the foam. The driver side back foam was definitely softer than the others so I can see there might be manufacturing inconsistencies in the foam. If you add in the differences in the fabric vs leather, I can see where one seat may differ from another in comfort. I think the fabric was more comfortable, but I like the look and durability of leather. I'll add more if I think of anything. Maybe this might help someone. I'm not 100% on everything I did was correct, but I am ok with the results.

 

This looks incredible. I think my Clazzio covers look good, but these look so much better. Another year or two and I’ll probably switch it up. First I need to find an upholstery shop in my area that isn’t run by meth heads.

 

It does look nice..

 

Looks great, write up has convinced me to pay an installer as well. Thanks for sharing!

 

I had hoped to use the RainMan RMF-001 3-switch-panel insert for the Degreez switches in the console coin tray, but they are much too large to fit. So, I did what most of the other installers did and use the front of the console. I have seen pictures of the top but not of the bottom, so I included some pictures. The kit included a cardboard cut-out template, so I traced it out on a piece of blue painters' tape, cut it to size, and started the process of locating them. When I got it where it looked right, I drilled four holes at the corners to match the radius and used a artist gel pen to connect them for reference. I then heated the blade on a metal utility knife and cut them out. I final filed them to smooth them out. If you don't heat the blade too hot it cuts pretty good. I thought this would be a lot easier than trying to cut them out with a Dremel. I will say it was nerve wracking for me since the panel still looked new.

 

Nice, that's where I put mine.
I installed them for my wife, but I use them a lot more than I thought I would..