Wet Okole Seat Covers

General talk about the Subaru Baja.

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canuck37
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Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by canuck37 »

Like a lot of us, the driver side seat in my '03 is showing its age and I need to either reupholster the fronts, replace the seats entirely, or find a decent fitting set of covers.

I have tried a couple of seat cover brands and was not happy with their fit, as they did not fit snugly to the side bolsters and they just looked nasty and "saggy/baggy".

I have seen good reviews of the Wet Okole brand neoprene covers and am curious if anyone here has tried them?? The pics on their site seem to show a good tight fit over the bolsters. Since they are pretty pricey, I want to be sure they will look and feel good, if I decide to go with them. Any comments appreciated........
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mikenmel08
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by mikenmel08 »

I have never seen them in person.....I would find out if they have a satisfaction guarantee so if your not happy with them you could return them. ..
avnav526
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by avnav526 »

I have the Wet Okole covers on my front seats, a 2005 Baja Turbo. They fit like a glove, which makes them a bit of a struggle to get on. But once they're on the fit as tight as original equipment, really look good with no sags or wrinkles. There is a strap that is supposed to go under the seat to pull the sides of the cushion cover tight, but I have a bit of arthritis in my hands and I couldn't thread the straps through under the plastic trim on the seat cushion sides. So I left those straps undone but it doesn't seem to matter, the cushion part of the covers still seem plenty snug to the seat. Maybe one day I'll pull the seats out and do those straps but it's waaaaay down on my priority list.
As I said, they fit like a glove, plus there's a half-inch of neoprene sandwiched inside nylon inner and outer layers so my seats are actually a little softer and definitely more comfortable. The neoprene makes them waterproof, perfect for beach trips and a good thing if you ever spill a drink in the seat. Wet Okole is Hawaiian for "wet butt" by the way. You just gotta love a company with a sense of humor! Would I buy them again? Absolutely!!!
I'll take photos and post them as soon as I can (might be a few days) but rest assured I think they are worth the money, I doubt you'll be disappointed. I got the optional storage pouches on the seat backs, also well worth the extra cost in my opinion.
Scott W.
Pahoa, Hawaii
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by avnav526 »

One thing I forgot to mention, I guess because of the Neoprene rubber, they'll smell a little funky for a few months. At first I thought it was something rubber getting hot in the engine, but finally realized it was the covers. It's not an overly strong smell but you will notice it. I got my covers in December and now the smell is mostly gone, but if the car is parked closed up in the sun I smell it more, though lots less than when they were new.
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mikenmel08
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by mikenmel08 »

I would be very interested to see some pics, Thanks
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by canuck37 »

avnav526 wrote:One thing I forgot to mention, I guess because of the Neoprene rubber, they'll smell a little funky for a few months. At first I thought it was something rubber getting hot in the engine, but finally realized it was the covers. It's not an overly strong smell but you will notice it. I got my covers in December and now the smell is mostly gone, but if the car is parked closed up in the sun I smell it more, though lots less than when they were new.
Scott W.

Thank you very much for your detailed response!! That's exactly the feedback I am looking for. Frankly, if they work out as you have said, the smell will be well worth it!! They seem to get pretty good reviews in a lot of other Subie forums too. The main issue is getting them on, like you said, particularly for us older guys who aren't as nimble as we used to be!! Pics would be great too.....Thanks again!!
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by avnav526 »

Here's some photos of my Wet Okole seat covers. If you don't like the Hawaiian print there are solid colors to choose from. The only thing I might change if I had it to do over is request the head rest covers be done in black. They told me they could do that but for an extra charge, I think $20. I decided to save the money but I think black headrests would have looked better.
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avnav526
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by avnav526 »

Don't forget, those covers are about 8 months old, and I've put about 20,000 miles on my Baja since I installed them. As you can see they still are nice and tight, no sags or wrinkles (unlike me). They're rather expensive but well worth it in my opinion.
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by avnav526 »

One correction, the neoprene is 1/4 inch, not a half. Nevertheless my seats are noticeably softer and more comfortable with these covers than before I installed them.
No one posted any comments after I put the photos up, I presume because you saw the Hawaiian pattern, said, "eeeeuw" to yourself and decided to be kind to me and not say what you think. But please do look at their site, they have lots of options for colors, with various pattern prints and solids. Again, I am still impressed by their quality and fit, and wholeheartedly recommend them. And my Hawaiian print covers fit right in here on the Big Island, you see lots of cars with Hawaiian pattern seat covers here, but few that fit their seats as snugly as mine. Also, having the company logo on your covers is optional, but I happen to think their logo is cool so I opted to have it on mine.
Scott W.
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by canuck37 »

avnav526 wrote:One correction, the neoprene is 1/4 inch, not a half. Nevertheless my seats are noticeably softer and more comfortable with these covers than before I installed them.
No one posted any comments after I put the photos up, I presume because you saw the Hawaiian pattern, said, "eeeeuw" to yourself and decided to be kind to me and not say what you think. But please do look at their site, they have lots of options for colors, with various pattern prints and solids. Again, I am still impressed by their quality and fit, and wholeheartedly recommend them. And my Hawaiian print covers fit right in here on the Big Island, you see lots of cars with Hawaiian pattern seat covers here, but few that fit their seats as snugly as mine. Also, having the company logo on your covers is optional, but I happen to think their logo is cool so I opted to have it on mine.
Scott W.

Thanks again for the info. I went online and wound up ordering a set of fronts in custom colors!! Now the wait begins......apparently 6-8 weeks maybe?? Anxious to see how they work out......
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by avnav526 »

They are custom made per order so do take awhile. They may call you to ask for photos of your seats and to be absolutely sure they know what you want, which I thought was a cool thing.
Also, there were some videos on YouTube showing some installation tricks, you will probably find those helpful. Just go on YouTube's site and do a search for "Wet Okole".
Please do make a post after you get them to tell us what you think of them, I hope you'll be as pleased as I was..
Scott W.
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by canuck37 »

avnav526 wrote:They are custom made per order so do take awhile. They may call you to ask for photos of your seats and to be absolutely sure they know what you want, which I thought was a cool thing.
Also, there were some videos on YouTube showing some installation tricks, you will probably find those helpful. Just go on YouTube's site and do a search for "Wet Okole".
Please do make a post after you get them to tell us what you think of them, I hope you'll be as pleased as I was..
Scott W.

WIll do - I sent them some pics at the time of ordering, so hopefully they get things right! Thanks again.......
canuck37
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by canuck37 »

canuck37 wrote:
avnav526 wrote:They are custom made per order so do take awhile. They may call you to ask for photos of your seats and to be absolutely sure they know what you want, which I thought was a cool thing.
Also, there were some videos on YouTube showing some installation tricks, you will probably find those helpful. Just go on YouTube's site and do a search for "Wet Okole".
Please do make a post after you get them to tell us what you think of them, I hope you'll be as pleased as I was..
Scott W.

WIll do - I sent them some pics at the time of ordering, so hopefully they get things right! Thanks again.......



Finally received and installed my new Wet Okole seat covers! I am super pleased with them!! These covers fit like a glove and aside from a bit of a challenge installing the retaining straps on the seat bottoms (need skinny arms to reach under...) I could not be more happy with the results. The install itself would probably be easier if you removed the seats (4 bolts) but I was by myself and can't manage to get the seat out once loose. Waited for the kids to visit and had them do the work and it was all done in 30 minutes...wish I was still that nimble!!

All in all, best $300 I have spent in awhile, and highly recommend these covers to any Baja folks needing seat repair and not wanting to replace/reupholster them.
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mikenmel08
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by mikenmel08 »

Pics?
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Re: Wet Okole Seat Covers

Post by canuck37 »

Pics of new Wet Okole seat covers....no cracks on the colour, I like it!!

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