[Goandiaries]

Here's my pending update converting the lap belt to a 3-point seat belt.

When I purchased the XUV300 late last year, their top of the line version (w8o) had undergone several cost-cutting surgeries. One of the main features that were axed was the 3-point seat belt for the rear centre passenger! I was annoyed when their brochures and website were still showing this as a feature when my vehicle was delivered. And shockingly, their website still features this under the "safety" section at the time of writing this post.

M&M hasn't updated their website


The irony is that M&M obviously knows that "the 3-point seat belt on the 2nd row ensures enhanced safety for all occupants". They still decided to silently remove this feature from the actual car and not from the website. The website still shows this as an existing safety feature long after its deletion has been widely discussed, including in t-bhp (Mahindra raises XUV300 prices and deletes features!). I am still trying to understand how the M&M management coordinates information between various teams of theirs. In this instance – the marketing team/web management team is caught sleeping. Or do they deliberately false advertise?

Disclaimer: This post may be specific to XUV300 since the rear seat steel panel and the seat foam were designed to mount the seat belt assembly.

Replacement parts: I looked into boodmo for details – the centre seatbelt assembly (Part No: 0120AS200031N, Cost: Rs. 1454 incl. delivery) and the plastic seat belt guide (Part No: S2402A110031C, Cost: Rs. 20, from Mahindra). Like I mentioned in my earlier post, it is hard to get help from the service folks. I talked to another manager in a different state – again, with no leads. My guess is that the service teams do not have time / do not bother much to think about stuff like this that do not come under serviceable parts. I placed the order through boodmo in January and received only the seatbelt assembly by mid-April. The guide was not available till mid-May. Meanwhile, I realised that I missed another part – a mini buckle assembly (Part No: 0120AS200171N, Cost: Rs. 605) – which clips the seatbelt near the lower seatback. By then, my 10000km service was due, and the service manager was kind enough and very helpful in procuring the mini buckle and the seat belt guide through their parts division – and these two arrived within the next 10 days! However, he was clear before purchase that they have no authorisation/liability for doing such work in their station. I assured him that I will do it myself! All parts, including the one from boodmo, arrived in genuine OEM boxes. I purchased a size 14 fine-threaded locknut (Cost: Rs. 20) from a local hardware store. Also, a strong double-sided tape is required to fix the plastic guide.

The seatbelt assembly and the plastic seatbelt guide


Mini buckle assembly


Main tools required: a torque wrench with sizes 10 and 14 hex sockets and an adjustable spanner are mandatory. A flat head screwdriver and a strong tweezer for plastic clips are optional. Following were the steps I followed. I did not take as many pictures as I thought I should during this process. I did go through several videos on seat belts and seats in general.

1. Remove backrest assembly: the original seat covers in w8o are provided with zippers on the side facing the boot. A hexalobular bolt at each bottom corner holds the backrest in place with the pivot brackets. Use size 10 hex sockets to remove these bolts and pull out the backrest from the brackets.
2. Remove the lap belt: use the size 14 hex socket to remove the bolt holding the lap belt in place. Secure this bolt.
3. Fit the mini buckle: The mini buckle assembly comes with its own bolt, which fits precisely in the same position as the lap belt.
   
   Mini buckle assembly in its slot
   
   
4. Fit the seat belt assembly: The leather seat cover cannot be removed from the foam side as it is pinned from the inside. However, the fabric on the side facing the boot is held using a rigid plastic sleeve. Additionally, a plastic clip holds this cover to the steel seat frame at the bottom centre (this clip is right in between one of the ISOFIX mounts). Pry it out using a screwdriver. Another plastic cover secures the fabric in place near the tether anchor. Remove this plastic cover (use tweezers to pull out the clips), and the seat cover moves away freely, exposing the steel sheet ‘welded’ to the seat frame! This welding was a significant setback as I thought I could remove this sheet entirely to fit the seat belt assembly. A word of caution: the edges of this steel sheet are pretty sharp – make sure you protect your hands while working. I covered the edges with microfiber towels. The foam on the right side (wheel side) separates without effort while the centre portion (with armrest assembly) does not move. There’s enough access through the wheel side to insert the seat belt assembly into the slot. There’s only one way the belt goes into the seatbelt slot. Once in place, use the secured bolt from step 2 and the locknut to tighten the seatbelt assembly.
   
   Seatbelt slot highlighted
   
   
5. Route the belt: This was a bit tricky. I made sure the belt runs straight to the top of the seat and exits between the steel sheet and the seat frame. This gap actually is a tad too small for the buckles to enter freely. This was a bummer, and I used pliers and a screwdriver to squeeze the buckles through. One can even cut out a small portion of this sheet around this area, depending upon convenience.
   
   
   
6. Seat belt guide: the plastic guide fits on top of the seat between the two headrests. I aligned the belt assembly straight and cut out slits in the leather cover and the foam for the belt to pass through. Stuck a plastic sleeve along the foam slit to avoid disintegrating the foam whenever the seatbelt is pulled out. The plastic guide on top was attached to the seat using strong double-sided tape (I used silicon tape).
   
   
   
7. Latch the mini buckle assembly with the seat assembly. And voila, the 3 point seatbelt assembly is ready!
   
   

Apologies for not enough pictures!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Goandiaries

Here's my pending update converting the lap belt to a 3-point seat belt.

Thanks for sharing, Goandiaries! Moving your post out to a new thread. A new thread means 100X the views & 100X the visibility in search engines, including Google. Will add to homepage later this week .

@ BHPians, if you should spot any good post in an existing thread that deserves its own new thread, please report the post and we'll move it out for greater visibility.

Thank you!

[Raghu M]

Goandiaries sir, that is one fantastic outcome. I own an XUV3OO top variant too (DT, red white) and since Nov M&M had stopped the 3 pointer seat belt. My car does not have it too, however, will take your post and try to see if I can incorporate it to my car. Thank you.

[Duckdoc]

Originally Posted by Goandiaries

[center][h3]Here's my pending update converting the lap belt to a 3-point seat belt.
[*]Latch the mini buckle assembly with the seat assembly. And voila, the 3 point seatbelt assembly is ready!

Honestly, this is something truly phenomenal what you have done.

I also see that it has cost 2059 INR, so we know what they mean by cost cutting.

To me, this is one of the most important posts I have read in all the time spent on this forum.

It is notable that the cut made in the seat cover is so neat and perfect.

If this is done by others and Mahindra changes to this seatbelt and actually saves life it would be truly commendable for showing the way.

[pandabear]

This is just so awesome, I feel we should start a campaign to push the government to make the 3point seat belt mandatory for all seats for all vehicles. Such a basic feature that costs so less, and saves so many lives, yet omitted because of loopholes in standards to cut costs.
Every one in the car, especially kids in rear seats should always wear seat belts. It just saves lives.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Duckdoc

I also see that it has cost 2059 INR, so we know what they mean by cost cutting.

Actually, that's the spare part cost to customer. For OEM it'll be only 25~30%, that's ~ INR 620.

If this is done by others and Mahindra changes to this seatbelt and actually saves life it would be truly commendable for showing the way.

Life has no/ low price for bean counters (and it's irrespective of the brand).

I was delighted to see this 3-point middle seat belt in XUV3OO, and hoped it'll show light to other OEMs. But sadly, reverse happened.

[Goandiaries]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks for sharing, Goandiaries! Moving your post out to a new thread. A new thread means 100X the views & 100X the visibility in search engines, including Google. Will add to homepage later this week .

Thank you![/b]

Thanks for highlighting my post GTO! I did not think about making a new thread, considering the fact that just one thread existed and not many people were looking out for such modification. Hope it helps those looking for this modification.

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Goandiaries sir, that is one fantastic outcome. I own an XUV3OO top variant too (DT, red white) and since Nov M&M had stopped the 3 pointer seat belt. My car does not have it too, however, will take your post and try to see if I can incorporate it to my car. Thank you.

Thanks, Raghu! It's fairly easy if you have the right tools. Please be wary of step 5 if you plan to modify. Maybe easy if you have two sets of hands, or if you can just cut out a tiny portion of the sheet.

Originally Posted by Duckdoc

Honestly, this is something truly phenomenal what you have done.

I also see that it has cost 2059 INR, so we know what they mean by cost cutting.

It is notable that the cut made in the seat cover is so neat and perfect.

Thanks Duckdoc, Yes they have cut costs in whatever possible ways. Along with this seatbelt, they did roof rail changes (not sure how much difference it made), orange mood lamp assemblies on doors (costs ~10k OEM according to boodmo), heating ORVMS (costs ~1100 OEM for a pair) - overall reducing the cost by ~15k. I don't mind about the other stuff, but this seatbelt mattered. The seat cover is quite thick, having a sort of foam on the inside. Ideally, it is good to stitch wherever there's a cut. But since I do not know to stitch, I used super glue to bond the edges, so that it doesn't tear off with time. Hope it helps in your modification.

The fact that this seat already had a slot and the foam designed to accommodate the belt assembly, made this job a bit easy.

[Duckdoc]

Originally Posted by Goandiaries

I did not think about making a new thread, considering the fact that just one thread existed and not many people were looking out for such modification. Hope it helps those looking for this modification.

Yes they have cut costs in whatever possible ways. Along with this seatbelt, they did roof rail changes (not sure how much difference it made), orange mood lamp assemblies on doors (costs ~10k OEM according to boodmo), heating ORVMS (costs ~1100 OEM for a pair) - overall reducing the cost by ~15k. I don't mind about the other stuff, but this seatbelt mattered.

My thoughts exactly! As soon as I saw this post, thought this was earth shaking enough to report to mods to make this a new thread. However, I know, with some dismay, that there are folks who take the rear seat belt lightly and I hesitated. Probably, in a decade from now, as things evolve, people may actually look back with some astonishment that lap belts were actually allowed.


15 k cost cutting in a vehicle which costs 15 lakhs OTR is saying a lot. When you are trying to negate the small boot space and the brand image to an urban dweller, I would have expected them to go all out to highlight their strengths and sell it as world class and a segment leader.


To me the sunroof is a weak link in structural integrity. Besides it leaking after a few years is always there at the back of my mind. Removing it they could have cut more cost, or sell it as another variant. After all, the Innovas and Fortuners have been able to sell well without it, relying only on their rock solid reputation for being reliable.


Though overall, I am satisfied with this vehicle this seat belt issue has left such a bad taste that I wonder whether I would have bought the vehicle if I knew this seat belt had been replaced, because it just doesn't make any sense.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by Duckdoc

To me the sunroof is a weak link in structural integrity.

It's not so. Structural integrity is the first thing that's taken care off while designing.

In vehicles without sunroof, whole roof doesn't bear the loads. There are 4 to 6 cross members. In case of sunroof, the remaining cross members (for panoramic, the one central cross member) and sidebody are strengthened up.

Though glass shattering may result into other concerns.

[puneetakhouri]

Wow this is amazing but just a random thought on the removal of the centre three point belt. Is it possible that Mahindra removed the centre seatbelt for safety reasons more than cost cutting? I mean that all other seat belts have all the three points bolted on the frame directly. Even the lap belt has both the points bolted to the frame. But the three point centre passenger belt has one point on the backrest. So maybe the seat frame is not strong enough to take the impact of a crash and might break/bend forward and so they silently removed it? Or the sear locks might break. So maybe it was a silent initiative.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

... But the three point centre passenger belt has one point on the backrest. So maybe the seat frame is not strong enough to take the impact of a crash and might break/bend forward ...

In most vehicles equipped with a rear middle seat 3 point belt, the top anchor point of the belt is usually bolted to a rigid anchor point such as the roof.

In case this middle seat is a foldable one, the seat back and its latches will not be strong enough to bear the force of the forward momentum of the rear middle passenger, the seat backrest could potentially shear off forward. This safety aspect needs to be reviewed in this 3-point arrangement.

[FordGuy]

Interesting point this is. And also when it comes to cost cutting, what better way than removing the rear wind shield wiper. It's funny but car makers treat the rear windshield wiper as a non essential feature. So if you see a shining new Creta with all the HID headlights and diamond cut alloys but it misses a wiper at the back, you will know that it's a non SX variant modes after purchase. Welcome to cost cutting

[Jeroen]

Interesting!

It is unclear to me how the top anchor point is done.

Please note earlier comments:

In case this middle seat is a foldable one, the seat back and its latches will not be strong enough to bear the force of the forward momentum of the rear middle passenger, the seat backrest could potentially shear off forward. This safety aspect needs to be reviewed in this 3-point arrangement.

Actually, this applies even to non foldable ones. If the top anchor point is not mounted properly this whole system is actually extremely dangerous!

Not sure how they were mounted prior to this feature being discontinued. But most likely the only proper way to mount is to use the original method/anchor points.

Not sure if this was done

Jeroen

[Goandiaries]

Originally Posted by puneetakhouri

Wow this is amazing but just a random thought on the removal of the centre three point belt. Is it possible that Mahindra removed the centre seatbelt for safety reasons more than cost cutting? I mean that all other seat belts have all the three points bolted on the frame directly. Even the lap belt has both the points bolted to the frame. But the three point centre passenger belt has one point on the backrest. So maybe the seat frame is not strong enough to take the impact of a crash and might break/bend forward and so they silently removed it? Or the sear locks might break.

Originally Posted by for_cars1

In most vehicles equipped with a rear middle seat 3 point belt, the top anchor point of the belt is usually bolted to a rigid anchor point such as the roof.

In case this middle seat is a foldable one, the seat back and its latches will not be strong enough to bear the force of the forward momentum of the rear middle passenger, the seat backrest could potentially shear off forward. This safety aspect needs to be reviewed in this 3-point arrangement.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Interesting!

It is unclear to me how the top anchor point is done.

Actually, this applies even to non foldable ones. If the top anchor point is not mounted properly this whole system is actually extremely dangerous!

A very good point indeed! As pointed out, all points except this one are indeed bolted directly to the body frame. This point is bolted to the steel sheet welded to the steel seat frame. Engineers in this forum probably can come up with calculations at what point this anchor point is likely to tear/snap out of the steel sheet. I guess a few parameters including the sheet thickness are required for such a calculation?

I think there must have been some research done before putting the anchor point on the seat frame. I just tried to find out a few cars which have a similar arrangement - VW GTI (sold in EU), VW Tiguan and Skoda superb, for instance, showed similar setup. The Ssangyong Tivoli obviously has this setup. However, not all seats would be able to bear the load - for example, the seat back panel in Brezza is made of compressed wood and bolted to the frame. This definitely wouldn't take the load.

Not sure how they were mounted prior to this feature being discontinued. But most likely the only proper way to mount is to use the original method/anchor points.

Not sure if this was done

Jeroen

The belt assembly is mounted at the same point where it was earlier. Though they changed to a 2 point lap belt, the mounting point and the foam cutout (to accommodate the seat assembly) still existed and I used the same point.

While we discuss this, I couldn't stop thinking about how all ISOFIX mounts and tether anchors are welded to the same rear frame and how they are actually considered safe. Discussions on this would be great!

[jithin23]

This is one of the most affordable mods to add an active safety feature, 3 point middle seat belt and Kudos to your efforts in getting the parts and installing them. Very interesting DIY and XUV300 owners of all variants will be pinging you now

Cost cutting by car makers is one thing which car makers do in full swing in India. If we had customer centric laws and a much transparent system, we would have the same level cars the EU or US gets.

Nowadays, people are ready to pay more for better quality and safety but car makers are thinking otherwise.