RZB
Active member
So before my father purchased his new Beetle, he found out that he could not easily reach the seat belt as many others do. Additionally, he has minor back issues which made reaching towards the bottom (and any alternative methods of grabbing the seatbelt) equally difficult.
Initially, I could not find any solutions from Beetle owners, but the folks on the Mini forums helped. They had luck with purchasing Chevy Cobalt seat belt holders, so I gambled away $40 for a set before my father made his purchased -and it worked.
Part #s are (for black in color):
GM OEM 10385983
GM OEM 10386174
One hole was able to be utilized in the seat belt holder, but it had to be made larger. A second hole needed to be drilled for the outer end (closer to the doors) headrest pole. When the headrests are down all the way, it does slightly block the use of the latch to bring the seat forward, but not completely. Otherwise, when the headrests are up even one notch, the seat release handle can be pulled open to its entirety. I reversed the location of the holders to have the shapes better counter the shape of the seat (took the one GM intended for the right side, and put it on the left and vice versa).
You will need a drill bit right under 1/2" to drill the holes out - I believe we used a 15/32" and the holder fits on tight (does not move even without the lock washers).
Initially, I could not find any solutions from Beetle owners, but the folks on the Mini forums helped. They had luck with purchasing Chevy Cobalt seat belt holders, so I gambled away $40 for a set before my father made his purchased -and it worked.
Part #s are (for black in color):
GM OEM 10385983
GM OEM 10386174
One hole was able to be utilized in the seat belt holder, but it had to be made larger. A second hole needed to be drilled for the outer end (closer to the doors) headrest pole. When the headrests are down all the way, it does slightly block the use of the latch to bring the seat forward, but not completely. Otherwise, when the headrests are up even one notch, the seat release handle can be pulled open to its entirety. I reversed the location of the holders to have the shapes better counter the shape of the seat (took the one GM intended for the right side, and put it on the left and vice versa).
You will need a drill bit right under 1/2" to drill the holes out - I believe we used a 15/32" and the holder fits on tight (does not move even without the lock washers).