Bipper Van 1.3 2013 Seat Belt Not retracting

[Bippervan]

Hi everyone

My seat belt is starting to not retract anymore, is this an easy fix? Can anyone put me in the right direction

Kind regards

Bipper.

[GiveMeABreak]

It probably needs replacing - but I would leave it to a garage if you don't have experience - because these probably have pre-tensioners (pyrotechics) that need special care when removing and replacing.
Secondly, the cab partition needs removing as well as the B/C pillar trims to get to the units.

[Bippervan]

Thank Marc for your help. xx

[GiveMeABreak]

I think this may be an MOT failure if the belts don't retract, so don't leave it too late

[Hell Razor5543]

You could try cleaning the seatbelt (it is known that some seatbelts are slow to retract, such as on the C5, especially if they are dirty). I have found that the car fabric cleaner from Poundland does a decent job (it is in an orange spray can). You have to pull the belt out to its' fullest extent, spray the foam onto the belt, wait until the foam goes liquid, and then wipe it off (you may find it easiest to do the belt one section at a time). After that, a spray of silicon lubricant will also help. I have used this stuff from Screwfix Direct;

https://www.screwfix.com/p/floplast-sil ... 40ml/3290f

As I understand it, so long as the seatbelt is not damaged and 'brakes' when pulled fast it should get through the MoT. On my previous C5 the drivers' belt was slow to retract, but the tester said that was not part of the test. However, things may have changed since then.

[GiveMeABreak]

It is a major Fail James if the seat belt does not retract!

[Hell Razor5543]

Does the belt retract when it is helped? If it does then it is likely dirt is hindering the self-retraction of the belt, so a good clean might sort it out. However, if it does not retract at all it is likely the spring or mechanism has failed, so will need to be professionally repaired or replaced.

[myglaren]

Mine, on both C5s, took ages to retract. Cleaning and a spray with silicone lubricant helped but they were still slow. Always passed though.

[GiveMeABreak]

I think it's part of the new stricter regs now Steve, Section 7 (e)

Defect	Category
(a) A statutory seat belt missing	Major
(b) A seat belt: (i) or flexible stalk damaged (ii) webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened	Major Dangerous
(c) Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type	Major
(d) Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended	Major
(e) Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended	Major

From what I can gather, there's been a year on year increase in MOT failures, now standing at a threefold increase! The most of these failures are in emissions tests as you'd expect with vehicles struggling to keep within the stricter limits now.

[myglaren]

It was August 2019 when mine was last done so may have just missed a change.