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Interior work is where an R107 becomes pleasant day to day. Seats, carpet, dash, and wood each have different cost curves — and dash cracks tempt shortcuts that look worse in person than in ads.
Related: restoration planning.
MB-Tex vs leather
MB-Tex wears like a tank and cleans easily. Leather feels special and shows neglect. Neither is “correct” for every car — match what the car had or what you will maintain. Quality covers beat bargain vinyl that shines wrong.
Seat covers and foam
Foam collapses before covers look finished. Budget foam and webbing with covers. Mentally test-fit patterns; poor kits wrinkle on bolsters.
Carpet kits
Carpet transforms the cabin. Prep the metal (rust, insulation, sound deadening) before the kit goes in. Trapped moisture under new carpet is an expensive hide.
Dash cracks
Options people weigh:
- Dash cap: faster, visible as a cover on close inspection
- Reupholster / recover: skilled work; quality varies
- Replace: best when a sound dash is available; costly and fitment-sensitive
Park out of sun when you can. Prevention is cheaper than any of the three.
Wood trim
Cracked or delaminating wood can be refinished by specialists or replaced with careful used pieces. Color match across the cabin matters; one bright new piece beside tired ones looks odd.
Door panels
Window regulators and vapor barriers should be right before panels are considered “done.” Armrests and chrome trim are easy to break during removal — go slow.
Cost mindset
Interior quotes should be itemized. Doing seats alone on a moth-eaten carpet car rarely satisfies. Stage the work if budget requires it, but keep the cabin coherent.
MB-Tex care vs leather care
Tex: gentle cleaners, avoid harsh solvents that gloss the grain. Leather: clean and condition on a schedule; cracked leather from neglect is expensive to hide. Park out of sun either way.
Seat rebuild sequence
Remove seats carefully (airbag/seatbelt considerations on later cars where applicable — know your year). Replace foam, check seat frames and tracks, then covers. Test switches and heaters before final install if equipped.
Carpet and insulation
Pull old carpet, treat rust, renew insulation where it crumbled. Moisture under carpet needs a source fix (seals, AC evaporator drains) or you will repeat the job.
Dash decisions in daylight
Inspect cracks in bright light. Caps that look fine indoors can glare and misfit outdoors. If choosing recover or replace, see finished examples in person when you can.
Wood and chrome cohesion
Refinish wood as a set when possible. Mixing one mirror-gloss piece with tired neighbors looks unfinished. Door chrome and window seals should be planned with panel work so you are not removing new panels twice.
Staging on a budget
Priority order many owners use: driver’s seat comfort → carpet/smell → dash (sun) → wood last. Keep colors coherent so the cabin does not look like a parts bin.
Smell and cabin health
Musty interiors often mean water ingress or an evaporator drain issue. Fix the water source before sealing new carpet into a swamp. Cabin filters are not the whole story on these cars — seals and drains matter more.
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