The Lotus Grand Tourers

I have a set of Coverdale carpets on order, hopefully made using Ian's improved templates.

I've gone for the Blenheim range which I bought from Coverdale via Amazon.uk for £178 incl P&P. The same set can, inexpicably, be ordered from Coverdale's website for the handsome sum of £231 + £9.99 P&P !

My local trimmer, who I trust, has quoted me £600 to make and fit a new set of carpets, so I will probably go down this route. The main downside, is that he’s fully booked until mid July but that gives me time to start saving...
At least I know the carpets will fit!
Carl

Can anyone recommend a suitable adhesive ?

Woolies do one which is also good for headlining

https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/product/ ... l-adhesive

(But you can find it for less on Ebay)

Carl

Just to add my thoughts re the Coverdale carpet kit which I fitted to my Excel this week.

First although this is a tailor made kit there is still a lot of cutting and shaping to be done in fact most of the pieces are oversized. For example the two mats for the offside and nearside toe boards, although edge bound on all four sides, have to be cut to fit especially around the steering column.

I opted for the Blenheim range as Coverdale advertise this on e bay as being rot proof. It doesn't like being creased sharply and if that does happen the white latex backing shows through the pile. This is particularly evident on the stitched edges of the driver's document pocket. The pocket as delivered is floppy due to an inner stiffening board being absent meaning I had to make one up. Also, like any latex backed carpet, once it is stuck down in place it can't be removed without ruining the piece with the pile left stuck on the floor.

I showed the carpet to a mate of mine who has decades of experience fitting carpets and whilst he thought it was probably OK for the job it would never be durable enough to be used in a domestic setting which is surprising bearing in mind its high price. Coverdale sell it off the roll for £24 per metre!

In the end I'm reasonably satisfied with the finished job but with the benefit of hindsight I could have easily achieved as good a job at a lower cost by just buying a length of carpet from the roll and fitting it myself. When you delve into the job it becomes apparent that the pieces required to trim the Excel are almost all small and flat. The only four pieces where a compound curve is required are are under the seat mountings and even then they wouldn't pose a huge problem for a DIYer. In the odd place where edge binding is required for aesthetic reasons I could have had that done locally and still been in pocket.

So do the carpets look OK in the car? - Yes.
Do I think the kit is good value? - No.
Would I buy a kit in the future? - No.


ps thanks to Carl, Phil Tanz and Alan for their advice. Coverdale have clearly used Alan's improved patterns.

I have the car booked in for the middle of July, the first date he could book me in! I will post photos when I get the car back..

Carl