Is it possible to change lapbelt into diagonal belt???

kelly1234

I have a vauxhall zafira, 2000 model. It has a lapbelt in the middle that i would like to change to diagonal. Does anyone know if this is possible? I did ask at vauxhall dealers, they did lots of head scratching, hadn't been asked this question before, and didn't come up with answer! any advice/suggestions greatly appreciated!!

vikingaero

It would be easier to try and find a rear seat back from a scrapped 2003 model car that has the centre diagonal mechanism built in. You can distinguish these cars by the clear rear indicator lenses on the rear lights and the rear window has been bonded in and does not have the rubber trim around it.

mikey72

Change to a later model seat. It can be done fairly easily, with the help of a friend, and a bit of bending of the car mountings to get the old seat out.

kelly1234

thank you belatedly for the replies! found a mechanic who is going to sort out replacing seat - will i need to inform insurance company of change? i vaguely remember being asked when doing insurance whether car is modified/adapted? does this count as its replacing a seat?

mcjordi

i dont know about the insurance but i changed the seats in my xsara to a 2002 model mine is 1999 and that had the addiditonal third proper belt
well its not in yet as i need to weld the bracket round the other way to what it is

Premier_2

kelly1234 wrote: »

thank you belatedly for the replies! found a mechanic who is going to sort out replacing seat - will i need to inform insurance company of change? i vaguely remember being asked when doing insurance whether car is modified/adapted? does this count as its replacing a seat?

Yes you should inform the insurer that you have modified the vehicle.

Also are you 100% sure the floorpan is identical on the vehicles? 3 point belts that are anchored onto the seat cause a huge increase in stress put through the seat, and ultimately through the seat anchorages.

You may feel safer with a 3 point belt, but it's no good if the seat rips from it's anchorages in the unfortunate event of an accident.

Perhaps you should contact Vauxhall engineering department and ask if it really is safe to just change the seats over with no further modification. Otherwise you may be lulling yourself into a false sense of security.

kelly1234

thank you. have been in touch with insurance company, as you said premier, i just need to let them know as and when the seat is changed. i was worried they might load my premium because of the change but apparently not. i will also get in touch with vauxhall to check about anchorages etc. thanks for advice

mcjordi

they are the same floorpan.. iirc the third rear full seatbelt was an option

Premier_2

mcjordi wrote: »

they are the same floorpan.. iirc the third rear full seatbelt was an option

Thanks for that. If it was offered as a manufacturer's option at time of sale, then it's almost certain the floorpan will be identical.

The only reason I was concerned was that the OP mentioned they had a 2000MY vehicle and the poster suggesting getting a seat from a scrapyard indicated a later 2003MY.

mcjordi

thefloor pans only changed when the new zafira was launched in late 2004..

dangers

I had the old shape zafira on a '53 plate which had the central diagonal seat belt. Think it changed late 02 or early 03.