Does anyone know if this would fix the seatbelt problem cheaply and easily? If it is this simple, I can avoid having them completely repaired and being unable to drive my car for a number of days while they are out.
Any thoughts on this method? Would it work? Is it safe?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 - 09:26 am, by: Rob Rojo(Rob_tt)
Looks like it should work but I would try it on one of the belts that don't get used often (back or passenger) so if it does not work you can still drive till you find a replacement.
Chris Moore Tinkerer Queensland Toyota Soarer GTT-L
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 - 06:20 pm, by: Malcolm Hall(Neddy)
Chris I am waiting for a replacement retractor for my driver's belt and when it arrives I will have to do most of the job described - just note that on the Soarer the assembly must be set at 60 degrees to the horizontal (angle made by the emerging belt) to allow free movement - not "Vertical" as described. Be careful though - in my case this would not have fixed the original problem. A worn bearing had allowed the whole drum assembly to tilt enough to break a plastic guide on the drum and the broken guide had caused the jamming, replacement was the only fix.
Don't think I've seen your car in town - I'll look out for you , when I get back on the road....
Happy New Year
Chris Moore Tinkerer Queensland Toyota Soarer GTT-L
Friday, January 02, 2009 - 08:40 am, by: Chris Moore(Chris_moore)
Thanks for that Malcolm. If it turns out that this little mod is all I need, perhaps I could get you to help me fix mine after you have done yours? There would be beer in it for you...
Saturday, January 03, 2009 - 03:10 pm, by: Malcolm Hall(Neddy)
No problem Chris, when mine arrives I'll let you know. Mind you, the beer would mean breaking the first new year's resolution but hey, I could probably live with that
Chris Moore Tinkerer Queensland Toyota Soarer GTT-L
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 - 05:18 pm, by: Malcolm Hall(Neddy)
I haven't forgotten Chris but am still waiting for a replacement retractor... Probably not a bad thing to have the old girl off the road in this weather eh?
Thursday, January 29, 2009 - 08:39 pm, by: Jengiz Isikli(Jengiz)
Hi Guys, ive tried that method on Both my front seat belt's, for the soarer.
It did not work for me, the seat belt's only became shortened by roughly ..30cm or so, perhaps i done it wrong, but in the end, it did not work for me.
Now my poor grandmother who's a tad bit overweight cant sit in the front unless she pulls the passenger seat all the way back
give it a shot, BE CAREFUL as it is a tricky job, my father done most of it, my hands would probably ruin the belt system
Wednesday, April 01, 2009 - 05:52 pm, by: Malcolm Hall(Neddy)
Update on my seatbelt repair saga: cutting a very long story short I gave up trying to obtain a replacement retractor, contacted Autoliv who said that they couldn't supply me with a retractor but could remanufacture the whole belt assembly. Having been without the car for nearly 4 months I went ahead and sent them the whole kit and received it back today - this includes belt, buckle, pillar guide arm and plastic guide from the side trim panel. They won't deal with the public direct so I went through the local Repco (Cameron in Townsville is one of the most helpful blokes I have met). My interior is tan and the original webbing manufacturers have run out of tan webbing. Autoliv would not reuse the old webbing so the colour is not quite a perfect match, but close enough for me (it's a slightly greyer shade of tan). My wallet is about $250 lighter but finally I can get back behind the wheel and feel that Soarer grin returning
If you want to contact Autoliv, ask for Nam on 1800 804 588 - he is the technical guru and was very helpful too.