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MG MGB Technical - Frayed seat Belt

Bit off topic this but just need an expert opinion. My brother has been given a list of 'possible failures' on his car which include a frayed seat belt. looking it up, the regs mention cuts but not other damage as such. is it down to the tester's discretion or is a frayed belt a failure full stop?
Pat Gregory

subjective discretion - but think about what a seat belt does and is for

if one person has put it on this list then another person, the MoT tester, may agree, perhaps it might not fail this year but the seat belt wont be in better condition next year

the (inertia) seat belts for our cars are very inexpensive, don't know about your brothers car

5.2 Seat Belt Condition

Method of Inspection - 2. Examine the condition of all seat belt webbing for cuts or obvious signs of deterioration. Pay particular attention to webbing around anchorages, buckles and loops.

Reason for Rejection - b. stitching badly frayed, not secure or incomplete

http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/doitonline/bl/mottestingmanualsandguides/mottestingmanualsandguides.htm

Nigel Atkins

If there is any obvious fraying, I would replace it without question.
Dave O'Neill2

I had this as an advise from a tester on my Audi A4. The next year the tester said to me I thought I had indicated a frayed belt as an advise last year. I had defuzzed it with a woollen pullover defuzzer. No advises.
Iain MacKintosh

If frayed was a failure full stop it would have been a failure and not an advisory, which is presumably what he got. And he got that because fraying could be a pre-cursor to more extensive damage, which would be a failure. Advisories are there for a good reason, and useful.
Paul Hunt

What is a "possible failure". It does not exist;Other than a failure having to be at point of test as opposed to prior to the test. But even then,as has been said above it is either a fail or an advisory.

If the problem is a little fluffiness or a couple of strands (not half the belt) a blade followed by a cigarette lighter will solve it.
Michael Beswick

Quite a number of years ago, back in the period these cars were still being made, a consumer testing group published an article on seat belts in Consumer Reports magazine. The group tested five year old seat belts out of daily use automobiles from the major US makers. They found, after only five years, that one half of the seat belts tested would not meet the original safety testing requirements. Their conclusion was that seat belts would become progressively less capable of performing their assigned job--restraining one in event of a collision, as they aged and even with five year old belts you had a fifty-fifty chance of their performing to the expected manner.

The testing of seat belts, so see if they are capable of adequately performing their safety function, is destructive in nature--you destroy the belt in the process of failure testing. Hence, one can only rely on possible secondary indicators of possible failure such as fraying, tears, discoloration, or change in the texture of the fabric. (Change in texture--run the belt through your fingers and see if any places are notably softer or harder than the main body of the belt. If so, that may be a problem.)

With all of such safety related things, it is hard to know if they will ever be needed at all. But, in spite of that many of us have seen sufficient engine fires that we keep a functional fire extinguisher at hand, and inspect, have it inspected, on a regular basis. (Annually for a good quality, rechargeable unit.)

Thus, if my seat belts were frayed, I would start programming the money to replace them. They have indicated symptoms of increased chances of failure and, if every called into use, cannot be counted on to perform their safety function. I would just as soon have the seat belts work as promised.

Les
Les Bengtson

The 'possible' was a list of points on an mot pre inspection. It was flagged as amber but not red, hence the question.
Pat Gregory

This thread was discussed between 24/10/2013 and 26/10/2013

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