Seat Belt Stuck

[Jezza]

Has anyone ever had a problem with the front seat belts on the ERA sticking?

My passenger belt is seized in the fully retracted position and has so far refused to budge. I had to drive all the way back from North yorks yesterday with my passenger unbuckled whilst keeping a look out for police cars.

I have not yet had a proper chance to look at it but suggestions are welcome. Interestingly I recall the drivers belt was 'seized' when i originally test drove the car in 2008 so it may be a common issue?

[G96LUE]

Not had one stick on a mini for a very long time and i think it was a problem with the inertia weight.
If it was any other mini i'd suggest removing the bolt from the pocket and lift the mechanism up and this will probably release the weight.
Having the leather pocket top though might make this more difficult as i don't know how easy the top is to remove.
You could try removing the shoulder level bolt and seeing if just feeding the belt back a bit more will release it.
Hope this helps.

p.s. If you do end up taking the leather pocket top off can you take a pic of the back of it for me so i can see if i can make one for mine. Ta

[Jezza]

I have removed the belt which refused to budge and am now on the look out for a replacement - seems a strange colour, not really grey and more of a beige?

Any one bought one before and know a good supplier for a similar belt?

[Jezza]

Have decided to buy 2 secondhand grey belts from Classic Mini Parts for £50 plus delivery so at least they will match (and the drivers belt is a bit dodgy in any case).

Here are some pics of the rear bin box trim - secured with three fixings.

[G96LUE]

Have decided to buy 2 secondhand grey belts from Classic Mini Parts for £50 plus delivery so at least they will match (and the drivers belt is a bit dodgy in any case).

Here are some pics of the rear bin box trim - secured with three fixings.

Thanks for the pictures Jeremy.
With your old belt you should be able to unclip the plastic cover on the side of the housing, this will expose the inertia part.

Unclip the large tag at the bottom.
You will then see all the locking mechanism.
You will probably find the blue bit is stuck up.

Worth a look if it isn't working.
The spring is at the other end so don't remove that bit.

[Jezza]

Useful advice - pity I didn't see i before i unscrewed tthe other end and 'unleashed' the spring................

Still new belts in the post hopefully.

[G96LUE]

Useful advice - pity I didn't see i before i unscrewed tthe other end and 'unleashed' the spring................

Still new belts in the post hopefully.

Doh!

Sorry i wasn't quicker