So this is my first attempt at a DIY. The driver seat belt buckle stop was broken when I bought my E12 in 2016 and I finally got around to fixing it. I'm posting the DIY here because the replacement parts are the same for E30s and many other BMWs, and I'm sure many E30s need this fix.
It was obvious to me that the stop had been gone for a while, because the B pillar cover had been damaged by the door closing on the buckle after it had fallen down on the belt where it should not be. Here is a picture of the damage.
button 1 by cory58f5, on Flickr
Two parts are required for the fix. There are aftermarket versions but the EOM parts are inexpensive and readily available. The part numbers are:
72111950829
72111917406
Here are pictures of the parts.
button 2 by cory58f5, on Flickr
button 3 by cory58f5, on Flickr
I assumed that the replacement stop halves would snap together, but that was wrong. The front piece just has a post and the back piece just has a hole, nothing to hold them together. I started searching for DIYs for this repair and found a few YouTube videos and nothing here, which is why I decided to write this DIY.
1. Start by moving the buckle up the belt far enough to get it out of the way from where you will be mounting the new stop, and run some tape around the belt to hold the buckle in place.
button 4 by cory58f5, on Flickr
2. Locate the previous location of the stop. It was easy for me - I could see indentations on the belt from the old stop. Alternately you could measure the location of the stop on the other front seat belt. Push the front piece (with the post) through the belt and put the back piece over the post. Secure it with a clamp or locking pliers. I pushed the post through the existing hole in the belt. If you cannot find the hole, you may need to use something like an awl to start a new hole. I'm not sure the post on the stop piece is sturdy enough to punch a new hole without some help.
button 5 by cory58f5, on Flickr
3. The way to attach the 2 pieces is by melting the end of the post just enough to hold the two pieces together. This is not as easy as I thought - it took me 3 tries, meaning I ruined two sets of pieces before succeeding. Select a nail with a smaller head. Heat it up with a torch. One of my failures was because the car was too far away from the torch and I kept having to reheat the nail. I succeeded by getting the nail red hot and working fast.
button 6 by cory58f5, on Flickr
button 7 by cory58f5, on Flickr
4. Once the nail is good and hot, press it gently against the end of the post, just enough to spread out the soft plastic and fill the hole in the back piece. My other failure was from pressing the hot nail in too hard and melting out the hole in the back piece.
button 8 by cory58f5, on Flickr
That's all it takes. Now you can enjoy not having to struggle getting the belt buckle out from between the seat and rocker every time you want to buckle up, and also not worry about your seat, door panel or B pillar getting damaged when closing the door.
button 9 by cory58f5, on Flickr
I hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask any questions.
Cory
It was obvious to me that the stop had been gone for a while, because the B pillar cover had been damaged by the door closing on the buckle after it had fallen down on the belt where it should not be. Here is a picture of the damage.
button 1 by cory58f5, on FlickrTwo parts are required for the fix. There are aftermarket versions but the EOM parts are inexpensive and readily available. The part numbers are:
72111950829
72111917406
Here are pictures of the parts.
button 2 by cory58f5, on Flickrbutton 3 by cory58f5, on FlickrI assumed that the replacement stop halves would snap together, but that was wrong. The front piece just has a post and the back piece just has a hole, nothing to hold them together. I started searching for DIYs for this repair and found a few YouTube videos and nothing here, which is why I decided to write this DIY.
1. Start by moving the buckle up the belt far enough to get it out of the way from where you will be mounting the new stop, and run some tape around the belt to hold the buckle in place.
button 4 by cory58f5, on Flickr2. Locate the previous location of the stop. It was easy for me - I could see indentations on the belt from the old stop. Alternately you could measure the location of the stop on the other front seat belt. Push the front piece (with the post) through the belt and put the back piece over the post. Secure it with a clamp or locking pliers. I pushed the post through the existing hole in the belt. If you cannot find the hole, you may need to use something like an awl to start a new hole. I'm not sure the post on the stop piece is sturdy enough to punch a new hole without some help.
button 5 by cory58f5, on Flickr3. The way to attach the 2 pieces is by melting the end of the post just enough to hold the two pieces together. This is not as easy as I thought - it took me 3 tries, meaning I ruined two sets of pieces before succeeding. Select a nail with a smaller head. Heat it up with a torch. One of my failures was because the car was too far away from the torch and I kept having to reheat the nail. I succeeded by getting the nail red hot and working fast.
button 6 by cory58f5, on Flickrbutton 7 by cory58f5, on Flickr4. Once the nail is good and hot, press it gently against the end of the post, just enough to spread out the soft plastic and fill the hole in the back piece. My other failure was from pressing the hot nail in too hard and melting out the hole in the back piece.
button 8 by cory58f5, on FlickrThat's all it takes. Now you can enjoy not having to struggle getting the belt buckle out from between the seat and rocker every time you want to buckle up, and also not worry about your seat, door panel or B pillar getting damaged when closing the door.
button 9 by cory58f5, on FlickrI hope this is helpful. Feel free to ask any questions.
Cory