Interior shops - Looking for feedback on these 3

[steelerp]

Planning on having the J redone very soon.  I'm talking with Aero Comfort (San Antonio area), Aero Plus (Houston) and Tejas AeroServices (San Marcos).  They are all comparable in price for what I'm looking for.  So,  who has any experience with these shops?  Good or bad.   Thanks   Rick

[MARZ]

I hangar across the runway at Texas Taildraggers from Aero Plus in Houston and have seen two planes they completed - one a Barron and the other a 185 which was completed about two months ago.  Their work looks fantastic, the Barron is my bosses and he had nothing but praise.  There is also a great paint shop on the field if your needing that.

When I build up the requisite AMU's I'll be going there.   In the mean time I'm recoloring with upholstery paint.

[OR75]

While based in DWH, I had my interior redone by Leather Tech in New Braunfels. It was the lowest cost option then. I was looking for a simple / clean / leather interior. Probably not as nice as Aero Comfort and the others listed above. But again, i was not looking a for a New Gulfstream-550 interior.    

[steelerp]

Tried them and they are no longer in business.  Thanks though!  Rick

[Parker_Woodruff]

Aero Comfort all the way.

first pic: old stuff in the background

All panels wrapped in leather.  It was pretty.

[Rustler]

Rick--

I used to hangar in San Marcos, and I'd recommend Tejas Aero Services to anyone. Mike keeps a close eye on everything in his shop and assures high quality. They used to paint Mooneys for the factory, and Kerrville was always satisfied with the work. The fellow who did my interior will probably do yours if you use Tejas, and I get lots of compliments on mine.

[fantom]

Aero Comfort can't be beat.

I've heard good reports about Aero Plus also, but haven't actually seen their work.

[DaV8or]

It sounds like you are good to go with any of the shops you listed. If price is all about the same, I would be tempted to pick the shop that is easiest to drive to, or the shop that is the least busy right now. It's nice to check on work in progress and it keeps shops motivated to finish your job on time rather than putting you on the back burner. Also, a busy shop will just put you in line and you might end up with long down time. Other than that, just visit each shop and go with the one that you get the best vibe from.

[steelerp]

Thanks very much for the input!  We (wife and I ) have set a date to go over and visit Mike at Tejas and Hector in New Braunfels.  I've seen work from Aero Plus and to be honest,  I'm leaning towards them simply because they are easy (local) to get to.  But,  these are three fine shops and the $$$s are close.  Will repost when I select.  Thanks again!!  Rick

[N207LS]

I have not done my interior yet, but based on my paint work, Tejas is the only shop that I will let do it...  These guys are real pros.  If my interior is 1/2 as good as my paint job, I'll be more than elated...

Take a look at my photos and you will see my paint work.  Best of luck...

[steelerp]

Update...visted all 3.  Have decided on Aero Comfort.  Second place was Aero Plus.  Hector was not the cheapest.  His shop was unbelievable.  The work looked outstanding.  This is not to say that the other two shops were not.  In fact, after visiting Aero Plus, I was 80% sure that they'd have my business. 

Glad I took the time to visit all three.  Will post once it's done.  They won't start till April.  Business is good.....

Rick

[MARZ]

Quote: steelerp

Update...visted all 3.  Have decided on Aero Comfort.  Second place was Aero Plus.  Hector was not the cheapest.  His shop was unbelievable.  The work looked outstanding.  This is not to say that the other two shops were not.  In fact, after visiting Aero Plus, I was 80% sure that they'd have my business. 

Glad I took the time to visit all three.  Will post once it's done.  They won't start till April.  Business is good.....

Rick

[fantom]

The actual cost/quote can get quite complex depending on what extras you want, the materials you specify and how much you're having done.

Aero Comfort is an excellent pick, IMO. When I get my interior done I'm going to them for a lot of reasons, but especially because that's all they do, unlike a mechanic or paint shop that justs farms it out, and takes a royalty.

 

 

[piperpainter]

There is an interior shop on this forum....looked like a pretty good interior for a good deal in NM...

[rblauson]

Without doing the seats (mine are already done) does anyone know the general cost of re doing the interior minus the seats from any of the 3 places you guys mentioned?

a ball park figure is fine. i would not require leather if given the choice. whatever uis chespest, still looks good, is installed properly and wont fall apart in two years.

cheers and thanks for the info.

mark

77 M20J

[LFOD]

Mark, I just sent you an email with an attached quote that I received from Aerocomfot.

[steelerp]

Mike @ KAXH...I just noticed that you asked $.  Pushing 11K.  But that is the fully monty (yokes, glareshield, mats, belts, etc).   Killing many Corinthian's in the process. Rick

[steelerp]

Dropped of N201DF at KSAT this weekend.  The project has begun.  More pics coming.  Very excited about this.  I uploaded some pics showing the colors.  What just knocked me over was how much carpet they ordered.  According to Hector and his brother, they'll use most of this.  Hard to believe.  

[GeorgePerry]

This is a long thread, and for those interested in a quality interior at a fair price...I would encourage you to read this excerpt.  Pics can be seen here...http://www.mooneyspace.com/index.cfm?mainaction=posts&forumid=1&threadid=55

 

I just recently finished having my interior and side windows completely re-done.  I chose Airtex for the interior and Airmods (both in NJ) for the windows.

This is what was done...Airtex and AirMods did much more than just put in a 'new' interior. This was my plan: Since the old interior had to be stripped out anyway, I opted to also replace the windows while it was out and save a little on labor. Once the interior was stripped, the rear windows were replaced with 1/4in. tinted UV glass from LP. Got rid of the M20F 3 window scheme and went with the one piece "201 style" picture window. The only glass that wasn't replaced was the windshield; It's only a couple of years old and I plan on doing the 201 windshield mod next year so it would have been waistfull to replace it. Air Mods did all the window work. They are a Mooney Service center and the guys really know what they are doing. Check out thier reviews on http://www.airnav.com/airport/N87/AIR_MODS

AirTex installed the interior package at their Trenton facility. The interior consists of much more than recovered seats.  Thier package included, new door and baggage seals, polished door jams, complete sound proofing, 2 tone leather seats, front and rear, (leather seating surfaces, sides and backs), new carpets, repaired or replaced plastic bits covered with premium duraweave fabrics, refurbished seat belts, new dash pad and new headliner. The seat assemblies are completely overhauled with foam and padding replaced. Map pockets are stitched into both pilot and passenger sides and on the back of the front seats. Dodd at Airtex guarantees it to be better than new and says no money will change hands until the customer is 100% satisfied....needless to say I was   Not only did Dodd, take care of the plane interior, he was nice enough to pick me up and drop me off at the local train station.  His operation is top-notch!

OBTW, both Dodd (Airtex) and Steve (Air Mods) are great to work with. Both have been very friendly and helpful.
http://www.airtexinteriors.com/index.htm
http://www.airmodsandrepair.com/

The grand total for everything, glass, and interior is right at $10K ($2900 for the windows, $7500ish for the interior). It’s a lot, and I could have probably saved some money by doing it myself, but my time is worth more than I would have saved and the quality of work was undoubtedly better by letting professionals handle it.

Before and after weights revealed that I actually lost a whopping 2.3 lbs.  That's a rough swag since filling the tanks to the top (weights before and after) still induces some error.  Whatever 1970’s crap they took out must weight a lot more than the modern material,  soundproofing and ¼ glass they put in.

[fantom]

Quote: GeorgePerry

...I would encourage you to read this excerpt.... 

Hey George...you back in Japan now, and have living conditions settled down?

I looked at your work and detailed post, from over 2.5 years ago, very closely. That was a great deal and beautiful work. Given the time, and some differences in materials, I think Aero Comfort is about the same price and no one knows Mooney's better. Always hard to compare and of course history, convenience, trust come into play. Can't go wrong either way, and it's good to have options.

No unlike the Air Force and Navy  Stay dry, Commander!

[steelerp]

George, sounds like you got a helluva deal!

Talked to Hector on Friday.  He has everything out of N201DF and said the only surprise was the headrests: automotive type.  Said he'd swap them out with some used aviation ones.  He said the automotive ones were a bitch to get out.

Rick

[steelerp]

Job is done!  See the before and after pics!!  Aero Comfort did a superb job on 201DF.  No surprises and except where discussed, the price was exactly what i was quoted.  Hector and Juan Pablo are the best.  

[scottfromiowa]

Beautiful.  I can almost smell that leather through the monitor.  That will really be a pleasure to climb into that wonderful cockpit.  Enjoy!

[Parker_Woodruff]

Welcome to that New Plane Smell.

[fantom]

I saw these seats at Aero-Comfort before they were re-installed in steelerp's plane, and the photo's don't do them justice. They are spectacular! I'm soooo glad you didn't go with some over priced paint shop that would have probably just farmed the interior work out. No one, including the factory, does Mooney interiors as well as Aero-Comfort.

My bird was next in line, and is being redone right now. :-)))