John,
I am considering reupholstering my Imperial and I'm looking for a shop that
will do a good job at a reasonable price. Here in the desert hourly labor
cost is quoted at $65, a bit too pricey for me.It sounds like Henkle's might
be the place for me to go. Can you tell me how they charge for their
service. It sounds like you purchased your material from SMS (I've been in
contact with them) and Henkle did your installation. Did Henkle charge by
the hour and if so, what were the hourly rates and how many hours did it
take them to complete the job?
Did SMS supply the headliner kit? Did you install it or did Henkle do it for
you.
I live within two hours driving distance from Pasadena so it would be no
problem for me to deliver my car to Henkle.
Quint
----- Original Message -----
From: <commenace@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 8:28 AM
Subject: IML: I have dealt with SMS fabrics...
> In case anyone is curious, I have dealt with SMS fabrics. I got my
headliner and three hides of black leather for my interior. The leather was
a near perfect match to the original which had very little grain. It was
twice as much as the next expensive place I researched, but ultimately worth
it. It should be noted that my interior guy at Henkel's in Pasadena, CA,
(great work) said the leather had a lot of imperfections in it, making his
job a little harder. He had to find the cleanest parts to put in the most
noticeable places. In the end, my seats look great! but I did pay a lot for
it.
> As for the headliner, the material was a perfect match; the color, the
hole pattern, they even stitched it correctly. All I had to do was pull down
my old one and install the ribs in the new headliner and install; a lot
harder that it sounds believe me. The only problem I had with them was that
they sent me an extra piece of fabric for the rear window and two side
pieces (where the reading lamps are) that was way too small. It was enough
for the side pieces but not even close for the rear window. I explained to
them my problem, and they said they'd be glad to send me another piece large
enough. But I had to pay for it! What could I do? They had me by the jewels,
I acquiesced. They sent me the piece, about two months later.
> End of story: SMS has the right stuff, they are friendly, but they do take
their time (a good thing, I guess). I just wish their customer service was
of a slightly higher caliber. If I paid you for a complete headliner, I
expect a complete headliner, should I have to pay for your miscalculations?
Oh well, it's all history. My interior looks great and more importantly,
feels luxuriuos.
> John.
> 1965 Imperial Le Baron.
>
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