Katzkin Cream Leather Kit Installed

[stoickiwi]

Pretty much since I got my Pu two years ago, I wanted to change the seats. The 1990's athletic shoe look just wasn't appealing to me. So after checking out some other threads on the forum, I decided to go with a Katzkin kit.
I knew I wanted to do something different and black on black on black really isn't my thing (especially in the summer time). So after seeing several Mazda3's with Tan interiors, I decided to go for it.
I found a set on eBay for an absolute STEAL at $124.99 for a whole set (Front, back, door panels).
(It is Katzkin Kit M31EC for the Mazda3 S 5 Door FYI)
I also had previously purchased some seat heaters for the front seats and picked up another set for the back too.

Then, as yet another add-on to this project, I figured that since every seat will be out of my car at some point, I'll put some sound insulation down to stave off some of the highway noise (Yeah, yeah, I know, added weight, shoulda bought a Prius, blah, blah).

So I set off on this journey and did the headrests first:


Then I did the bench in the back:




And then the seat backs too:


Once the rear seats were done, I stripped everything and installed the sound proofing:



Next, I installed the seat back, seat cushion, and then finally the door panels:





Then I started on the front seats:


My carpet probably got the most thorough cleaning it will ever have.




I then installed the sound proofing in the front, but didn't take any pictures since I was in a hurry.

And finally, the finished product:





Sorry for the night shot on the last ones, it took me all day on Saturday to complete the front so I wasn't too focused on photos. I'll upload some higher quality ones after it gets another wash.

All in all, very bad pleased with install. At first, I was pretty apprehensive about the color, but once I got it on the back seat, I was all for it. The heated seats are really, really nice too since I wired them in with OEM switches.
The sound proofing make a HUGE difference too. I wasn't expecting much but it really is a noticeable difference. I usually cruise on the interstate with my volume at 22 but since the install, it sits at 14 and is just as loud.

All in all, with 2 seats of heated seat pads/switches, 60sq/ft of sound proofing, the leather kit, and tools cost around $350.
Considering I've seen people on here paying upwards of $1,000 for similar kits without the sound proofing or heated seats, I'm okay with it.

This was by far the biggest car project in terms of difficulty and time that I've ever done. It probably took me 20+ hours of work to finish everything. This was thankfully spread out over the course of several weeks so all in all it wasn't too bad.
If anyone is considering doing a leather kit install and has any questions, just let me know as I'll be glad to help!