360Guy
Regular Member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2022
- Points
- 6
Both seat belt guides were broken when I purchased my 2001 3.0 Z3. I researched the many YouTube videos and forum repair threads which mostly involved either removing the seats from the car, stripping off the seat covers and replacing the guides from the inside-out, or making vertical cuts in the leather seats behind the guides, ripping out the plastic sewn-in backing plates, and sewing the leather back up. I didn’t want to do either of those so I came up with the following solution. This solution will allow me to easily replace the guides if they break again.
Items needed:
2 new replacement seat belt guides - got mine online at PartsGeek.com at $20 bucks each
4 stainless tee nuts - 1/4"-20
4 stainless round head machine screws - 1/4"-20 x 3/4"
4 snap on screw covers with the snap on washers
2 seat belt guide clips - eBay: “BMW Z3 and M Roadster Seat Belt Guide Fix (2x, Pair)”
Step One:
On the back of the replacement guides, cut off the protruding post that the push nut attaches to.
Step Two:
Drill a 5/16” hole through the back of the new guide where the post was. Be sure that the hole is drilled straight through the guide and not angled - see photo with screwdriver. You may want to drill a smaller pilot hole first. This sized hole will approximate the size of the guide holes in the leather seats.
Step Three:
Cut two sides of the round base plate of the tee nuts so that the remaining rectangular width is the same as the thread receiver. This allows an easier install and will not deform or rip the existing leather seat holes trying to push the larger round base through. They do make tee nuts with rectangular bases but I could not find them at the time.
Step Four:
Push one end of the tee nut into the leather guide seat hole. Using a small flat headed screwdriver, gently lift and stretch the leather up on the other end just enough to push the tee nut base into the hole. If the broken guide post nub is still inside the seat it will spring back and help hold the tee nut securely in place. The sewn-in plastic backing plate inside the seat doesn't get in the way of the tee nut install.
Matching the backing plate that comes with the replacement guide between the back of the guide itself and the outside of the leather seat makes for a sturdy fit when tightening the tee nut with the machine screw. The seat leather is very beefy and there is really no danger of it getting damaged, torn or it being pulled out with normal use unless you’re a gorilla. The seat belt guide clips should help keep the prongs from breaking which is a common problem. I know the “purists” out there will find fault with this fix because it’s not “stock”, but at least I can easily add a new seat belt guide if the prongs fail again.
Hope this helps a few of you. Cheers!
Items needed:
2 new replacement seat belt guides - got mine online at PartsGeek.com at $20 bucks each
4 stainless tee nuts - 1/4"-20
4 stainless round head machine screws - 1/4"-20 x 3/4"
4 snap on screw covers with the snap on washers
2 seat belt guide clips - eBay: “BMW Z3 and M Roadster Seat Belt Guide Fix (2x, Pair)”
Step One:
On the back of the replacement guides, cut off the protruding post that the push nut attaches to.
Step Two:
Drill a 5/16” hole through the back of the new guide where the post was. Be sure that the hole is drilled straight through the guide and not angled - see photo with screwdriver. You may want to drill a smaller pilot hole first. This sized hole will approximate the size of the guide holes in the leather seats.
Step Three:
Cut two sides of the round base plate of the tee nuts so that the remaining rectangular width is the same as the thread receiver. This allows an easier install and will not deform or rip the existing leather seat holes trying to push the larger round base through. They do make tee nuts with rectangular bases but I could not find them at the time.
Step Four:
Push one end of the tee nut into the leather guide seat hole. Using a small flat headed screwdriver, gently lift and stretch the leather up on the other end just enough to push the tee nut base into the hole. If the broken guide post nub is still inside the seat it will spring back and help hold the tee nut securely in place. The sewn-in plastic backing plate inside the seat doesn't get in the way of the tee nut install.
Matching the backing plate that comes with the replacement guide between the back of the guide itself and the outside of the leather seat makes for a sturdy fit when tightening the tee nut with the machine screw. The seat leather is very beefy and there is really no danger of it getting damaged, torn or it being pulled out with normal use unless you’re a gorilla. The seat belt guide clips should help keep the prongs from breaking which is a common problem. I know the “purists” out there will find fault with this fix because it’s not “stock”, but at least I can easily add a new seat belt guide if the prongs fail again.
Hope this helps a few of you. Cheers!
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