Where to get original material
- Thread starter polarus
- Start date
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
I believe Original is a distributer for SMS.
rexus31
Senior Member
I dealt with SMS quite a bit during the course of my restoration. Good company, great products.
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
I got the material both the vinyl and fabric for my CHP project from SMS.
I had a shop in Oregon do the seats.
Alan
I had a shop in Oregon do the seats.
Alan
tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
Just be prepared for SMS to take their sweet time about fulfilling an order. Customer service is not their forte. The last time I used them was 2009 for my truck and they did great. My upholstery guy doesn't like dealing with them. The owner of a Cougar outlet for original parts and reproductions, just down the street from them, is more circumspect since he needs to deal with them. yet being neighbors doesn't do him any favors. In short they can be a crap shoot. Quality and originality is without question though.
I tried both for the headliner for my 4 door sedan.
I called SMS 5 times, got dumped into voicemail every time. Left two messages, never heard from anyone.
Sent an email to Original Auto through their website. Got a response the next day with pics of headliner material attached. I got a follow up email the day after asking if I had received the sample pics.
I called that day and talked to Kevin. He was very informative and helpful.
After some more email samples, I ordered a presewn headliner. He said it would take 3-4 weeks.
The next day he called me to say that the manufacturer was making material closer to what I wanted and if I wanted to wait a little longer I could have that instead.
About five weeks later I received the headliner and am very pleased with the match and quality.
It was a little pricey at $300 but worth it to me for the customer service and quality product.
Hope the input helps.
John
I called SMS 5 times, got dumped into voicemail every time. Left two messages, never heard from anyone.
Sent an email to Original Auto through their website. Got a response the next day with pics of headliner material attached. I got a follow up email the day after asking if I had received the sample pics.
I called that day and talked to Kevin. He was very informative and helpful.
After some more email samples, I ordered a presewn headliner. He said it would take 3-4 weeks.
The next day he called me to say that the manufacturer was making material closer to what I wanted and if I wanted to wait a little longer I could have that instead.
About five weeks later I received the headliner and am very pleased with the match and quality.
It was a little pricey at $300 but worth it to me for the customer service and quality product.
Hope the input helps.
John
That's interesting. If so, then it may be a way to work around SMS and get what you want anyway.
Original Auto was old school professional with me.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Get a second opinion.
KcImperial
Active Member
Here are a few reviews for SMS, read them all.
http://www.imperialclub.com/Part/Vendors/SMS.htm
tl;dr - one of few sources for rare upholstery, pay upfront, wait 6 months to two years for delivery, horrible customer service.
http://www.imperialclub.com/Part/Vendors/SMS.htm
tl;dr - one of few sources for rare upholstery, pay upfront, wait 6 months to two years for delivery, horrible customer service.
bluefury361
Old Man with a Hat
Most of originals material and product came from bulk buys from the automotive industry itself. They even have a few complete OEM seat covers available. They do source from SMS also. Not a distributor though.
Maybe I am doing something "wrong", but whenever I order headliners or vinyl roofs from SMS, they do take the money up front, which doesn't really bother me, but I have received the product within a few weeks, never longer. The lady I always talk to who answers the phone most of the time is always helpful to me and promptly sends me samples of the material I ask for, and it is always a perfect match. Maybe with door panels or specialty seat covers, it may take longer? I have called Original a couple times, and both times they could not supply me with the correct match material I needed, but SMS came through both those times. But Original was definitely courteous as well and tried to be very helpful too.
CanCritter
Senior Member
my samples from sms came promptly...when l mentioned vinyl for roof was incorrect they sent out the right sample quickly....lm gona roll the dice on sms ...figure before a years up we'll all know for shure with a number of folks here going that route
live4theking
Old Man with a Hat
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2014
- Messages
- 12,423
- Reaction score
- 8,476
I haven't bought anything from these guys for almost two decades, but I inquired about some stuff just a few months ago when I was looking at buying a car. They were extremely prompt in answering all of my questions.
rexus31
Senior Member
That's been my experience too, Steve.
rexus31
Senior Member
Does Legendary have what you need? They source their material from SMS.
Called Legendary and was told that they would call me back, they haven't yet (only four days) so I'll try calling again. Called SMS three times and haven't talked to a human yet, e-mailed last week still waiting for reply. I'll call Original on Monday see if I have better luck there.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
This is sad if not appalling.
tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
There was never any negative comments about the woman who answeres the phone. She is very good and sends out samples promptly. Did so twice with me. The catch was always after the order was placed and then had to be filled in the warehouse. Then when irritated customers called she has to field the calls but has no power to speed things up.
Like I said I last dealt with them in 2009 and they had to emboss something for me on the vinyl for the seat of my F100. Great job and was maybe a month to arrive. Of course, I was never in a hurry since it sat for 4 months. I now have to order material for the driver's side seat bottom in the Cougar. Once again it isn't going to get down in the next six months anyway.
twostick
Senior Member
I ordered the pearl white material for my NyKer from SMS 5 or 6 yrs ago. They took my order and it showed up a few days later UPS. Service was great and so was the material.
Kevin
Kevin
Similar threads
