Is it possible to tighten seat belt tension?

[jcjasso]

My seat belts are slow to retract, and now that I've replaced te seat belt guides in the seat, they are even slower, I have to manually feed it back so it's not hanging lose. Is it possible to tighten this tension? or are they just done due to age?

Thanks

[328 Power 04]

If they are dirty and stiff, a good wash will make them retract a lot better.

That would be the first step.

[robb1887]

The coil spring in the seat belt is greased. The grease dries out and cruds up. It requires removal, disassembly, cleaning, greasing, and reassembly. DIY is possible, but you need a special tool to rewind the coil spring. I improved mine in the Coupe but its not perfect; however, much better than it was.

There is also a company online that rebuilds and warranties them I believe.

If you want to DIY, PM me your shipping info and I can shoot you the tool I made, its just a 3/8" socket with a piece of plate welded to it with the appropriate shape to coil the spring back up. I did not take photos and such in process for a write up unfortunately as this is a safety item this is AT YOUR OWN RISK.

[IndianaRoadster]

That's what I did and it helped a lot. I pulled the belt all the way out and put a small clamp on it to keep it from retracting. Then a bucket of warm water and some mild soap with a scrub brush. Let it fully dry before retracting. Looked better also.

[zellamay]

You don't need yet another opinion to wash it, but I have to say that simple washing fixed that problem for me. I also clamped it and let it dry as Indiana did.
Here's an older, longer, post about it: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...your-seat-belt!

[cyberman]

You don't need yet another opinion to wash it, but I have to say that simple washing fixed that problem for me. I also clamped it and let it dry as Indiana did.
Here's an older, longer, post about it: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...your-seat-belt!

I tried that and it didn't help. And, like the OP when I put new leather with new guides, the problem got worse since the new guides are rougher. I'll send them out for cleaning and rebuilding, maybe, this winter. The problem is the pain of removing them as I have an aftermarket roll bar with speakers installed.

[jcjasso]

The coil spring in the seat belt is greased. The grease dries out and cruds up. It requires removal, disassembly, cleaning, greasing, and reassembly. DIY is possible, but you need a special tool to rewind the coil spring. I improved mine in the Coupe but its not perfect; however, much better than it was.

There is also a company online that rebuilds and warranties them I believe.

If you want to DIY, PM me your shipping info and I can shoot you the tool I made, its just a 3/8" socket with a piece of plate welded to it with the appropriate shape to coil the spring back up. I did not take photos and such in process for a write up unfortunately as this is a safety item this is AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Thanks for the offer, but seems too complex. I will try washing them first, if that doesn't work then I'll contact you for the tool.