Leder Interia

MANILA, Philippines - There was once a time when getting a new set of wheels and a new car stereo set up was all one needed to complete an “upgrade”. Those days are long gone. These days, an upgrade consists of the aforementioned works plus a few bits and pieces of aerodynamic additions and an interior makeover. That’s right. You read it exactly as I wrote it. Interior. Makeover.

Anyone who’s been to any of the recent car shows will agree. Aside from the usual display of exterior upgrade providers, interior upgrade suppliers are also very much present in after-market car shows. And why not? Seats, interior padding, ceilings and carpets are just as essential in making a vehicle eye catching as a good paint job or a bright new set of rims and tires.

Sitting atop this list of interior upgrade suppliers is Leder Interia, a company that has been working on improving car interiors since 1994. The truth is that Leder Interia has been in the business for much longer than that – all the way to 1971, in fact. “Back then, we worked on making belts and wallets and such. It was merely a matter of expanding our expertise when we decided to spread our wings and start up Leder Interia. It was a matter of me marrying my work with my passion, which is restoring old cars,” explains Babes Rojas, the company’s founder and president.

Spread their wings they did… and how! Today, despite still catering to the individual walk-in customer, Leder Interia also accepts work from automotive dealerships – which is something that has enhanced Leder Interia’s aura of credibility tenfold. “Our biggest break came with the introduction of the Toyota Fortuner back in 2005. If you recall, the first units that made it to Philippine shores did not come with leather seats. Early Fortuner customers wanted leather seats as an option. And dealerships were eager to supply them with what they wanted. When we were contracted to work on a handful of Fortuners and we were able to deliver to the specifications of Toyota customers, word began to spread. Soon enough, we had dealers sending over several units at a time for us to work on. Our name and reputation for putting together quality interiors spread from there,” admits Rojas.

That reputation is something that Leder Interia has been fiercely protecting. In fact, the company has even gone as far as to spearhead restoration efforts for show worthy cars just to prove its competence – hence the presence in car shows. More importantly, however, Leder Interia has the strong word of mouth following that has car enthusiasts flocking to its shop, which is located along Scout Madriñan Street in Quezon City. At any given point in time, one can find a slew of exotic and modern cars being worked on in the shop. You could say that work never ends at Leder Interia.

The best news, however, is Leder Interia is also now a complete makeover shop. With capabilities in restoring body and chrome highlights, you could say it’s not just the interiors that can get a makeover in Leder Interia. “I see it as a natural progression,” enthuses Rojas. “When you work on a car’s interiors, you also have to be treating the seat frames and doors for rust, for example. We simply used that knowledge to expand our services even further.”

Rojas expounds further, “We can restore the luster and look of your faded wood dash board panels, consoles and door trims.” With its trained personnel and a secret formula concocted by Rojas, that cracked or faded wood paneling will be restored to its original state. “It’s a hit among old school and classic cars. We also have the technology to chrome finish rubber and plastic,” says Rojas. His most recent innovation is to customize with leather your shift knob, hand brake pedal and steering wheel while you wait. “All it takes is 30 minutes of your time,” reveals Rojas.

Anyone who has ever had restoration work done on his or her car via Leder Interia can attest to the quality of work that they can provide. It’s a veritable heaven for car enthusiasts who simply have an affinity for their beloved four-wheeled possessions. As far as makeovers are concerned, Leder Interia is pretty much the spa they have been waiting for…