Are you an out-of-work auto trimmer? Fear not. We’ve scoured the internet for the latest employment opportunities in the field of auto upholstery and posted them on our jobs page. Best of all, we’ll continue to do so every week – so check back often!
Get a lot of Jeeps? Check out Roadwire Leather Interior’s all-new Jeep Wrangler power convertible top. Rugged Ridge has one too, but Roadwire’s top follows the Wrangler’s original body lines closer than any other competing top we’ve seen.
A shortage of vehicle carpets and floormats, caused by flood damage at a key supplier in Pennsylvania, has forced at least five Chrysler and General Motors assembly plants to cut production. As auto trimmers, this shortage may affect us as well – as it could result in a temporary increase in the price of automotive carpeting.
The Ciel is only a concept car, but it features what is quite possibly the finest interior Cadillac has ever made. It has everything: nickel-plated trim, hand-dipped leather, a floating console and seats so impeccably trimmed they’ll make your jaw drop. But the woodwork is what really sets this Caddie over the top. Dare I say it gives Bentley a run for its money?
According to JD Power & Associate’s 2011 Interior Quality and Satisfaction Study, more than two-thirds of the problems reported by new car owners reflect dissatisfaction with the design of their vehicles’ interior features.
While that’s unfortunate for automakers and new car owners, it does present interesting opportunities for auto trimmers. Providing solutions to customers’ complaints can help us generate more business and expand our customer base.
As an auto trimmer, I’m always looking for new tools that will help me complete my projects faster, easier and more effectively. While some of the tools I find aren’t necessarily designed for auto trim, they lend themselves to the craft very well. Case in point: Foamwerks tools, made by Logan Graphic Products, are developed for architects, but perfect for designing vehicle door panels.
Innovation and design website Humans Invent recently published an interesting article titled “Crafting the world’s best car interiors”. The article is about Bentley and the meticulous detail it infuses into every step of the design process. While that’s interesting, it’s not the best part of the article. What is – is how Peter Cullum-Kenyon, Bentley’s colour and trim manager, describes the craft of auto upholstery.
File this under odd news: a 61-year-old maid in Belgium was apparently crushed to death last Thursday when the retractable hardtop on her employer’s BMW closed on her neck. Ouch!
Not every tool you own needs to be a Snap-On, Matco or Craftsman. Sometimes a cheap, average-quality tool will do just fine. However, there are some tools that no auto upholstery shop can afford to skimp on. In some cases, they may be expensive – but they’re necessary because we depend on them to make our work more efficient and effective.
With so much fiberglass and plastic in today’s cars, it’s easy to forget that interiors once featured intricate woodwork. In fact, it used to be that auto trimmers needed carpentry skills in order to build, fix or customize vehicle interiors. But as automakers sought to make their cars more affordable, wood styling either disappeared entirely or was replaced with stickers and plastic parts designed to look like the real thing.
Thankfully, super luxury cars – like those made by Bentley – have kept the practice alive. And while few of us will ever have the chance to own one (or even work on one), they remind us that auto trimmers come from a long tradition of artists and craftsmen. Besides, who says we can’t look at what high-end automakers are doing and incorporate elements of their designs into our own work?
