Well, my 2000 A6 has gotten to the point of no return with the driver's seat, it really just needs new leather and I'm trying to figure out what to do.

As I see it I can try to find an aftermarket seat that really does the A6 justice and doesn't make me look like a prat if I have to drive my grandpa around, I can try to find a good replacement seat, or I can try to find a new seat.

My question to the helpful masses is basically, what would you do? Is there a place where I can buy new leather for under Audi's $800 (for a single seat back)? Is there a good source for parted out Audis (I haven't found a single seat that matches my 2000 beige 2.7T seat)? Has anyone found a good after market seat that doesn't look retarded?

 

check with your local upholstery shop. Most of them also do car seats. depending on how "fancy" you want to get with it will determine the price. Lowest price would be just to have them re-cover what you have with whatever you would like (cloth, vinyl, leatherette, real leather, real-expensive leather...) A more expensive option is they strip the seats down to the frame, re-do the padding and then re-cover the seats. with custom padding you can get a custom fit (super nice, quite pricey).

can't really hurt to call and check into it.

 

What he said ^^^^. Any good (emphasis on GOOD) auto upholstery shop should be able to recover the seats in a fabric of your choice. Matching may be a challenge due to fading, so you could be looking at doing both front seats. Last year I got a price of $150-175 to replace the upholstery on the outside driver's seat bolster. That included removing and then re-installing the repaired seat cover, which is most of the cost. From what I have found out, only the center of the seat and seatback are leather and the outer trim pieces are "pleather".

 

Shop for a seat from a parts car for the easiest job. Or try Leather Seats, Neoprene Seat Covers, Wood Dash Kit & Auto Accessories for new leather. I've seen their stuff in person and it's really nice. Lots of options in materials, contrasting colors and stitching, etc.