Rear seat belt replacement on a 5 door

[Graham Butcher]

My son who works in retail, sat in the back the other day whilst still having his box opening tool attached to his belt. This tool managed to partly slice through the seat belt and so this now urgently requires replacing as it will not be strong enough to work correctly if called upon.

 

The MOT is due in 3 weeks time, has anyone ever replaced a rear belt on these superbs and if so, how does one gain access to the mounting points?

[wokwon]

@Graham Butcher are you combi or sedan?  I can pull it out of ELSA but I suspect they're quite difference hence the question.

[Graham Butcher]

1 hour ago, wokwon said:

@Graham Butcher are you combi or sedan?  I can pull it out of ELSA but I suspect they're quite difference hence the question.

I'm in a 5 door sedan, or as we call it, a hatch back, does that help?

[wokwon]

See if this helps:

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[Graham Butcher]

Wow, many thanks for the detailed info, belt is on its way to me, now I need to grab myself a torque wrench and hopefully a decent day to fit it without getting roasted alive or soaking wet. I'll post back here when its all done.

[Graham Butcher]

Ok, I'm puzzled, the replacement (2nd hand) has arrived, very grubby and needs cleaning but currently cannot be pulled out to allow the belt to be cleaned. On the side of the mechanism, there is a 2 pin electrical connector with a warning label saying that the belt should not be fitted into another vehicle, malfunction could occur and could be dangerous.

 

In the instructions in the posts above, there is zero mention of any electrical connection to disconnected or made apart from the connections to the airbag which behind the trim panel for the wheel arch cover on the C pillar and the connection to the heated rear seats.

 

So is it the correct seat belt for 2013 L&K or is it from a more modern car with pretensioners and thus not suitable?

Edited 17 August, 2022 by Graham Butcher

[varooom]

It will depend on your PR Codes for your car, 2013 has the choice if with pre-tensioner and without.

 

Don't use these numbers as gospel, as there are different part numbers for "combi"

More to show you that there is with and without pre-tensioner options.

 

Both belts are around £195, but I dare say you could actually purchase new for cheaper than that.

I would also not fit 2nd hand, as it's a safety feature myself.

 

[Warrior193]

Strongly agree, seatbelts are designed for one use (accident) only, - if a used belt has actually been subjected to the high loadings involved in a serious accident, the mechanism could possibly fail in a 2nd event.

Of course it is possible that the used belt was not occupied during any accident - but there will be no way to determine this,

Edited 17 August, 2022 by Warrior193
correction

[varooom]

You may wish to pull the seats apart, get to the belt in question to get the part number off it.  Then either fit the replacement one or located another armed with the part number of what was fitted.

 

I do realise money is tight at the moment, but hopefully you will get it sorted out soon with that part or a new replacement part (just avoid dealer prices)

[Graham Butcher]

Well, I've discovered that the belt does infact lock up if pulled sharply, so that seems to be OK in that dept. The reason why I could not get the belt to pull out, is because of the angle I was holding it at, if I place in the horizontal position, as it would be installed in the car, the belt is free to pull out all the way to the very end and rewinds nicely.  With it in that position, any attempt to snatch the belt results in an immediate locking of the belt, as it would do in an accident scenario.

 

One thing that does slightly concern me however is that when it comes to disconnecting the airbag, the instructions refer to a specific section in the workshop manual for the correct disconnection and reconnection sequence to prevent the airbag from going off by accident. I assume that there might well be a similar sequence (whatever that is) for the pretensioner (if fitted to my car) but what that is I have no idea. I do have the workshop manual installed on my computer but with the latest version of Windows 10, it does load but flashes up a message about it will not work with the currently installed OS, it used to work just fine before with earlier versions of Win10.

 

I have searched high and low for replacement belt, but being cream, they are just not that plentiful, new or 2nd hand. I grabbed the only one that was available in colour as the MOT is due in 3 weeks time, and it was 2nd hand from a breakers yard, new it is impossible to get outside the dealers and only want to supply and fit.

 

I'm only having to replace the belt because my son sat in the back with his special box opening knife that he uses at work, clipped to this belt and this clipped itself onto the belt and managed to cut half the belt and as such will fail the MOT test.

 

Edited 17 August, 2022 by Graham Butcher

[Warrior193]

50 minutes ago, Graham Butcher said:

Well, I've discovered that the belt does infact lock up if pulled sharply, so that seems to be OK in that dept. The reason why I could not get the belt to pull out, is because of the angle I was holding it at, if I place in the horizontal position, as it would be installed in the car, the belt is free to pull out all the way to the very end and rewinds nicely.  With it in that position, any attempt to snatch the belt results in an immediate locking of the belt, as it would do in an accident scenario.

 

One thing that does slightly concern me however is that when it comes to disconnecting the airbag, the instructions refer to a specific section in the workshop manual for the correct disconnection and reconnection sequence to prevent the airbag from going off by accident. I assume that there might well be a similar sequence (whatever that is) for the pretensioner (if fitted to my car) but what that is I have no idea. I do have the workshop manual installed on my computer but with the latest version of Windows 10, it does load but flashes up a message about it will not work with the currently installed OS, it used to work just fine before with earlier versions of Win10.

 

I have searched high and low for replacement belt, but being cream, they are just not that plentiful, new or 2nd hand. I grabbed the only one that was available in colour as the MOT is due in 3 weeks time, and it was 2nd hand from a breakers yard, new it is impossible to get outside the dealers and only want to supply and fit.

 

I'm only having to replace the belt because my son sat in the back with his special box opening knife that he uses at work, clipped to this belt and this clipped itself onto the belt and managed to cut half the belt and as such will fail the MOT test.

 

Hi Graham, the reference was in relation to using a used belt, for which there can be no reasonable way of knowing previous history of the replacement.

NB, even if the retractor works correctly when pulled out manually is not necessarily a guarantee that it will lock and hold correctly in the event of an accident.

In the case of your cut belt webbing strap, it might be better (and cheaper) to investigate having your strap replaced - I believe there are companies that can do this.

[softscoop]

Just a thought, but if you don't think you could fit a replacement belt in time for the MOT, do you have anyone you can borrow a child's car seat from for MOT day?

 

If the car seat is the type fitted by the belt, where it physically clamps onto the belt, and the cut is hidden by the seat being fitted, they can't remove it to check the belt.

 

You'll have advisory of: Nearside Rear Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt, but it should pass.

 

 

Obviously I wouldn't recommend it normally, but if you know that no one is going to sit in that seat until you've got a replacement belt fitted, it will allow you the time to get it sorted.

Edited 17 August, 2022 by softscoop

[Graham Butcher]

Thanks, that is not going to work because of where the webbing is cut, it would be highly visible.

 

I'm really struggling with the instructions because they keep referring me to various chapters that I don't have access to remove various bits of trim. I do however have a full manual on my PC  that is where I think wokwon extracted the instructions that he kindly posted. However I cannot access it because Windows 10 gives me an error message saying that because it is based on a VMware system of virtual machine, it cannot run while Microsoft Hyper_V is installed. It is disabled in the settings but still refuses to load WTF.

[varooom]

@Graham Butcher If you can be explicit in detailing the parts you are missing, then gaps can be filled.

 

You could also make account on erWin Skoda, and download the PDF's for your motor, for all of 7 Euro.

It will get away from your virtual machine issues and such.

[Graham Butcher]

I'm currently installing the virtual machine on a laptop and will try and run it there first, if not then erWin Skoda could be an option. Another option is, as I don't have anywhere else other than the street to do this in, is to perhaps return the 2nd hand one for a refund and just book the car into my dealer for its service which is due in 20 days have it serviced and let them fit a replacement belt and then MOT it as well. I'd rather not have the expense as I'm retired, and the pension is not at all generous, but I rely on the car to get the wife to and from her place of work as well as my son and to do the family shopping etc. It is the only car in the family, and I'm the only driver. Its been way too hot do anything like this until now, and today I got soaked with more rain forecast, which is reducing the time I have available.

[Graham Butcher]

Here is an update on the current position. I still could not get my VMware based manual to operate, turns out to be I believe a hooky copy and the producers have been able to identify it online and disable it, which would account for the specific instructions that came with it for installing. So I invested in yet another manual, infact I got the Mk2 and the Mk3 versions for the same money, bargain. Pages are perfectly scanned, the old one I always suspected were scans done from scans, not so this time.

 

Now I have full access to hundreds of pages and all the missing instructions that the pages already kindly supplied by varooom showed the various links to, but still the instructions are not clear enough to proceed without running the risk of breaking some trim parts in the process which I'm not happy in doing, the car apart needing a good valet is in mint condition and I want to keep it that way.

 

So I contacted my dealer and the VWaudi Tech in my city for quotes to supply a new seat belt in colour and fit it, VWaudi Tech, £390 and my dealer £302, so I've booked in with the dealer, who has looked after the car from new and were originally looking at the end of Sept before they could do it. Then they noticed that their records showed it was not only due for an MOT, but also it was time for the brake fluid to be changed, and its service was due in 4 weeks time, so they have now managed to squeeze all 4 jobs in on the 5th Sept, well done them. Its also Tax and insurance time so its going to be an expensive couple of months.

 

I thank all the members for their very kind efforts, but the parts shown in the manual seem to be different to those fitted, and the screws mentioned don't exist and I have other trip panels that sit above the one I need to remove, but that has to be removed first, and the manual makes zero mention of that at all 😲.

 

Now I just need to return the 2nd hand belt for a refund.

Edited 20 August, 2022 by Graham Butcher

[Graham Butcher]

As you can see from the attached page of the manual, it is a genuine Skoda manual and I still find it lacking in detail, so I can assume that the manual is used internally by the mechanics in conjunction with their hands on training and armed loads of update sheets for various model tweaks etc.

 

If you zoom in close, this can only be seen on screen, just beneath the large Skoda watermark in the centre of the page, the actual copyright message from Skoda, showing that its not a third party copy such as Haynes, but that it is the genuine Skoda article.

S0062170020-Body_Work.pdf

Edited 20 August, 2022 by Graham Butcher

[varooom]

Your files are old, 07.2013

Mine are 10.2017 revision.

 

They are genuine, just someone probably sold you on eBay I guess, an older version.

 

However, looked at both versions and cannot see any large differences on mobile phone.  The instructions are the same, but link's are different.

 

The technician/mechanic brains are able to figure out subtle differences, and also being familiar with the various fasteners will be able to remove faster and more effectively than Joe Public with no training.  Just boils down to greater exposure and having seen before I guess.

[Graham Butcher]

The old manual that I was unable to load on the PC I didn't get of eBay,  it was what was supposed to a genuine seller that Google found.  The print quality was bad as well.  The new one is vastly superior in every aspect.  What was good was that I got mkII and also mkIII manuals for just £9.95.

 

Yes the links are different, page numbers instead of chapter's.  Some of the illustrations are also in colour. 

[wokwon]

Mine is also very old, runs in a virtual windows 7 box but as my car is a 2013 it suffices.  I can't speak of its provenance as the mods here are death on that sort of thing.

 

In terms of the wiring, while I'm not qualified or an expert, I can't see how an airbag or tensioner/igniter can be fired if the battery is disconnected as they all need power to ignite.  So in that sense, as long as you disconnect the battery I think you'd be fine to disconnect and reconnect.  Here is what I managed to find in my copy (the front seat belt section pasted in just for the recommendation to disconnect the battery).  They do bang on about ESD a lot but I expect that is an arse covering exercise as I have spent some small amount of time designing an automotive module for a car and they always have heavy ESD and input protection.

 

The last section talks about when power is reconnected / re airbags and I've highlighted a particularly amusing section.  Seems to be OSHA gone mad but presumably something bad has happened in the past and these clauses address it.  For my own experience, I've never bothered  but that may be survivor paradox talking there.  Maybe you could leave the drivers window open and use a broom stick to press  the start/stop button?  You might need a brick on the brake pedal too I suppose.

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[Graham Butcher]

Yes, my manual is almost the mirror copy of that step by step list. However, as I cannot even get the rear trim panels off to get access to the belt in the first place, I have booked the car in for its 80,000 mile service and also the MOT test, and the dealer is also going to replace the belt for me at the same time. To that end I have already returned the second hand one I got for a refund which they did instantly for me with no problem, so I will no doubt be using that breaker again in the future for other parts.

[Graham Butcher]

Update on my seat belt position, the dealer now has one in stock, and it is going to be fitted on the 12th October and the cost is supposed to be £302 fitted which my son is paying, after which I'm sure he will a lot more careful when he is in the car, a lesson learned the hard way.

[Graham Butcher]

Yet another update on the seatbelt saga, took the car along on the 12th as arranged only to get a phone call later in the day to say that they have had to reassemble the car without fitting the new belt.

 

They had ordered in the wrong one and have now re-ordered yet again, and once again, surprise it is on back order and still no idea as to when it might actually arrive let alone get fitted.

[Graham Butcher]

It has now arrived and is booked in for next Saturday morning, so fingers crossed I might actually get full use of the car back again 😌

[Graham Butcher]

Seat belt was finally fitted this morning, all appears to be good but boy it sure took a time, almost 3 months from the problem first arising to being resolved, one of the downfalls of having a rare model I suppose, no doubt had the car been an SE or even a basic trim level, it would have been far quicker to fix 😞