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Seat belt not retracting ; solved! Posted by magalar [Email] ![]() ![]() ![]() |
My car is 10 years old, and about 145 000 km (90k miles). Both front seatbelts were not retracting correctly since this summer. I look at the belt and where it pass in the b-pillar, and I found some grime/dirt on the black"buckle" hidden behind the height-adjusting slider.Time to look at WIS to dismantle the belt and clean it as this is a common problem for many cars.
Overall, it's quite easy. I removed the driver belt from the car in 20 minutes, and the passenger side belt in 5 minutes...
You must slide forward the seats to the max, to give access to the lower bolt on the seat base.
Then, you must disconnect the battery as these belts have an explosive retractor/tensioner. same precations as when you work on the airbag system.
Then, remove the sills form the 4 doors, and unclip the b-pillar trims by pulling from the base.
Finally, there is 3 bolts per side (2x M13 and 1x Torx bolt that need a Torx socket for the seatbase bolt, but it can be done with a 12-point socket too) plus some smaller screws. VoilĂ , the complete belt is out of the car ready to soak in some soapy water with a thorough clean with a brush.
I preferred to removed it from the car to clean correctly the black "buckle" hidden behind the height-adjuster as this was the main culprit. I unbolted it from the height-adjuster with a 16 mm socket.
The belt itself was quite dirty, too (teh water was very dirty...)
I took care not to put water in the reel mechanism by drying the fully extended belt with a pedestal fan for 15 minutes.
Wow, the result is amazing!
The belt is supple, and it retracts quickly like the one in a brand new car. I should have done this to my other cars too. So easy, and so satisfying. In fact, I was expecting a stiff retractor from old grease, but it works perfectly once the belt is cleaned.
Do it, as it is clearly a DIY job. Just take care to double check the bolt's torque when you're finished...
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