After waiting 379 days for our Maverick, we were ready to install the CalTrend Dura-Plus Seat Covers.
First, we laid out all the pieces from the two plastic bags. CalTrend also provided a plastic tool similar to a shoe horn that was very helpful with the fastener straps and getting fabric into tight places.
The bench seat package consisted of a cover for the bench portion of the seat, the seat back, three headrests, and a cover for the armrest that folds into the seat back. In all, there were six pieces in this package.
The front seat package consisted of a top and bottom cover for each bucket seat, and headrests for each seat were included; there were six pieces in this package.
My wife and I installed the seat covers and decided to start with the backseat bench since this area of the truck provided us with the most room to work and easily see what each other was working on and talking about when questions were asked of one another.
Headrest:
- Remove the headrest by pressing the tab on the plastic piece that the headrest mounts into.
- Slide the headrest cover over the headrest, making sure to keep the seams of the cover in line with the seams of the headrest. The fit is very snug; we found that pressing our thumbs into the side of the headrest created the needed slack to complete the placement of the headrest into each cover.
- Wait until the seat covers are installed before returning the headrest to the Maverick.
Back Seat installation:
Seat Bench:
- We laid the bench cover on the truck seat bench to line up the cutouts between the lower bench seat and the upper seat back. Each cutout contains two fasteners. The seat bench cover comes with seven fasteners that will be located on the underside of the seat bench; six of these connect the front of the cover to the back, and the seventh fastener runs across the width of the seat. The jack is stored behind the back seat; removing it will make working with the cutouts much easier.
- When placing the cutouts between the seat bench and seat back, we found using the plastic tool to push the fasteners between the two seat pieces very helpful. There isn’t much room between the two seat sections to push your hand between them.
- We each worked toward the center of the seat, placing the cutouts between the bench and the seat back. It was difficult straightening the cover once it was placed between the two sections; we decided that pushing the cutout through a few inches away from the final location allowed us the flexibility to address any wrinkles that developed during the push. Then, we would slide each cutout in place.
- We lifted the bottom section to access the fasteners, attached them and tightened them as needed. The buckles moved quickly into place along the strap, and we tied off the excess strap material at each buckle. We fastened the straps across the seat’s width, tying off the extra strapping.
Seat Back:
- The seat back cover slides over the section into place, and the cutouts come with Velcro fasteners. We found that once the cutouts are ready to slide between the two sections, leaning the seat back forward as you push the cutouts into place will allow you to move the cutouts into place more easily.
- The armrest cover slides into place very quickly, but to complete the installation, there is a factory-installed fastener on the back side of the armrest that will have to be loosened before you will be able to slide the Velcro fastener around the back of the armrest to finish the armrest cover installation. We had difficulty getting enough tension on the cover to attach the Velcro fastener that holds the cover in place.
- Make sure the seatbelt buckles are pulled through the covers. The middle seat belt receiver will only lock using the middle belt. Ensure you position the middle seat belt receiver to the inside of the passenger side seat belt receiver.
- Now it’s time to tuck the seat cover fabric under the plastic headrest pieces built into the seats.
- Install the headrests that were removed and covered earlier.
Front Seats:
Seat Bottom:
- We fitted the driver’s seat bottom first due to having better access to the underside of the seat. We took pictures to understand better where we can and cannot attach the S-hooks.
- Once we had seen enough, we started pushing the cutouts into place by hand because we decided against unfastening the factory-installed controls to loosen the covers that would have allowed us to use the tool as we did on the back seat. The tool still came in handy while installing the seat cover between the cushions and plastic trim. Check the fitment and secure the S-hook fasteners back to front. Be sure to avoid interfering with the travel of the seat or putting undue strain on the electronic wiring or controls under the seat. There are also two nylon straps with buckles that run back to front. The straps should be crossed and then buckled.
Seat back:
- The Maverick has side airbags on both the driver and passenger seats. Be sure to match up the airbag cutout and flap to the correct side of the seat. Move to the next step if your covers do not include the airbag option.
- The seat backs are installed by sliding the cover over the seat back. The fit is very tight, but this makes for a great fit after installation. Once installed, check the fitment, double-check the airbag portal, and begin securing the s-hooks to the underside of the seat.
- Install the headrests that were removed and covered earlier.
The installation took all afternoon to complete, and we were ready for a break, but we were delighted with our choice and the final results.