I have always felt that the gentle annoying knock heard by my left ear had something to do with the seat belt mechanism. While driving, this can be heard as a low frequency knock that has no periodicity to it. It could be heard along with the rise of my chest while taking a deep inspiration, when I leaned forward slightly or when I did any significant adjustment in my seat. It was either intensified when pulling the belt out completely and holding it taut or worsened (I don't know why the duality). I also came to the conclusion it was the mechanism when I went driving around yesterday without my seat belt on :scared: and didn't hear any knocking.
So, below is the picture of the B-pillar cover with the seat belt.
If you retract the seat belt superiorly, you get a better view of the inside of the pillar cover. Note the pieces of tape that the Chicago Service Center placed as a means of solving the problem.
As you can see above, there is a plastic loop inside, and through this runs the actual belt. Below in a modified picture, I have outlined in red this plastic loop and show where it most likely runs behind the tan plastic molding or "grommet." (I don't actually know this, but I am guessing that's where it runs.) I think the plastic loop inside the pillar knocks against the "grommet" as the seat belt moves this ring/loop back and forth.
I had some padded strip Velcro lying around, and I cut strip about 6 inches long and rolled it up as such:
I wedged it between the tan plastic molding/"grommet" and the black plastic seat belt loop. I placed the rolled section inside, taking care to insert it between the tan "grommet" and having the "tail" hang outside along the seat belt itself. Lastly, I rotated the Velcro strip forward so that it padded the majority of the inner ring.
I made sure the seat belt moved freely at this point, and I made a few hard stops while driving around. My solution did not appear to hinder the movement of the seat belt at all. After this, I enjoyed a blissful drive around the Village without any knocking that I could perceive. After I reached my destination, I took out the Velcro strip and drove around again. The knocking returned.
I replaced the Velcro strip, and the knocking went away again!
So, I think I have found a solution to at least my problem. I will be testing it over the week as I drive to and from work before I make my final determination. If any of you out there are willing to give this a try (or have a more elegant modification of this), I would be grateful. Hey, you never know! This might actually be the solution. If it is, I will show the service center the next time I am down there for anything else that comes up.
So, below is the picture of the B-pillar cover with the seat belt.
If you retract the seat belt superiorly, you get a better view of the inside of the pillar cover. Note the pieces of tape that the Chicago Service Center placed as a means of solving the problem.
As you can see above, there is a plastic loop inside, and through this runs the actual belt. Below in a modified picture, I have outlined in red this plastic loop and show where it most likely runs behind the tan plastic molding or "grommet." (I don't actually know this, but I am guessing that's where it runs.) I think the plastic loop inside the pillar knocks against the "grommet" as the seat belt moves this ring/loop back and forth.
I had some padded strip Velcro lying around, and I cut strip about 6 inches long and rolled it up as such:
I wedged it between the tan plastic molding/"grommet" and the black plastic seat belt loop. I placed the rolled section inside, taking care to insert it between the tan "grommet" and having the "tail" hang outside along the seat belt itself. Lastly, I rotated the Velcro strip forward so that it padded the majority of the inner ring.
I made sure the seat belt moved freely at this point, and I made a few hard stops while driving around. My solution did not appear to hinder the movement of the seat belt at all. After this, I enjoyed a blissful drive around the Village without any knocking that I could perceive. After I reached my destination, I took out the Velcro strip and drove around again. The knocking returned.
I replaced the Velcro strip, and the knocking went away again!
So, I think I have found a solution to at least my problem. I will be testing it over the week as I drive to and from work before I make my final determination. If any of you out there are willing to give this a try (or have a more elegant modification of this), I would be grateful. Hey, you never know! This might actually be the solution. If it is, I will show the service center the next time I am down there for anything else that comes up.
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