Odd seats/missing seatbelt guides

[yellowjacket]

Hey all - My new-to-me Z3 has seatbelts, but no guides on the seats like nearly every other I've seen, making it a challenge to grab the belt. I'm wondering how this could be--the seats couldn't be OEM, right? (They look pretty similar to standard equipment.)

Most important, I'm looking into installing seatbelt guides, which seems to involve slicing the leather, slipping a plate in, and stitching up the wound. Are there any alternatives to this you folks have heard of? And when looking at replacement guides, are the aftermarket just as good as OEM? (I'm looking at both here https://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/2001/bmw/z3/body_mechanical_-ar-_trim/seat_belt_guide.html). TIA.
(Towel on passenger side floor courtesy of roof leak.)

 

[mrscalex]

I would be 99% certain those are replacement seat covers and the guide holes have been 'deleted'.

You would need to remove the upper cover to fix it as there are starloc washers that fix behind to hold the guide by 2 plastic pins that protrude through the cover. And that involves removal of hog rings on Sport seats. Which are the nastiest part of the operation. Although the whole job is arguably not for the faint-hearted!

I would imagine no reason not to add the guides once you have done that. But you wouldn't be certain until the cover is off.

 

[mrscalex]

And I'd stick to BMW seat belt guides. I think they are about £20 a side in the UK. So I would guess little more than your after market parts. Although it's possible your link is actually genuine parts? No idea on that one.

 

[yellowjacket]

I would be 99% certain those are replacement seat covers and the guide holes have been 'deleted'.

You would need to remove the upper cover to fix it as there are starloc washers that fix behind to hold the guide by 2 plastic pins that protrude through the cover. And that involves removal of hog rings on Sport seats. Which are the nastiest part of the operation. Although the whole job is arguably not for the faint-hearted!

I would imagine no reason not to add the guides once you have done that. But you wouldn't be certain until the cover is off.

Thanks, mrscalex. It makes sense the holes were 'deleted' the way you describe. The operation sounds a bit complicated, and I'll have to take a closer look. If I could 'feel' the attachment points through the cover, might it be easier simply to cut through the cover without its removal?

 

[yellowjacket]

And I'd stick to BMW seat belt guides. I think they are about £20 a side in the UK. So I would guess little more than your after market parts. Although it's possible your link is actually genuine parts? No idea on that one.

This is the kind of advice I was looking for. The same link offers aftermarket for $20 a side or OEM for $33 a side. A decent difference (esp. when there's two), but OEM is cheaper than replacing the AM a few months later.

 

[mrscalex]

The issue isn’t making the holes. It’s the fact the 2 plastic studs on the underside of the guide push through there. Then you put the plate and starlocs on the other side of the leather. No cover off. No way of putting fixings in place!

 

[yellowjacket]

The issue isn’t making the holes. It’s the fact the 2 plastic studs on the underside of the guide push through there. Then you put the plate and starlocs on the other side of the leather. No cover off. No way of putting fixings in place!

OK, this makes more sense. But do you think I could use the original anchors that may be on the original seat to attach the new guide? Do the plastic studs go deeper into the seat than just the leather? I'll admit I was hoping for something possibly messy but fairly simple.

 

[mrscalex]

No they attach to the rear of the leather. The plate stiffens it all up.

I'm not saying you couldn't find an alternative way of fixing like gluing to the outer surface. But I'm not sure if that's really practical or if it might have implications in an accident if it snaps off?

 

[Bampz]

Hi
I have seats from an MCoupe in my Z so also no seatbelt guides, bought from bmw dealer for about£36 the pair to fit over the winter , if you feel at the top of the seat where the guides go you may be able to feel the holes in the seat frame where the guides go

 

[alec.m]

My old 2.8 had replacement seats and door cards out of an M and had no seat belt guides. I was told that apparently the M seats didn`t have guides fitted.

 

[yellowjacket]

No they attach to the rear of the leather. The plate stiffens it all up.

I'm not saying you couldn't find an alternative way of fixing like gluing to the outer surface. But I'm not sure if that's really practical or if it might have implications in an accident if it snaps off?

Glue's possible, but I'd be concerned about it holding up. I have a bushings issue (with the seats sliding forward under stress), so I might go for a combo fix by removing the seats. A nice guide here: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?479280-How-to-fix-your-broken-seat-belt-guides

I'm curious what the seats look like underneath, and might ask Santa (me) to get new covers while I'm at it--which I'd have to cut through, presumably, to attach the guides.

 

[yellowjacket]

My old 2.8 had replacement seats and door cards out of an M and had no seat belt guides. I was told that apparently the M seats didn`t have guides fitted.

Thanks. You'd think that M cars would spare the passengers from groping around behind the seat for the belts. All this makes me want to see if it's a cover after all.

 

[yellowjacket]

Hi
I have seats from an MCoupe in my Z so also no seatbelt guides, bought from bmw dealer for about£36 the pair to fit over the winter , if you feel at the top of the seat where the guides go you may be able to feel the holes in the seat frame where the guides go

I'm going to check this out. Thank you.

 

[Bampz]

I think all M seat frames are the same and if being fitted to a roadster then guides were fitted and if a coupe then not as the guides were built into the car body

 

[yellowjacket]

I think all M seat frames are the same and if being fitted to a roadster then guides were fitted and if a coupe then not as the guides were built into the car body

Yes, makes sense. A more practical solution. Makes me wonder if the car body guides could be fitted to a standard Z3.

 

[Bampz]

Yes, makes sense. A more practical solution. Makes me wonder if the car body guides could be fitted to a standard Z3.

I wouldn't think that's possible due to car body design , your first thought about doing the two seat jobs at the same time is the better option and there is plenty of advice on here or online