Date:         Thu, 9 Nov 2006 21:59:30 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      FACTORY Upgrade to 3-point Rear Seatbelts in Vanagon available
In-Reply-To:  <005e01c702ce$15ea65b0$6700a8c0@6DB82B2839CC484>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> We have an all-original 1988 Westy and would like to make it safer 
> for our two young children (6 and 11).  We've read Go Westy's 
> commentaries and the rather snarky remarks in the old Car Talk post 
> (http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1997/July/12.html).
> 
> I realize when many of us were growing up, the cultural 
> mindset was different and that this is a 1988 vehicle in 2006. Having 
> said that, would upgrading to 3-point belts on the bench seat be the 
> best step to take? How do others feel about overall kid safety in the
> Vanagon?


Boy, was the the midset different! I remember as a small child lounging
around in the far back of my parents' old Rambler station wagon without any
seatbelts at all (or even a seat for that matter)!

Now I have my own small child, and am quite conservative about safety. I
upgraded my '89 Westy to the optional Volkswagen 3-point rear seat belt, and
was happy enough with the results that I now offer this upgrade as a kit.
This is all genuine VW parts (unlike the GoWesty kit) and uses the factory
mounts that are ALREADY present in your Vanagon behind the side interior
panel. (It came from the factory ready to accept them, but U.S. law did not
require them at the time.) The finished assembly looks stock, because it IS
stock; it was originally offered by VW as a dealer upgrade, and if properly
installed, meets all VW engineering specs for the Vanagon. As a gut feeling,
this just feels safer to me than an aftermarket kit that may or may not be
comparable to one designed by VW themselves specifically for the Vanagon. 

You need the seatbelt and the install kit. This uses the stock female half
(the part with the buckle). On some earlier Vanagons (pre-1984???) you may
need the female half as well (also listed on the page) because the buckle
differed on early Vanagons. Instructions are included and the retrofit is
not difficult. As a matter of course I always recommend that seat belts be
professionally installed, but of course that's up to you.

http://busdepot.com/view.jsp?model=43&prodgroup=1013

(The page also lists a driver side rear 3-point belt, which will retrofit
into a non-Westy, but not in a Westy due to the cabinet placement. I suppose
you could cut your cabinet to allow the shoulder belt to pass through it,
but I had no need to try this, having only one child, and VW did not
officially recommend this for the driver side of a Westy.)

While I don't fool myself into believing that this alone will make a Vanagon
as safe in a major accident as a brand new 5-star rated car with
side-curtain airbags, ABS, etc., I have read that 3-point seatbelts are the
most important safety upgrade you can do for rear passengers.  Also, for
small children, it allows the use of modern booster seats, most of which are
specifically intended for use with 3-point harnesses.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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