Modified seatbelt. Can it be put back?

That cut/repair looks well dodgey. I used a seat belt manufacturer around Crawley area sometime ago to extend some seatbelts on a classic car to enhance tge safety for rear seat passengers. All done to proper standards. I shall take a look and see if I can find a link.

I would disconnect the battery and leave for 30 minutes before touching it. It may be alright but a company called airbag reset or something like that can always interrogate the system and sort it for you.

I have used these before and use them again if I needed seatbelt repairs.
Give them a ring or an email explaining your problem and see what they say, good luck.

FDTS Ltd
 
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Whoa. That join is a complete joke. A seatbelt is not a seam on a pair of pants. When webbed belts are fastened together there is a long overlap with a heavy duty pattern of stitching:

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(not an extension, just the first pic I found that easily demonstrates the point about the sewing after laying an overlap)

That belt looks to have been placed like a seam (so two "front" surfaces touching), a single line of stitching run across on a wide spacing then pulled out flat and another two stitch lines run to stop the flapping parts sticking out perpendicular to the belt

The only thing joining that belt together is the first line of stitching

And you say a child seat was in this car? Absolute slavering, knuckle dragging idiots. Words fail me..

But for me there would be no rescuing that; it'd be going in the bin!
 
Thanks. Yes, I think will probably go for a replacement. TBH, we rarely have people at the back so could live with it, but as I need to sort it out for the MOT (due in Feb) probably best to try to sort it out now.

I guess my final question would be whether there are places that would just replace the strap for a new one (and for this to somehow be cheaper than a replacement from the scrapper). The mechanism does appear to be fine and everything seems to be working in order.
 
I guess my final question would be whether there are places that would just replace the strap for a new one (and for this to somehow be cheaper than a replacement from the scrapper). The mechanism does appear to be fine and everything seems to be working in order.

Might be worth giving these people a try.

 
Get the part number and make an enquiry on one of the many breakers website online.
I used breakerslink.com and found some parts in the past.
Thanks. Very interesting website. However, thus far only one quote for £180, so let's see if something cheaper comes along.

Might be worth giving these people a try.

Was looking into this. Reasonable option £60+VAT to replace the strap. Only thing is that it will take about two weeks. In principle this is not an issue as, again, unlikely that I'll be carrying any passengers (and car gets used over the weekends only). Only question is whether being without a seatbelt for a couple of weeks may cause some error code that is a hassle to remove afterwards.

Is it the n/s rear (passenger side) or o/s rear (drivers side) belt?
Rear passenger side
 
You'd need to ask for more pictures and a part number but I'm fairly sure ebay item number 125251294633 is the correct one
 
Thanks. Very interesting website. However, thus far only one quote for £180, so let's see if something cheaper comes along.
What price safety ?
Was looking into this. Reasonable option £60+VAT to replace the strap. Only thing is that it will take about two weeks. In principle this is not an issue as, again, unlikely that I'll be carrying any passengers (and car gets used over the weekends only). Only question is whether being without a seatbelt for a couple of weeks may cause some error code that is a hassle to remove afterwards.
Better to have no seatbelt and be aware than to use that and risk it. It is outright dangerous !
Rear passenger side
 
Only if it can be tested.
The rear seat belt in my Golf has a lump out of it where it got caught in the latch when I slammed the rear seat back in place. I just borrow the child seat from the A3 when it’s test time as they are not allowed to test a seat belt with a child seat fitted although if the OP is going to have anyone use that belt (I don’t in the Golf) then I’d say replace it.
No longer fully true though.



Cuts anywhere on a child seat belt will be deemed a deficiency.

You must check any visible parts of all seat belts fitted. This includes:

  • seat belts fitted to child seats and restraints (this only applies to child seats and restraints that are securely attached to the vehicle using Isofix, carabiners, ratchet straps, nuts and bolts etc)
  • any disabled persons belts or wheelchairs strap
And....

Where a child seat is fitted that prevents access to the seat belt buckle,ble you must check as much of the seat belt as possible and issue an advisory that the buckle could not be checked.




The only part you can't really check is the buckle, so you would still advise child seat fitted not allowing for full inspection, but the webbing should be checked, and failed if appropriate.
 
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So, I've reached out to a couple of scrappers on ebay who both have told me that they've already sold the airbag kit, which makes me wonder that maybe these replacements are being done without much hassle? (Also starting to wonder if they will sell me only a single seatbelt...)

Also, here's the pic of the cut. I wonder why was it modified in this way...

View attachment 376409

That is truly horrendous!!! It should be in one of those MOT testers' "rogues galleries" of dangerous defects!

We do a lot with seat belts at work (for wheelchair users). I can categorically assure you that doesn't stand a cat in hell's chance of stopping anyone going through the windscreen in a crash! As others have said, you need the diamond-pattern heavy duty stitching over quite a large overlap area to stand a chance of it working - and that's at the end of the belt! In the middle - forget it.

People just don't realise the sorts of loads generated in a crash. Put it this way, when we test seat belt anchorages (not the belts themselves), we're trying to rip them out of the car with a force of just under 3 tons per seating position...
 
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