WARNING seat belt scratching up b-pillar
 

so i was just detailing my car the other day and when i got to the driver side b-pillar i noticed quite a few of these little scratches on the hard plastic part. after a few minutes of rage, my mind cleared and found out the cause of these marks are from the seat belt being released too fast. heres the heads up, i would post pics, but the car is in the shop being fixed from a collision...(its been a month of waiting in the shop and still no parts yet)

:iagree:
I just noticed this problem this weekend too.

It's not just releasing it too fast...you have to hold it all the way until it is retracted. I find I need to turn part way around to make sure it does not snap back.

I was wondering if there was some sort of clear material we could put here to take the abuse. I am not sure that I can retrain myself not to just let the belt go.

how can bmw not have tested simple things like this??

I've an E70 X5, and the scratching described is trivial compared to another problem with the front seat belts.
There's no height adjustment, and my wife who's all of 152cm from toes to top, has the belt wrapped across her ear when driving.
The dealer's response was hard luck, the height adjustment present on earlier models had been deleated (as an economy move???)
Anyone know a \way around this problem?

Wow, I hadn't even noticed that they deleted the height adjustment, just assumed it was there.

BTW, I have the Tobacco and the marks from the seat belt are really starting to show. I am very careful with it, but I don't tell people that ride with me because that would make me look rude. How could this be so poorly designed?

I have the same issue with my E70. The question is, is this covered by BMW since it looks like it is poor design on their part? Can we take the car to the dealership and ask that the pillar be changed?
What do you think?

Update:
I called BMWNA and I reported this issue. The rep mentioned that it will greatly help if people who are experiencing this issue will call as well so that BMW will know that this is not an isolated issue. The number is 800-831-1117.
Please call and log your complaint so we can have this poor design rectified.

doubt it - seems like poor design that carried over from the E53's.

Any other E70 owners experiencing this issue?

We are. :confused:

I saw a thread on this before I got mine. So I bought a motorbike clear tank protector which is designed to take small impacts unlike 3M or such which might only start scratching as well. The pad is unnoticeable and does its job.

Not ideal but an interim answer for me.