How many of you check the seatbelts in your car?

[rottie102]

I've owned many cars, consider myself a very much Petrolhead yet I never checked the working of my seatbelts.

So you can imagine my shock when I've found out that both on my Corvette didn't work at all!
They did roll back in fine when used, looked ok, yet the locking mechanism wasn't stopping the seatbelt. They were pretty much useless and would stop me or the passenger pretty much on bonnet in a serious collision.
I've replaced both of them with all new set and I'm just still surprised that it never even crossed my mind to check their functionality just by yanking them.

AFAIK MOT testers also just look what the seatbelt look like, does it lock in the clip and that's it.

Really weird for such an essential piece of car's safety hardware.

CHECK YOUR SEATBELTS!

[Dave Hedgehog]

i have a life

[PumpkinSteve]

I check mine every time I park on a slope and I can't get the fker on.

[Eighteeteewhy]

MOT tester should check itheywork. Whenever I get my car back from MOT all the seat belts are clipped in.

[Gooly]

I check mine every time I need to reach over to the glovebox or lean out and get a ticket from a parking thingy, the bd locks every single time. Guess it'll come in handy when I eventually crash the fez.

[mybrainhurts]

Anybody know how to clean seat belts?

[Jasandjules]

Every now and again I check them. Not as often as I should though I suspect

[Pints]

I check mine. They fascinated me as a lad and I still tend to give them a yank every so often to please that inner child.

[wst]

Eighteeteewhy said:

MOT tester should check itheywork. Whenever I get my car back from MOT all the seat belts are clipped in.

My passenger belt is still connected from when the MOT was carried out in Jan. I need some friends

[JAHetfield]

Always wear my seat belt, saved my life on more than one occassion.

Back seat belts are never used but I always check them before MOT.

[DodgeRam Van Man]

rottie102 said:

So you can imagine my shock when I've found out that both on my Corvette didn't work at all!
They did roll back in fine when used, looked ok, yet the locking mechanism wasn't stopping the seatbelt. They were pretty much useless and would stop me or the passenger pretty much on bonnet in a serious collision.
I've replaced both of them with all new set and I'm just still surprised that it never even crossed my mind to check their functionality just by yanking them.

Well I may be incorrect here but I have read somewhere that American seatbelts work in a different way to uk belts, in that the locking of the belt is operated by some sort of plumb-bob mechanism so they only lock when the car is decelerating. That means that you can't 'test' them by yanking. Or have I dreamt this?

[rottie102]

DodgeRam Van Man said:

Well I may be incorrect here but I have read somewhere that American seatbelts work in a different way to uk belts, in that the locking of the belt is operated by some sort of plumb-bob mechanism so they only lock when the car is decelerating. That means that you can't 'test' them by yanking. Or have I dreamt this?

No idea, but since the car is over 30 years old I wouldn't want to risk finding out is it true or not

[y2blade]

Pints said:

I check mine. They fascinated me as a lad and I still tend to give them a yank every so often to please that inner child.

Same here.

[DodgeRam Van Man]

rottie102 said:

No idea, but since the car is over 30 years old I wouldn't want to risk finding out is it true or not

A quick google reveals I didn't make it up, and the corvette does use the pendulum type of seatbelt locking mechanism, so the chances are your original ones were working normally. I can understand why you'd want to replace them though on a car of that vintage, better to be safe than sorry!

[Nobl3R]

I rarely bother with mine so no, I don't check them.

[NHK244V]

DodgeRam Van Man said:

Well I may be incorrect here but I have read somewhere that American seatbelts work in a different way to uk belts, in that the locking of the belt is operated by some sort of plumb-bob mechanism so they only lock when the car is decelerating. That means that you can't 'test' them by yanking. Or have I dreamt this?

yep same as early UK cars, usually pre 60's cars wont lock if you just pull em quick only under decel G forces IE they had a bob weight and no cetrafugal (sp?) one as well.