[sketi]

The picture I am hoping to post will tell all, what do you think?

 

[sketi]

Well the picture posted wonderful, this is in the rear seat of our 2014 'Outdoor'. Not that 'her indoors' sits in the back very often BUT it did draw blood, from ones finger!

 

[SnowGood]

Ouch! Never seen that before.

 

[Urrell]

Cannot feel anything like that on my 4 rear seat buckles.

Has it lost its natural spring down to the seat?

Edited by: Urrell

 

[sketi]

Yes, there is a built in spring that holds the buckle down flat, but in this case it has failed, if you look closely within the side of the buckle you can see this spring on the others, so the question is why should it fail? Especialy on a relativly new item?

 

[The Hood]

That doesn't look good. Might be worth contacting Skoda UK and trading standards, there could be others who had the same problem and safety implications for the seat belts (possibly duff batch).

 

[Flintstone]

Ouch˜³˜¢
Not seen that ever on our Yeti. Nor any other car for that matter.

For info though, we did have a rear belt buckle fail back in March on the Yeti. But that was the latching mechanism itself that broke, below the red push part, inside the buckle itself. The buckle and 3-4 inch length of webbing down to the eye bolt that secures it to the seat, do however come as a single, combined part. Releatively easy to replace.

If you can't get it fixed under warranty (2014 build may be just out?) then be aware that buckles can be had for around £20 or less from specialist breakers via EBay. Identical seats and belts are used on Rooomster. Plus I suspect several others. But do be careful with exact part numbers, as not all three rear buckles are the same.

I fitted the new buckle in under 30 minutes the evening before the car's MOT. With relevant seat out of the car. It took so long because I tried in vain to figure out how to completely remove the plastic shroud panel that covers where the buckle bolts into the seat frame. In the end, because I didn't really have an alternative at that point in time, I ended up carefully making a couple of cuts in the plastic shroud, about 3""� long. That allowed it to be pry'd back far enough to let me get a 1/2""� drive socket and short extension onto the eye bolt. Later repaired the cuts with black gaffer tape (the rally crew's favourite piece of ""always carry""� key items, along with cable ties and WD40). The shroud thus repaired remains totally out sight when the seats are in place, between the affected seat and it's neigbour. Remaining 100% functional as its designers intended.

The eye bolt requires a 16mm socket from memory (could be +/-1 different?) and is thread locked (a.k.a. ""Loctited""�) into the into the threads in the seat frame for security. But only with medium strength Locitite. So can be worked free with normal hand tools like a ratchet.

 

[sketi]

Thanks for above Flintstone. I have already ordered the part and it is modest cost as you say. Fitting isn't going to be too bad as of course one can trot into the garage onto the bench with the seat, but prising off the plastic will be fun! A friend has a Roomster and we have another (that's two friends!) with a Yeti we will ask the question.

 

[Urrell]

But do be careful with exact part numbers, as not all three rear buckles are the same.

You have one missing

 

[Flintstone]

But do be careful with exact part numbers, as not all three rear buckles are the same.

You have one missing  

 

 

True

. I wasn't counting the latch for the centre belt into the other side of the seat! But even then, memory says the remaing three are still not all the same part number. Without checking, I think the left and right seat latches may be mirror images of each other? At least when the webbing and bolt eyes are added? (Stands by to be contradicted by superior access to the parts catalogue. Can't check the Yeti itself, as with SWMBO, again.) Edited by: Flintstone

 

[Flintstone]

Thanks for above Flintstone. I have already ordered the part and it is modest cost as you say. Fitting isn't going to be too bad as of course one can trot into the garage onto the bench with the seat, but prising off the plastic will be fun! A friend has a Roomster and we have another (that's two friends!) with a Yeti we will ask the question.

Indeed! I ended up cutting in a controlled way, that I knew I could repair. Rather than risk pry'ing too hard on the plastic part in the wrong direction and risk breaking that in an uncontrolled way that would be more obvious and harder to repair.
From memory, there is one torx screw that holds it partly in place. But I still couldn't figure how to remove it completely. I'm sure it does, IF you know exactly where to tug, and in which direction. You may be able to figure a better technique. I was time constrained to the evening in question.

 

[sketi]

We have now fitted the new rear seat Buckle. And as pointed out above the plastic schroud seems intent of getting in the way for acess to the largish torque head for the belt buckle. But with some jiggery we managed to lever this plastic bit asside enought to get the torque socket in. It seemed to help to have the seat rear plastic trim removed (4 torque screws). So all now fitted as it should be. Although the reply from Skoda Uk was as expected 'we haven't seen this before and we don't want to know as it is out of warantee.'

 

[bastian]

I fitted the new buckle in under 30 minutes the evening before the car's MOT. With relevant seat out of the car. It took so long because I tried in vain to figure out how to completely remove the plastic shroud panel that covers where the buckle bolts into the seat frame. In the end, because I didn't really have an alternative at that point in time, I ended up carefully making a couple of cuts in the plastic shroud, about 3" long. That allowed it to be pry'd back far enough to let me get a 1/2" drive socket and short extension onto the eye bolt. Later repaired the cuts with black gaffer tape (the rally crew's favourite piece of "always carry" key items, along with cable ties and WD40). The shroud thus repaired remains totally out sight when the seats are in place, between the affected seat and it's neigbour. Remaining 100% functional as its designers intended.

The eye bolt requires a 16mm socket from memory (could be +/-1 different?) and is thread locked (a.k.a. "Loctited") into the into the threads in the seat frame for security. But only with medium strength Locitite. So can be worked free with normal hand tools like a ratchet.

We meet again, old friend! Sadly, we're tossing up how much long the Yeti's worth pouring love and funds into. Gearbox (could be clutch) is getting cranky, a horn failed (they mount those in a shocking spot!), electrics are developing more demons (we've already had the drivers door loom repaired once), and the evaporative purge valve remains iffy (better in the hot seasons here, so we've been able to shelve that problem for the time being).

As for the problem at hand...

One thing that they tried to fail the MOT-equivalent for was a rear seat belt buckle, which was destroyed by a friend by shoving a rather heavy UPS into the back seats without checking what was impeding its path - the buckle quite literally exploded, so we've got the raw metal components of the buckle exposed, and many lone plastic fragments around it. We've got the new spine/buckle from a wrecker, from the same year model and rear seat/side, however as you've indicated VW really went to town on protecting the tri-square bolt from being accessed properly to replace it.

Following the plastic seams doesn't yield nearly as much as we'd expect, and there doesn't seem to be a magic way to unlock the plastic and remove the shroud entirely. We're trying to avoid the technical cut that you've described, however it'd be difficult to get into the bolt, break the loctite, remove the bolt, replace the buckle then reverse, without cutting it.

I guess the reason for posting here today is to avoid making a new thread, and to clarify if anyone knows the midas touch to get this done without having to put the Yeti under the knife? Rego is due in less than a fortnight, and an inspection is required - the local place did a "fail then pass" last time, with the pass coming on sight of a sealed box - ie. we'd bought the buckle, and they were so tired of the problem that they trusted us to promptly fit it. We aim to impress.

Hoping for some insights that'd help us get this done without surgery.