I have 2000 Volvo S40 that the driver's seat belt no longer retracts back into the pillar bewteen the front & back doors - Does any one know the cost at the dealer to do this repair and can I do it myself. I looked and do not see how to remove molding to get at the unit in the pillar.
Ah yes. This is where you have to ask yourself why you have a seatbelt:
If the purpose of a seatbelt is to avoid getting a ticket for not having a seatbelt, then a used belt is fine. Once a belt has been worn in an accident it may look the same but it's not, it has been stressed and its strength and characteristics have changed. Still, if you want to save some money in the short run (and live in a thrilling and risky way) then you might be able to get a belt out of a wreck and have a local mechanic put it in for you.
If the purpose of a seatbelt is to reduce your injuries in a crash then the only thing you can safely do is replace the whole thing. You cannot do this job yourself (or at least it's not advised) because of the pyrotechnic pretensioner (aka a stick of dynamite) in the pillar attached to the belt. The dealership (I was told there is no aftermarket part for liability reasons) is the only place to get it and they don't repair faulty seatbelts. Installed the whole job cost me around $620CAD (yes, "UGH!").
I just had to replace the driver's seatbelt in my 95 850 for just the opposite reason...it retracted and wouldn't spool out again... it just got shorter and shorter and then was tight. So tight I couldn't re-adjust the seat (they're attached).
I wish there was a better way. The new belt sure is smooth and new.
Good luck, blurp
Since its looks like the dealer is going to do the work I called the two local volvo dealers - the first one said about $700US and the other one actually did a price work up and told me $320 installed - amazing that one is twice the price of the other...
Typical! If you can get a deal from the dealer then you win... I don't know about where you are but around here they're notoriously careless and conniving. I only visited them out of necessity.
Good luck! B
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