New Furniture Recliner Repairs ---

[baileyuph]

Have you who work on such been getting a lot of business lately?  These are the recliners built into new sofas and love seats, usually one on each end and the problem is the mechanisms are bent. 

What do you think is causing so many problems like this?   These are new and they are bent so badly they either won't close or are difficult to close.

There is a warranty on the parts, I usually don't deal with the manufacturers, since I didn't sell the items.

Just curious if others get this type of work in?

Doyle

[sofadoc]

What do you think is causing so many problems like this?

I think the 2 main factors are:

1. Cheap Chinese mechanisms
2. Overweight Americans

Bent mechs are nothing new around here. I've been replacing, or just straightening them for years now. They come in spurts. Sometimes, I'll do 7 or 8 a week. Usually for a local retail store that sells Ashley, and other cheap brands. Sometimes they furnish a new mech. Sometimes I have to straighten the old one with a hammer or crowbar.

[SteveA]

I inspected one that came from Costco and it was damaged in delivery.  Customer didn't notice it for 3 months. Costco replaced it no questions asked.  One side was 3 inches lower than the opposite recliner.
I had another one where the back wasn't snapped in correctly and it presented as bent.  That one was an easy service call for a change - just required to be engaged correctly. Didn't even bring the tool box into the house.
SA

[baileyuph]

Yes Steve, I would take those snap in problems all day.  Often the problem with those is broken wood that has to be repaired to the backrest.  

Let me mention another problem expressed by the owners of this type furniture - maybe Dennis can provide a comment or two as to what is happening........That is, the user has problems pushing the foot rest back into position with their feet when they want to get out of the recliner mode.

I don't like/use recliners like this, some live in them, but when I push them closed with my hands, they do seem to require a bit of force to close.  Probably nothing can be done about these?

Another comment about recliners in sofa/love seats ...............does it really make any difference in the quality of the mechanism based on where you buy?

They all look like they could be made in the same factory --- I am specifically commenting on the mechanism and the furniture.  Some of those I believe, if not most, are made in Asia somewhere.  Not pointing the finger at anyone or anything just commenting that they look so similar, it does look to be all the same?

Another comment/question If I may:  The market right now is based on price -- largely that is, at least from my narrow perspective.  Now the punch line -- suppose the consumer should get healthier with the bucks and decides they want better quality.  My first intuition is .....maybe it will put US manufacturers back in business but the second thought is ........Asia, not being dumb people will just make higher quality but still cheaper than the US!!!!  

The cheap sofa/love we are talking about are highly praised by consumers for their comfort; therefore, if a bit of quality is an enhancement but still at a lower price than the US economy can produce, you get my drift.

So going forward, if robots can bail the US manufacturers out, that might be the stroke needed to save the industry in this country.  Come on robots!!  (said seriously but with a humor flavor and not ment to offend).

Back to recliners and their difficulty to close by the heels of the users - a general problem and can it be helped?

Doyle

[sofadoc]

I've often inspected some of those cheap bent recliners and said to myself "For just $100 more, they could've built a recliner that would give the customer as much as 7 or 8 years of service".

But instead, they build one for $100 less that might not even last 2 years. And 10 years down the road, they've sold you 4 recliners instead of 2.

As for those footrests that are hard to push back in. I usually find it was due to the customer forcing an already fatigued mechanism that got in a bind. And replacing the mech with another one just like it is only going to buy them some more time.

But hey.........if they got the money........I got the time.

[baileyuph]

I hear what you say Dennis.  I am not too proud to work on anything.  Somethings/often times repairs are a better business (for me anyway!).  I believe (I know) for me recreating what Asia does in the form of rebuilding their stuff is out of the question.  There is a lot of high tech incorporated in their "cheap" furniture, so to speak, but it does in no way mean "low technology".  Nope, they technology with their given work gear/ procedures are just not practical to duplicate in my type of shop.  Too big a difference in technology used.

Back to the statement (seriously) - things have and are changing.

So, the person who wants to stay in our business has to make changes in attitude and what we do.  I do anything that pays (necessity).

Doyle

[kodydog]

I drove by a furniture store yesterday advertising recliners for $150. What do you think? Bait and switch. What does the consumer think they're getting for $150. Would they have the nearve to complain when its just a heap of broken pieces after just one year?

As for Doyle's question

Another comment about recliners in sofa/love seats ...............does it really make any difference in the quality of the mechanism based on where you buy?

Lazyboy designed a mechanism about 60 years ago that is very sturdy. I reupholstered one of these recliners last month that is probably 40 years old and still in good shape.



I repaired a brand new recliner 2 weeks ago with the same type mechanism. This recliner had the 3 piece footrest that starts at the front of the seat and wraps around the bottom of the footrest. Lazyboy was trying something new by inserting memory foam. They sewed the foam into the seam to hold it in place. Only problem is the foam is not strong enough and ripped away from the seam and bunched up in to an unsightly mess. Lazyboy sent a new assembly with no modifications. And I installed it and of course it'll just do it again.

[SteveA]

Remember when Asia made a better car then the USA and in order for the USA to sell their product here they had to improve quality.  I've not always been happy but I've never purchased anything other then a car made in the USA.
Hope that my loyalty never waivers but quality is too important - I'd hate to compromise for less cost.
SA

[baileyuph]

Regarding La-S-Boy, my understanding is they have succumbed to selling the imported furniture.  There floor plan at one time was 100% made by them.  Not anymore, matter of fact most of their floor space displays the imports.  Can't compete with the foreign stuff at the price differences.

The recliner chairs they made some years ago are tops.  Their chairs made in the last few years are not of the same quality, mechanism might be - don't know.

In the report on La-Z-Boy, I believe the way it was put, they had to start marketing the imports or go broke.

My experience in reupholstering a 15 year old La-Z-Boy chair is their frames at that time did include some particle wood.  Unlike those chair made 30 years ago. 

Things change,

Doyle

[byhammerandhand]

I have almost that same La-z-boy that's 35 years old.  At that time, it was called the "big man's chair" being a bit wider and a bit higher than normal.   Since I'm a tall guy, it always fit me well and at one time, i could fit my two oldest girls sitting next to me watching the Muppets' Show.   My 5'2" friend always avoided sitting in it when visiting.  Now, it seems most of the recliners called big men's chairs are just overly wide.

I have been reluctant to spend time and money to re-upholster fearing the mech will fail.  I thought about ordering a replacement mech in advance, just to have it around.   Now, maybe I know the mech will keep going.

[sofadoc]

The older La-Z-Boys didn't have a "one piece" mech like most other brands. They had a lot of individual parts assembled on a main shaft.

I don't think I've ever replaced an entire mech on a La-Z-Boy. Just individual parts.
Here is one that a local furniture store brought me yesterday:

The delivery guys tried to do it themselves first. Now they are bringing it to me in a big pile o' parts.

Those like the one in Kody's pic I used to do at least 1 a week back in the day. Now, it's more like 4 or 5 a year.

I still repair a lot of them. But not so many re-cover jobs anymore.

I got a call from an old regular customer today. She's ready to have her old La-Z-Boy re-covered again. I've probably covered it 3 or 4 times since the 80's.

[baileyuph]

Back to the newer recliner mechanism replacements; I did two yesterday and they were literally bent around where the footrest is attached.

It required a lot disassembly and reassembly to get the old out and the new in.  I don't recall this "bent problem" being so much a problem on the older La-Z-Boy's. 

One thing that was noticed was the apron, connecting the footrest to the bottom seat cushion is lined on the back side with a thin relatively  slick cloth.  Very thin and not that strong.  That cloth was less than a year old (my estimate) and it was tearing where seamed at the top of the footrest.  Within couple weeks it will tear to the point where the foam enclosed with fall through.  So, the new mechanisms now and probably the upholstery will have to be replaced in less than a month.  If it is repaired, replacement upholstery will have to be ordered in because for a custom shop to replace the backside liner will required all seat upholstery off.  It is made off shore and their labor is so cheap we cannot compete in trying to sew new liner in. 

But what is bending these mechanisms?  I have my own ideas but it has to be based on user habits, something like they get out and back in the seat with the footrest up?  My guess, other wise if the footrest was locked in place it wouldn't get bent.

Gosh to all this, this furniture probably isn't much over six months old.

I am sure there are some here with same experience - the mechanisms and the seat to footrest apron upholstery black lining cloth deterioration?

Doyle

[kodydog]

Several years ago I went to give an estimate for a recliner repair. When i got there the house was a shambles. The couple had 4 very rowdy boys. The recliner looked like someone threw it from the roof of the house. I told the furniture store it couldn't be repaired. I never found out how they resolved the problem but abuse should not be covered in the warranty, in my personal opinion.