So after a few nights in the car, the Dog shared her frustrations by chewing a few bits including the front passenger seat belt,

Question is Can I legally replace it myself?

Has anyone done this?

eBay are selling replacement

Obviously i’m taking a risk in not knowing the history of the belt but it’s better than its current form!

Just needs to meet UK / EU quality standards, I believe.

Seatbelt purchased from ebay, Has anyone else had experience in replacing seatbelts themselves?

Been to two different garages both saying different things,
One saying they’ll have to do diagnostics?!
The other saying its a 30 min job,

It looks pretty simple,
Is there anything I should be concerned about doing it myself?

some seatbelt systems are fitted with a facility to tension the belts before/during an impact similar to an air bag system – there may be
a procedure to disable this system to enable replacement.
Make sure you keep the belt roll the right way up and working – if you roll it about the ball system may lock the belt or not work after you fit it.

there may be
a procedure to disable this system to enable replacement.

Pre-tensioner?
Yes, I’m certain the belt has this, Would it not be a case of unplugging and plugging into the new unit?

That will probably trigger a fault code. But surely the electrics are in the stalk, not the belt?

you would need to check for the specific model/manufacturer
whatever you decide to do – try to avoid any risk of static
electricity discharge – touch the car bare metal before fitting or touching the belt roll unit .

have a look at this http://staticfrost.com/manual/90-94%20UCF11%20Manuals/Supplemental%20Restraint%20System%20(RS)/rs-42.pdf

Would it not be a case of unplugging and plugging into the new unit?

Yes it would, do it with the ignition switched off, should not cause a fault code, not seen one yet that does.

I’ve not changed one since I left the trade 7 years ago but once the trims are off it’s two 17 or19mm bolts .

Need to down the airbag system first before changing something connected to the system, like a seatbelt tensioner.

Doing it with the ignition off wont matter, the system will still have power.

Chances are SLIM BUT unplugging and plugging a new one in could cause a power spike and set the tensioner/airbags off

In my peugeots the pretensioners are in the bit you clip the belt into. they have a little pyrotechnic charge that pulls them down locking the belt. Are others build into the reels themselves?

If so then i would check you have the radio code and then disconnect the battery and leave it for half and hour to an hour before you disconnect anything but it is best to check this with your manufacturer or someone who has access to the repair procedures.

In all honesty my pretensioner wires have come undone under the seat and flagged a fault so I have just turned the ignition off and reconnected them with no harm (not fired or caused a permanent fault) but it’s probably best to follow procedure as you don’t want to be fishing around to replace the airbag ECU or going to get the one in the car reset.

you would need to check for the specific model/manufacturer
whatever you decide to do – try to avoid any risk of static
electricity discharge – touch the car bare metal before fitting or touching the belt roll unit .

have a look at this http://staticfrost.com/manual/90-94%20UCF11%20Manuals/Supplemental%20Restraint%20System%20(RS)/rs-42.pdf

Excellent but it’s lost on me! I’m getting the idea of seatbelts but than this talk Pre tensioners 😕
Surely I’d be touching the car metal first before the belt unit to limit static?

Yes it would, do it with the ignition switched off, should not cause a fault code, not seen one yet that does.

Are you confident of that? What’s your credentials?! If what you’re saying is true, It’ll save me a £50 visit to the garage. 🙂

Need to down the airbag system first before changing something connected to the system

How do I go about that?

Disconect battery following your cars hand book instructions. Go have a cup of tea. Disconect seat belt pre tensioner unbolt and remove old seatbelt. Bolt new belt in and conect pre tensioner. Reconect battery following your cars reconect procedure. Have another cup of tea.

Are you confident of that? What’s your credentials?! If what you’re saying is true, It’ll save me a £50 visit to the garage.

Yes and work as a Vehicle tech as a profession, change one every couple of months.

Also as a footnote, with people suggesting disconnecting batteries, if you do decide to disconnect the battery (I personally don’t), if you have a coded radio, make sure you have the code before disconnecting.

make sure you have the code before disconnecting.

😉
Much obliged. 😀

The tensioner is in the buckle side by the look of the belt in the link, it’s just a simple swap over, very simple to do.

Also as a footnote, with people suggesting disconnecting batteries, if you do decide to disconnect the battery (I personally don’t), if you have a coded radio, make sure you have the code before disconnecting.

Already covered above when i said disconnect the battery 8)

Did the dog shred the tensioner and or anchor or just the belt?

The belt is “dumb”, isn’t it? You just screw the reel into the car body , don’t you? That’s what I did when I replaced mine…