Worth replacing seat belts?? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Hatterasguy · #1 05-30-2006, 08:52 PM

Now these cars are getting up their age wise, and since most are daily or pretty close to daily rides...is it worth replacing the seat belts? Well at least the drivers seat belt? I mean they probably age, like anything. The W126's at least have explosive charges in the base and I bet those don't last forever.

I wonder what they cost? I'll price one out next time I am at the dealer. For what it costs to replace a seat belt, that money won't even get you in the door of a hospital.

I think if they are under $300 each I will replace the drivers side.

greasybenz · #2 05-30-2006, 09:03 PM

if they arent torn i wouldnt replace them, if they are torn you can be like my co-worker and staple the belt back together

#3 05-30-2006, 09:13 PM

My best friend crashed his 1981 Porsche 924. His seatbelt snapped. It was not torn or abraded in the slightest. Every racer knows to replace their webbing every so often (what is it, 5 years?).

He lived, BTW.

Hatterasguy · #4 05-30-2006, 10:55 PM

I'm more worried about my face smacking the wheel, or worse. $300 is nothing if it prevents that.

So racers replace them more often? Kind of like how the serious offshore boats change their life lines often. If one snaps and sends you over the side, you die.

t walgamuth · #5 05-30-2006, 10:58 PM

they arent listed in the owners manual as maintenance items.

i have replaced a few that were frayed or partially cut.

tom w

SD Blue · #6 05-30-2006, 11:14 PM

A thorough inspection would definitely be recommended. As long as the nylon (or is it polyester?) is still pretty clean and shiny with no fraying or loose threads in the stitching, I would think there should be little concern.

I know what you are talking about though. Recently, I came across a guy outside a parts store with a shoulder strap so worn you would swear it was shear like a lace curtain. Not to mention that it was attached to the buckle by an overhand knot! As he pulled out, I spotted his safety inspection sticker and sure enough, it had recently been renewed.

#7 05-30-2006, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

So racers replace them more often?

Yea, because they are damaged by at the very least UV. Maybe other things too (ozone and heat come to mind).

Maroon 300D · #8 05-31-2006, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Now these cars are getting up their age wise, and since most are daily or pretty close to daily rides...is it worth replacing the seat belts? Well at least the drivers seat belt? I mean they probably age, like anything. The W126's at least have explosive charges in the base and I bet those don't last forever.

I wonder what they cost? I'll price one out next time I am at the dealer. For what it costs to replace a seat belt, that money won't even get you in the door of a hospital.

I think if they are under $300 each I will replace the drivers side.

Explosive charges in the base? What do you mean by that? All I can think of is an exploding seatbelt, and that sounds like a Wile E. Coyote plan rather than a Mercedes safety feature!

My driver's side seatbelt was destroyed when I bought the car. The belt itself was frayed and the buckle was shot. My mechanic acquired a new one and put it in for $130, I think. I'm not sure where he got it but I'm sure it wasn't from the dealer.

Lycoming-8 · #9 05-31-2006, 02:06 AM

My 85 300D parts car has this type of front seat belt system. It appears that the charge is to assist the normal ratchet and spring when the belt is supposed to hold you in. There were instructions to not change (DIY) these belts because of the danger involved. Have asked about these some time ago, but the details are not apparently well known.

#10 05-31-2006, 02:12 AM

Yea, some cars have a pyrotechnic charge that pulls back on the belt in a bad accident. On the Audi 5000 it was triggered when the bell housing hit the body.

t walgamuth · #11 05-31-2006, 06:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tabor

Yea, because they are damaged by at the very least UV. Maybe other things too (ozone and heat come to mind).

this may be true for the belts used by racers. but, oddly, i bet the quality of the material is not what it is in a benz.

if it were a routine problem mb would have put it in the owners info to change them at XXX intervals or years.

imho

i am pretty safety conscious.

tom w

Hatterasguy · #12 05-31-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maroon 300D

Explosive charges in the base? What do you mean by that? All I can think of is an exploding seatbelt, and that sounds like a Wile E. Coyote plan rather than a Mercedes safety feature!

Don't know about the W123, but the W126's have charges in the base of the belts. In the event of an accedent they tension the belt up against the seat. Kind of like an early "Pre safe"

I am not sure how they are set off, on my later W126 thier are various air bag related Bosch sensors in the console, maybe they are on that system or on their own.

#13 06-01-2006, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

if it were a routine problem mb would have put it in the owners info to change them at XXX intervals or years.

Not necisarily. Are the flexible brake lines on some list of things to change every 15 years? No. But we know for a fact they will get old and fail.

Ara T. · #14 06-01-2006, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tabor

Not necisarily. Are the flexible brake lines on some list of things to change every 15 years?

Yes..

t walgamuth · #15 06-01-2006, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tabor

Not necisarily. Are the flexible brake lines on some list of things to change every 15 years? No. But we know for a fact they will get old and fail.

i cant remember a replacement of any brake hoses from failure, and i have had many benzes with 25 years on them.

the only ones that i remember changing were after a caliper upgrade on my 115 to 123 calipers in which i changed the position of the lines and disrupted the "set" of them. and then after a few months they began to seep.

not a wear item, imho.

tom w