Hi,

New owner of a 2005/54 vRS here. Really enjoying the car which seems to be very rapid for 130bhp (will light up the fronts in 3rd in the wet!), sorting out a couple of little niggles at the moment, new rear tyre to replace a damaged one, replaced the standard headunit and front speakers (we had some fun there!) and will be fitting some parking sensors over the xmas break.

The other things I need to do are get a small knock in the rear arch sorted and sort out the seatbelts, which work the lock in to the buckles and lock but man they are eternally slow to retract and the passenger one needs some help to go back.

Now can this be fixed with a bit of lube on the mechanism (something like GT85 or TF-2) or do they need replacing?

Cheers,

Carl.

Try cleaning the seatbelts. It worked wonders with mine. Pull them all the way out, and hold them in place with a clip type peg. Give them a Hoover, then wipe down with a damp cloth. Just make sure that they don't get too wet, and let them dry before letting them retract.

Topic on here somewhere - I've asked ,as mine are slow too - seems that an application of a silicone based polish will sort out problem

Cleaning them as per owners manual regularly will prevent it.

Wow cleaing them, that's simple and cheap

As said it is in the manual too, the first time I have seen any instruction like that (I even checked the manual for my Mitsi Grandis and there is nothing in there about cleaning the belts)!

Carl.

Seat belts

– Keep the seat belts clean!

– Wash seat belts which have become soiled using a mild soapy solution.

– Inspect the seat belts regularly to ensure they are in good condition.

Belt webbing which has become severely soiled may prevent the inertia reel from

reeling up the belt properly.

WARNING

• The seat belts must not be removed for cleaning.

• Never clean the seat belts chemically as dry cleaning may destroy the

fabric. The seat belts must also not be allowed to come into contact with

corrosive liquids (such as acids etc.).

• We recommend that seat belts which have damage to the webbing, the

connections, the inertia reel or the lock should be replaced by a Škoda

Service Partner.

• Inertia reel belts must be completely dried before being reeled up.

I used to keep photocopies of that page after we had a run of seatbelts returned by warranty as they weren't faulty, just jammed up with fluff from clothing.

pull the belt out fully - clean it and then dry it with a hairdryer = works a treat

Mine is slow (only drivers), I will give this ago at the weekend!

I guess warm water and soft sponge is ideal?

I tried this a few days ago, it was quite amazing how much dirt was embedded in the belt. It now retracts like new.