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      09-11-2020, 01:09 PM   #1
bada1211
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Seat belt locked up behind head rest

Hey all, so my wife put the part of the seatbelt that is supposed to go across the body behind the headrest, and the seatbelt then locked up tight (not letting any more out, l suspect the “automatic locking retractor” was activated).

I’ve tried leaning the seat all the way back and forward as some threads suggested, as well as pressing the brakes hoping it will release the seatbelt lock...but no luck.

Dealership wants $1850 to get the seatbelt unlocked, and the part will need to come from Germany in a month, yikes!

Any help is much appreciated. 2014 640i GC

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Pics are uploading upside down, not sure why :/
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      09-11-2020, 01:20 PM   #2
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Wouldn't it be cheaper buying a belt and real on E-Bay and cutting out your present belt or using an after market belt source replace the cut belt? Replacing it is about 2 hour labor. Just a thought
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      09-11-2020, 01:47 PM   #3
Opie55
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Is it locked because it is so tight you cannot put slack in it? In any event, before I ordered anything or took it anywhere I would disassemble as much as I need to to get to the bolt that holds the one end on the lower outside of the seat. That can't be much more than a 10 minute job. The bolt will either be a large Torx or maybe even a triple square, so if you question your skills or your tool supply, take it to a trusted indy shop and suggest they try that. Once you unwrap it it may work again. The instructions will be on the NewTis site.
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      09-11-2020, 02:03 PM   #4
bada1211
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
Is it locked because it is so tight you cannot put slack in it? In any event, before I ordered anything or took it anywhere I would disassemble as much as I need to to get to the bolt that holds the one end on the lower outside of the seat. That can't be much more than a 10 minute job. The bolt will either be a large Torx or maybe even a triple square, so if you question your skills or your tool supply, take it to a trusted indy shop and suggest they try that. Once you unwrap it it may work again. The instructions will be on the NewTis site.

It was giving about a half inch of slack before the dealership looked at it, but now it’s completely tight and doesn’t give up anything since they gave it back. I will try to get that bolt undone. You’re thinking the belt should release as soon as I undo that bolt?
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      09-11-2020, 03:21 PM   #5
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I'll ask the question that's on everyone's mind...why did you wife put the seatbelt behind the headrest?
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      09-11-2020, 07:00 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bada1211 View Post
It was giving about a half inch of slack before the dealership looked at it, but now it’s completely tight and doesn’t give up anything since they gave it back. I will try to get that bolt undone. You’re thinking the belt should release as soon as I undo that bolt?
It will absolutely loosen up. The bolt is all that holds it on that end. Once you have that end totally free there is nothing else to keep you from unwinding it. Whether that cures the problem with the retractor, which is inside the seat, you will not know until you try. My guess is it will.
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      09-11-2020, 07:12 PM   #7
Opie55
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And I do not know what your skill level is or what tools you have, but you can buy a Torx socket most anywhere. Triple squares are a bit harder to find but Advance Auto caries a set for about $10 here. Either way, it's a small investment. The hardest part of the job by far is figuring out how the plastic seat trim comes off. It's probably not hard, I've just never done it on my car yet. Once you have that off, the bolt will be right there. A Torx bolt has points with a rounded radius and rounded valleys between the points. Kinda like a cartoon sun. A triple square has 12 sharp points and valleys. Imagine taking three perfectly square pieces of paper and stacking them on top of each other, then rotating them so the 12 corners are evenly spaced around a circle. That's a triple square - thus the name. They are mostly used on German suspension parts, but I know at least Audi uses them to hold seatbelt parts to seats.
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      09-11-2020, 07:17 PM   #8
bada1211
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
It will absolutely loosen up. The bolt is all that holds it on that end. Once you have that end totally free there is nothing else to keep you from unwinding it. Whether that cures the problem with the retractor, which is inside the seat, you will not know until you try. My guess is it will.
Thanks for the input, just to clarify...these are the bolts I should undo, right? They’re on the back side, same side as the seatbelt.


Thank you

Edit: it seems you guys are referring to removing the plastic trim off the back of the seat to get the bolt underneath, and not the bolt on the floor of the car. is that correct? Sorry for the confusion
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      09-11-2020, 07:20 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by thebmw View Post
I'll ask the question that's on everyone's mind...why did you wife put the seatbelt behind the headrest?
I also wondered, but then saw they live in Florida.
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      09-11-2020, 07:23 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bada1211 View Post
Thanks for the input, just to clarify...these are the bolts I should undo, right? They’re on the back side, same side as the seatbelt.


Thank you
No. Those are the bolts that hold the seat to the floor (which are torx). Grab your seatbelt and follow it down. See how it goes behind the plastic seat side trim? The bolt is behind there.
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      09-11-2020, 07:27 PM   #11
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The seat belt end is sewn around a metal piece with a hole in it for a bolt. If you are not looking at the actual end of the seatbelt, you are not in the right place.
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      09-11-2020, 11:02 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
No. Those are the bolts that hold the seat to the floor (which are torx). Grab your seatbelt and follow it down. See how it goes behind the plastic seat side trim? The bolt is behind there.
Thanks for the simple break down. I searched through the newTIS site and went through each article concerning “front passenger seat”, but all of them describe how to remove the back seat rest or the actual seat, none of them focus on the side plastic trim which is covering the seat belt bolt. I circled the part I believe I need to remove, if anyone has any input on removing it please let me know! Thanks again.
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      09-12-2020, 01:24 AM   #13
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Did you try searchng "seat belt" or whatever term Newtis uses for it?
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      09-12-2020, 01:36 AM   #14
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Here you go. Easy to find under the seat belt instructions.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...belts/F5YmudHC

This is for the convertible (my car), but I'm sure it's the same. Basically it pulls straight out at the front and middle, then slides backwards. Raise your seat all the way first. Worst case you may have to remove the floor track bolts to rock the seat forward to get a socket on the seat belt bolt, but maybe not.
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      09-12-2020, 10:50 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
Here you go. Easy to find under the seat belt instructions.

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...belts/F5YmudHC

This is for the convertible (my car), but I'm sure it's the same. Basically it pulls straight out at the front and middle, then slides backwards. Raise your seat all the way first. Worst case you may have to remove the floor track bolts to rock the seat forward to get a socket on the seat belt bolt, but maybe not.

Woot woot I got the plastic cover off, only issue is newtis states the bolt is 42Nm, how does this translate to standard American bolt sizes?
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      09-12-2020, 02:24 PM   #16
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Quote:
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Woot woot I got the plastic cover off, only issue is newtis states the bolt is 42Nm, how does this translate to standard American bolt sizes?
That's not a size. It's a torque spec (Nm is Newton Meters. We use Foot Pounds). It's just telling you how much to tighten the bolt. If you don't have a torque wrench, just do it tight. As for the size, shoot a picture. But if you have a bit of modeling clay or similar, shove it in the bolt to make an impression and take the clay to the store.
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      09-12-2020, 03:20 PM   #17
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      09-13-2020, 10:42 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Opie55 View Post
That's not a size. It's a torque spec (Nm is Newton Meters. We use Foot Pounds). It's just telling you how much to tighten the bolt. If you don't have a torque wrench, just do it tight. As for the size, shoot a picture. But if you have a bit of modeling clay or similar, shove it in the bolt to make an impression and take the clay to the store.
Mission accomplished! Bolt has been removed, seat belt unwind off the headrest and bolt put back on. Thank you SO much for all your replies! Can’t believe dealership wanted 2 grand for a new seatbelt. Thank you!
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      09-14-2020, 07:14 AM   #19
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FYI, I recall hearing somewhere before that dealerships are not allowed to "repair" anything with a seat belt or airbag. Replacement with new OEM parts following service guide is the only option to prevent liability in a future accident if the safety systems fail.
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