My driver side seat belt is just showing signs of age, the webbing is in great condition, but the internal retraction spring is just getting old. It takes a few goes before it properly retracts in to the upper trim. Used replacements aren't expensive being about £20, but is there any way of knowing what I would be buying is better condition than the one I have?

Have you tried cleaning the belt?  Sometimes they're slow because they're mucky which causes a bit of friction.

Can't imagine there is anyway to tell a good belt without trying it though!

2 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Have you tried cleaning the belt? 

Tom, that's a bit freaky LOL Was looking a way to delete this thread as I think I found a potential solution, and indeed, it involves cleaning it! I fear you are correct in pointing out that the only way if knowing one was better than mine is to try it, making buying online futile. Will wait till spring time so belt has a chance to dry out after being washed, otherwise in winter, it could take days LOL

 

 

You say you've found a solution - are you going to use that solution to clean the belt with ? 😅

Seriously, though, I wouldn't buy a second hand safety belt mechanism (or airbag or crash helmet, for that matter) - it's not the ability to retract that I'd be worrying about!

But if you buy a 2nd hand car you have bought a 2nd hand set of seat belts.  Also a lot of people say they won’t buy 2nd hand tyres but if you buy a 2nd hand car you have bought 4 or 5 2nd hand tyres.

I wonder if spraying some of that aerosol spray that they sell for making your dashboard shiney and slippery on to seatbelt would help. Maybe not on the bit that touches your clothing,  but if you pull belt out and spray it on the length that rolls up first

I've just watched that video  - have you seen his follow up video on how to dry out a soaking wet car seat? 😉

Seriously, I'd try baby wipes in the first instance.

15 hours ago, isetta said:

But if you buy a 2nd hand car you have bought a 2nd hand set of seat belts.  Also a lot of people say they won’t buy 2nd hand tyres but if you buy a 2nd hand car you have bought 4 or 5 2nd hand tyres.

You are so correct. 👍

It has annoyed me for years that the 'AA' and 'RAC' and other supposedly knowledgeable motoring organisations preach about the "dangers" of buying used tyres and other things like seat belts. Yet as you rightly point out no one thinks twice about buying a used car complete with used "everything"

It's funny how they think that once you take a wheel off a car it suddenly becomes dangerous. In this current climate of save the planet, protect the dolphins and insulate your wheelie bin you would expect the big motoring experts to jump on the 'green' wagon and encourage re-use of parts.

You'll do well to break a seatbelt.  I used to use them to lift engines out of cars, wasn't paying the extra for a balance bar and chains when every scrap car is full of belts!!   The ratchet mechanism can't really break either, the usual fault is the other way, the belt locking too early, which won't be an issue in a crash.

Airbags are meant to have a ~10 year life span...but I don't know of anyone that's had their airbags replaced as a service item!  Think it's more just an insurance thing so the manufacturers can't be liable if they don't work after that age.

Part worn tyres are slightly different though.  You can't necessarily see internal structure damage on them.  But if they're still on rim you'll likely see some damage to that.  And there'll often be steering issues (wheel off centre) or suspension issues where such damage had been caused.  So it is easier to see a 'bad' tyre on a used car than when it's just a loose PW.

9 hours ago, alanfp said:

I've just watched that video  - have you seen his follow up video on how to dry out a soaking wet car seat? 😉

Seriously, I'd try baby wipes in the first instance.

Sir, a stroke of genius! I have just used a few wipes on my belt and amazingly it is now running much more freely! Must confess that I was quite cynical in the first place that any type of 'cleaning' would make a difference, but hands up, I was wrong...

19 hours ago, StephenFord said:

My driver side seat belt is just showing signs of age, the webbing is in great condition, but the internal retraction spring is just getting old. It takes a few goes before it properly retracts in to the upper trim.

I have a similar problem on the 53 seatbelts fitted to the passenger seats of the coach I drive. The belts are all recent and in good condition but do not have a straight route to the reel as on a car.  The reel is placed right under the seat cushion and the belt has to take a couple of turns to get there.

The regular return spring sometimes is not quite strong enough to reel the belt back in. Frequently the cause is that there is a fold or misalignment on the last bit of the belt.

The cure for this is to pull the belt right out till it reaches the internal stop and make sure that, as it is retracted, the belt enters the slot flat and central.

Give it a go on your car, it might just be your problem and cost you nothing.

ScaniaPBman.

4 minutes ago, ScaniaPBman said:

The cure for this is to pull the belt right out till it reaches the internal stop and make sure that, as it is retracted, the belt enters the slot flat and central.

Unfortunately, not my problem, I'm far too OCD to allow a twisted or mis aligned seatbelt 🤣

What you need is to wait for the local, 'bob-a-job' week to start with the local cub scouts and get all your 53 belts simultaneously washed LOL

4 hours ago, unofix said:

It's funny how they think that once you take a wheel off a car it suddenly becomes dangerous.

It is if you don't put it back on!😀

With my 30 year old Sierra, I have had problems with the totally unused rear seat belt ratchets not engaging.  Normally solved by giving them a session of good tugging !

What I have also done is engage them with the fixed clasp, but swapping them over occasionally - ie, normally left to left, and right to right, then left to right, and right to left.  With the mechanism in a different position, they do not seem to stick as much.  I now tend to do this with all my cars !

Oddly on a 30 year old car, a sticking ratchet was not an MOT failure....

As for S/H cars and unknown tyre condition, whenever I have bought a S/H motor, I take off the wheels, look at discs and pads suspension etc, check the tyres inner face, a bit of copaslip on mating faces, then refit the wheel and use a torque wench on the wheel nuts.... If you can spin the wheel with the car in the air, you can also check for non circularity on both tyre and rim.

When I bought a 3 year old Focus ST, it came with Chinese Ditchfinders, which went....