I bought a Z3 with a broken passenger seatbelt guide (the one mounted on the seat side). The break was about 1cm from the bottom of the guide. This is how I repaired mine.
The broken parts could have been glued together, but since these are a weak design I figured some additional reinforcement at the back across the repair was needed.
Numbers relate to the pictures.
(1) Use masking tape to tape around the two broken parts of the trim, including as far underneath them to the mountings as possible. This allows the trim to be repaired while keeping the leather free of glue.
(2) The upper (and lower) trim is 'U' shaped forming a wide shallow channel on the back. I figured that some appropriate 2mm thick ABS plastic sheet, cut to size and filling the channel bridging across the back of the repair point would give it sufficient strength.
The trim back is concave, so glue will only contact along the sides with the flat ABS sheet.
File off the two round date manufacture indicators mounded into the trim on the back to ensure a good contact with the repair sheet
I used Araldite Rapid, as any excess across the break can be removed with a knife before setting properly.
(3) I cut the plastic sheet to size and filed it so that it formed a fairly tight fit into the inner side of longer upper part of the trim, with about 1cm protruding out to go into the lower trim part. The trim is tapered so that there is a point where the sheet it fits best once cut to shape. I then marked the plastic sheet across the point of the broken trim face (with masking tape first and then lightly scored the plastic).
(4) I then filed the shorter 1cm section of protruding sheet (and filed a round section out where the trim is bolted to the seat) so that when inserted behind the lower trim part, the mark previously made is flush with the break. This ensures that when glued, the sheet fits properly and isn't too long to prevent the trim pieces being pushed tightly together across the original break line. File the sheet to make the surface rough where it will be glued.
(5) Mask off the broken face of the lower trim with tape. Apply glue to the shorter lower section of the plastic sheet and insert into the bottom trim. The mark made on the sheet should be flush across the original break.
(6) Remove masking tape from broken face and allow glue to dry.
Apply glue to the upper trim along the outer edges only (and not the concave centre). Apply glue sparingly to the original broken edge on both trims. Locate and place the upper trim piece over the repair sheet and press into place.
(7) Clamping while the glue dries
I used masking tape across the trim and around the seat to hold the ABS sheet firmly to the back of the trim pieces. To ensure that the original broken trim faces were held flush, I used string taped to the top and bottom trims and knotted tightly to apply pressure.
Picture (8) and (9) shows the joint before final clean-up.
The guide feels a lot stronger than the original unbroken one on the driver's side.
I applied silicon spray to the guide after cleaning the seatbelt to ensure a smooth operation.
Improvements to the process: The lower part of the trim slot where the seatbelt is inserted sticks out slightly more than the upper part by a few mm. Applying some tape or a splint to hold them flush together during gluing would probably rectify this.
The broken parts could have been glued together, but since these are a weak design I figured some additional reinforcement at the back across the repair was needed.
Numbers relate to the pictures.
(1) Use masking tape to tape around the two broken parts of the trim, including as far underneath them to the mountings as possible. This allows the trim to be repaired while keeping the leather free of glue.
(2) The upper (and lower) trim is 'U' shaped forming a wide shallow channel on the back. I figured that some appropriate 2mm thick ABS plastic sheet, cut to size and filling the channel bridging across the back of the repair point would give it sufficient strength.
The trim back is concave, so glue will only contact along the sides with the flat ABS sheet.
File off the two round date manufacture indicators mounded into the trim on the back to ensure a good contact with the repair sheet
I used Araldite Rapid, as any excess across the break can be removed with a knife before setting properly.
(3) I cut the plastic sheet to size and filed it so that it formed a fairly tight fit into the inner side of longer upper part of the trim, with about 1cm protruding out to go into the lower trim part. The trim is tapered so that there is a point where the sheet it fits best once cut to shape. I then marked the plastic sheet across the point of the broken trim face (with masking tape first and then lightly scored the plastic).
(4) I then filed the shorter 1cm section of protruding sheet (and filed a round section out where the trim is bolted to the seat) so that when inserted behind the lower trim part, the mark previously made is flush with the break. This ensures that when glued, the sheet fits properly and isn't too long to prevent the trim pieces being pushed tightly together across the original break line. File the sheet to make the surface rough where it will be glued.
(5) Mask off the broken face of the lower trim with tape. Apply glue to the shorter lower section of the plastic sheet and insert into the bottom trim. The mark made on the sheet should be flush across the original break.
(6) Remove masking tape from broken face and allow glue to dry.
Apply glue to the upper trim along the outer edges only (and not the concave centre). Apply glue sparingly to the original broken edge on both trims. Locate and place the upper trim piece over the repair sheet and press into place.
(7) Clamping while the glue dries
I used masking tape across the trim and around the seat to hold the ABS sheet firmly to the back of the trim pieces. To ensure that the original broken trim faces were held flush, I used string taped to the top and bottom trims and knotted tightly to apply pressure.
Picture (8) and (9) shows the joint before final clean-up.
The guide feels a lot stronger than the original unbroken one on the driver's side.
I applied silicon spray to the guide after cleaning the seatbelt to ensure a smooth operation.
Improvements to the process: The lower part of the trim slot where the seatbelt is inserted sticks out slightly more than the upper part by a few mm. Applying some tape or a splint to hold them flush together during gluing would probably rectify this.
