# Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle??



## fohveh (Dec 10, 2002)

Anyone do this before, I have three kids and need to install one in the middle. Beetles have the same space back there as the Golf, the Golf has the belt, but in Beetles they put a cosmetic bump in the middle with no belt?


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## Oldskoolvwlover v9.0 (Aug 4, 2004)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (fohveh)*

I don't think it has the same amount of space.... IIRC the rear seats will not bolt into place, the body shape is quite different in the rear. Also I would not imagine it could be very safe.


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## 2nd_BugMan (Nov 9, 2003)

I have used the back seat to hold 3 children in a pinch. You buckle the right seat belt into the left buckle and vise versa. This is safer then no seat belt. But not recomended. I've done this twice in over 185k miles.


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## VWfreekaleek (Aug 31, 2004)

*Re: (2nd_BugMan)*

Dont the golf, gti, jetta rear seats directly clip into the bug? If so, just hit up the junkyard for the rear seats outta a golf, gti, jetta
Jeff


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## Oldskoolvwlover v9.0 (Aug 4, 2004)

*Re: (VWfreekaleek)*


_Quote, originally posted by *VWfreekaleek* »_Dont the golf, gti, jetta rear seats directly clip into the bug? If so, just hit up the junkyard for the rear seats outta a golf, gti, jetta
Jeff

I don't think they do, as I said above just a guess, but the rear seams a lil narrow because of the exterior chassis design of the NB (not sure on this at all). Technically regardless of the seat fitting or not you do not have the proper mounting locations for adding a center seat belt. No matter what seat you have you won't have a safe way to bolt in the belt.


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## VWfreekaleek (Aug 31, 2004)

*Re: (Oldskoolvwlover v9.0)*

Oh, i dunno about the fitment, but as far as the belts, you would use the NB side belts, one of the NB latches, and take a latch from the golf or whatever, which is all one piece on one bolt for two latches, bolt it into the single bolt hole on the NB, and the seat back has the seat belt built into it, so you could safely have three belts, it is just like you said though, is the NB wide enought to take the golf jetta gti seats, width wise.
edit: i put my MKIV rear seats into my old MKIII golf and they actually fit, just as MKII fits in the MKIII, so i duno?


_Modified by VWfreekaleek at 2:54 PM 4-8-2007_


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## 13minutes (Sep 8, 2002)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (fohveh)*

I flatly wouldn't advise it. There is only two seating positions back there for a reason.


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## SMG8vT (Oct 8, 2004)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (13minutes)*

The rear GTI / Golf seats aren't a direct swap, they're too large, so that's why there is one less seatbelt in the rear of our NB's.
Word on the street says Audi TT rear seats swap right in, but I doubt it would have 3 belts either.
SMG


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## 13minutes (Sep 8, 2002)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (SomeMacGuy)*

They're two seats also.


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## dr_spock (Feb 16, 1999)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (fohveh)*

I wouldn't do it unless you have the financial means to handle a law suit. Your insurance company may deny you injury coverage in a collision due to modifications.


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## SMG8vT (Oct 8, 2004)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (fohveh)*

Yeah, it's time for a bigger car dude. I hate to say it but you've outgrown your NB.
SMG


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## Roger Eastman (Jan 2, 2000)

Well, if you are already carrying the 3 children in the back anyway, it would be better to have them all secured with belts than just having one of them unsecured.
There was a set of belts on eBay a while back. They are similar to what you find in a commercial jet, and include the necessary mounting hardware. You might have to drill 2 new holes, if they couldn't be mounted using the existing belt anchors. If drilling new holes in the floorpan, be sure you are not drilling into the fuel tank, or a fuel line, or electrical wires, etc.
The eBay # is 200083780672.


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: (Roger Eastman)*

Yeah, I've been thinking about installing one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...QrdZ1 in the middle back 'seat' of my vert, I have, on a rare occasion, driven w/3 kids in the back for a very short distance, but only if our larger car unexpectantly went in for service.


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: (Billsbug)*


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## fohveh (Dec 10, 2002)

*Re: (Billsbug)*

Thanks everyone for the input!!! I know three people fit because....they do. The Beetle has poor rear crash encroachment from the sides thats why the third belt is missing its in hope that at least two could survive but three would not in a major impact. I want it just to have for quick jaunts with three kids, no highway etc... just to have. In my area the law is simplistic it just states the number of belts in the car is how many should be buckled up, I'd rather have the third buckled with a lap belt than not buckled at all, it makes more sense obviously.


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: (fohveh)*


_Quote, originally posted by *fohveh* »_The Beetle has poor rear crash encroachment from the sides thats why the third belt is missing its in hope that at least two could survive but three would not in a major impact.

I have NEVER heard this B4, do u have link to any articles? I know in the vert the back seats are set lower in the car than the tintops.


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: (Billsbug)*

Found this, seems the NB gets a "Good" rating for rear passengers in a side impact:







http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=246


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## fohveh (Dec 10, 2002)

*Re: (Billsbug)*

Lowered chairs is just to accomodate the roof of the vert, the crash tests for the rear end of New Beetles are poor its only good for front, and side on the driver/passenger doors but the quarters beside the rear seats is a bad place to be in an offset impact this is well-known from past articles, no I don't have links this is old info for model years 1998-2003, since no new reinfocement has been engineered into the Beetle other than vert bodys, its safe to assume the rear quarters are still susceptible to the crush syndrome. If you search you'll find something.


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: (fohveh)*

I know the verts have more supports in the doors and I heard there's a bar behind the seats too, not sure if it's crash related or for more body stiffening. My comment on the back seats being lower is you have less chance to hit your head on the roof sides. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## fohveh (Dec 10, 2002)

*Re: Lap belt install*

What about this from pre-1998 Golfs etc... they had the center lap belt only, no shoulder belt.


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## 13minutes (Sep 8, 2002)

*Re: (Billsbug)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Billsbug* »_I know the verts have more supports in the doors and I heard there's a bar behind the seats too, not sure if it's crash related or for more body stiffening. 

The latter.


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## beetlegirlvw (Jun 24, 2004)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (fohveh)*

Be careful, I received a new sticker for my NB Convert. because the door sticker said 5 passengers and it only is able to handle 4 and it referred to the amount of weight it could carry passenger load wise.


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (beetlegirlvw)*


_Quote, originally posted by *beetlegirlvw* »_Be careful, I received a new sticker for my NB Convert. because the door sticker said 5 passengers and it only is able to handle 4 and it referred to the amount of weight it could carry passenger load wise. 

Ridiculous, it's a 3000+ lb car, it's because of safety. I used to pile 4 people into my teeny tiny Austin Healey Sprite and drive up and down the Colorado mountains in the 70's.


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## PAULLLLLIN (Mar 29, 2007)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (Billsbug)*

Just put the least favorite kid in the middle http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Billsbug (Sep 15, 2004)

*Re: (13minutes)*


_Quote, originally posted by *13minutes* »_
The latter.

Cool, thx. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## lojasmo (Dec 23, 2002)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (fohveh)*

No.


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## pdoel (Mar 14, 2001)

*Re: Anyone install a third lap belt in the middle of the rear chairs on a Beetle?? (lojasmo)*

As with many of the others, I would highly advice against it.
It may seem nice to be able to secure all three kids back there for quick jaunts.
However, as much as you probably like your Beetle, I bet you love those kids even more. It only takes one instant to change everything. I'd rather keep those kids as safe as possible, then do a quick fix to make the Beetle a 5 seater, when it was never designed to be so.


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