Lubricating seat belts - Good idea?
Discussion
I've got an E46 3-series, and both seat belts are s
te. They just will not retract and i have to feed them in on their own. This appears to be a very common problem.
When the belt is on, it feels loose around my body, rather than tight how it should be. I've practised throwing myself forward a bit trying to simulate a bump, and to be honest, the seat belt is fking wk. There's just too much 'give' in it for me to feel safe.
I read that you can spray or lubricate the belt, and this will make it retract better. I had a go cleaning it, and used some cleaner and some slippery dash cleaner. It worked fine for the first 5 or 6 times and the seat belt felt decent again, but after a few pulls out and in, it returned to normal.
Is it worth lubricating the belt any more with anything else, or just bite the bullet and buy two new seat belts? (It makes me wonder how long they last, although 8 years old, the car has done less than 50k) and i wonder how long new ones would last....
te. They just will not retract and i have to feed them in on their own. This appears to be a very common problem.When the belt is on, it feels loose around my body, rather than tight how it should be. I've practised throwing myself forward a bit trying to simulate a bump, and to be honest, the seat belt is f
king wk. There's just too much 'give' in it for me to feel safe.I read that you can spray or lubricate the belt, and this will make it retract better. I had a go cleaning it, and used some cleaner and some slippery dash cleaner. It worked fine for the first 5 or 6 times and the seat belt felt decent again, but after a few pulls out and in, it returned to normal.
Is it worth lubricating the belt any more with anything else, or just bite the bullet and buy two new seat belts? (It makes me wonder how long they last, although 8 years old, the car has done less than 50k) and i wonder how long new ones would last....
Sounds like a great way to get oil stains on your shirt.
Pretensioners take up the slack in the belt when you have a shunt, so I wouldn't worry too much about that aspect of them. Take the rewinder assembly apart and you'll find they've got a clock spring in them, I can't think of a reason why lubricating that would make any difference, and it'll take you an age to wind it back up, probably to no avail.
Better-but-more-expensive option would be just to replace the reel. Must say I always found the belts in my E46 a bit limp.
Pretensioners take up the slack in the belt when you have a shunt, so I wouldn't worry too much about that aspect of them. Take the rewinder assembly apart and you'll find they've got a clock spring in them, I can't think of a reason why lubricating that would make any difference, and it'll take you an age to wind it back up, probably to no avail.
Better-but-more-expensive option would be just to replace the reel. Must say I always found the belts in my E46 a bit limp.
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