Please help...Replacing Seat Belt Outlets

[jaev3]

First post...

Both of my seat belt outlets are cracked. I just purchased the car so the previous owner might have forced in a rear wind deflector causing them to crack.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, the seat belt outlets are the plastic piece at the corner of the rear side panels closest to the door locks. Its surrounds the hole where the seat belts come out.

Has anyone replaced the old plastic outlets and tell me how to remove the old ones and install new ones? I'm assuming the first step is to remove the rear side panels, which I have done, but I got lost afterwards.

P.S. I'm selling the rear wind deflector to if anyone is interested.

[nordique14]

I have cracks as well on those pieces. Not serious enough to warrant replacing them though. It might be a common thing with verts. Never thought about it. I doubt it is from the wind blocker as I rarely used mine.

[MParallel]

I noticed one of mine also has a small crack.

But like nordique says. You really have to take a clear look to notice it and I can't be bothered by it at all.

[jaev3]

Mine actually aren't just little cracks. One of them has a broken piece so everytime I pull the seatbelt, it gets caught on the jagged edge. I can just break them off, but I'd rather try to get help from someone who has replaced them before.

[goestoeleven]

Dude . . . these are a PITA. Not to mention that the $tealership gets $25 per side for the parts.

I replaced mine because they were falling apart as well. Getting the side panels off is the easy part. You're actually going to have to remove all the trim as well as unbolt the seatbelt from where it attaches to the floor. I'll go take a look at mine to see if I can remember how I did it, then post again.

[goestoeleven]

First, have a beer. Or maybe two. You'll be much happier because this turned out to be such a PITA I wish I'd had a beer first. Wish now I'd taken pix for you.

I'm assuming by the "side panels" you mean the ones that cover the speakers. Those are the easy ones.

These plastic trim pieces actually have a screw in them to attach them to the back of the side panel. The only way to get to the screw is to get to it from the back side - and that means removing the other panel. If memory serves, it's attached with a screw or a tab behind the back seat, and also with a bunch of clips at the top under the rubber trim for the window. Plus, I think part of it is under the hard plastic door sill trim. To get these panels far enough off that I could get to the screw on the back of the plastic trim, I had to remove way more than I thought I would have to in order to get to the part. Anyway, here goes -

--Put the top and windows down - lot easier to work on that way.
--Removed the rear seats - easy, just pull them up (bottom) or forward (backs)
--Removed the side panels covering the speakers
--Removed the rubber trim along the window (make sure you keep the little plastic plugs along the door side - they just pop out with a screwdriver). I think the weather seal peels off if you lift up starting from the back
--Removed the door sill trim (hard plastic, should pop off the last brackets and then slide toward back to remove unless someone else knows a better way). - you might not have to remove this one, but I don't recall exactly as I did this job last summer.

The part that is a real biatch is the top/window side of that side panel. It is attached with a bunch of metal clips attached to a sheet metal lip (hard to describe, but I think you can see them once you get the rubber window weather seal off. You have to get the clips off without destroying them and there are a couple that are easy and a couple that are tough to get loose. I think I had a hard time with the one at the back near the vert cover, but my memory is a bit foggy on this one. I think I had to work them loose with a couple of screwdrivers and also by working the panel up and down.

Once you get that panel off (or at least loose enough that you can get at the back side), you need to get the screw on the plastic piece out. Again, sorry about this, but I can't remember if it's a torx head or a really small phillips screw. Once you get that screw loose, the plastic trim comes right out.

Next, you have to disconnect the seatbelt from the floor so you can slide the belt through the new plastic piece. Pop the plastic bolt cover off with a big flat head screwdriver, then unbolt it from the floor.

Slide old trim off, slide new trim on (and attach to the panel), etc.

Reassembly is the reverse . . . ;-)

Repeat on the other side of the car . . . .

Hope you've had the second beer by now, and I hope this helps.

-Steve

[jaev3]

oh man....sounded like a stuggle. thought it woulda been easier, just as you did, i'm sure.

i'm going to try this tomorrow, so i guess i'll start on the beers tonight :). get myself good and drunk.

i'll try to post pics of the entire process if i don't get too frustrated along the way.

thanks so much for the info, goestoeleven.

[dieseldriver99]

Mine is cracked too, I would imagine that you'd have to remove the seat belt unit inside the side panels. I just epoxied them together. Be very careful with touching any plastic, its very brittle, everything I touch seems to break on me, list is long. BTW, how much are you selling the deflector for?

First post...

Both of my seat belt outlets are cracked. I just purchased the car so the previous owner might have forced in a rear wind deflector causing them to crack.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, the seat belt outlets are the plastic piece at the corner of the rear side panels closest to the door locks. Its surrounds the hole where the seat belts come out.

Has anyone replaced the old plastic outlets and tell me how to remove the old ones and install new ones? I'm assuming the first step is to remove the rear side panels, which I have done, but I got lost afterwards.

P.S. I'm selling the rear wind deflector to if anyone is interested.

[Jimmie Jazz]

goestoeleven's writeup is pretty-much spot-on as I recall from doing this same job a few years back. One note of caution; Don't over torque the screw that holds on the new panel. As I remember, it is a pretty tight-fitting screw anyway, so you don't really have to tighten it much, just snug it to the plastic and let it ride. The screw won't back out from vibration because it is already such a tight fit. If you over-tighten it, it seems to twist the piece a bit, which may contribute to it cracking again.


I have two theories regarding the reason they crack in the first place:

1. Over-tightened mounting screws tweak it and cause extra stress when the body twists
2. The seatbelt tab may slam into them when you unbuckle.

[dieseldriver99]

Making them out of metal would have been nice. Also, BAVAUTO sells a kit that allows for easy reach of the belt, instead of placing them all the way midsection of the car. What were they thinking. An E46's is located on the headrest.

goestoeleven's writeup is pretty-much spot-on as I recall from doing this same job a few years back. One note of caution; Don't over torque the screw that holds on the new panel. As I remember, it is a pretty tight-fitting screw anyway, so you don't really have to tighten it much, just snug it to the plastic and let it ride. The screw won't back out from vibration because it is already such a tight fit. If you over-tighten it, it seems to twist the piece a bit, which may contribute to it cracking again.


I have two theories regarding the reason they crack in the first place:

1. Over-tightened mounting screws tweak it and cause extra stress when the body twists
2. The seatbelt tab may slam into them when you unbuckle.

[wannabebob]

Thanks Guys. Replaced both sides on my 328ic today. It was a bitch, but I only had one beer. Actually it went back together easier than taking it apart

Question...passengers side, under the side panel, stuck to the body with double sided tape was...I don't know. Nearest I can figure is some sort of antenna. I'm guessing maybe the alarm system remote pickup. Rectangular, maybe 3 inches by four inches, Black. Reminded me of one of those sticky traps you use for mice. Anyone know what it might be?

[Brashland]

Gotta remember this for when I replace mine. They're cracked and look ugly, but I thought removing 'fixed' items like seatbelts isn't a good idea.

and BTW - I've heard that the windscreen should be the first purchase you do with a 'vert. Unless you've had it for a season and really don't want it, I'd keep it.





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