rear seatbelt mounts

[Dunc]

What a swine the rear seatbelt mounts are to fit! I just couldn't get the replacement set to clear the chassis and had to trim quite a bit off the Lotusbits mount to get it in place. Lotusbits mount looked identical in proportion to the original one (which I had to cut in half to remove).

Anyone else had this issue and had to trim them?

Am I doing something wrong?

[Guest saraphee]

I got mine copied in stainless steel by a local metal shop. We have several shops that specialise in different things. These guys concentrate on car and bike parts.

The originals were quite rusty, far rustier than the chassis for some reason and the difference in cost between base metal and stainless was the equivalent of a couple of pounds so we went the stainless route.

They looked identical and fitted perfectly so sorry to learn that you've faced a problem.

[Dunc]

They are on now Rex, so not too much of a problem, just awkward to clear round the chassis and trailing arm until I trimmed them with the grinder.

With hindsight, my problem might have been that I was lazy and backed the car onto up onto my inspection ramps rather than jacked the car up. The trailing arm was still taking the weight of the car. If it had been up on jacks the trailing arm would have dropped and given me another inch or so of room?

We are going to castle coombe today and I wanted my daughters child seat to go in the back (to date it has gone in the front and my wife has shoe horned herself into the rear seats) which in the eclat aren't the most roomy, but for shorter trips thats what we have done. For a longer run, its best that my 2 year old goes in the back and my wife sits in the front.

Job done and car packed and fueled for the run out the M4!

Hope you are well out there and safe!

D

[andydclements]

I must do mine this weekend.

[Guest saraphee]

Hi Duncan,

Yes, you're quite right - we jacked the car up and at first they were a tight fit, when jacked a little higher they slipped on without a problem.

Although Chiang Mai is the home town of the ex PM, now convicted of corruption and facing lots of other charges, the reaction here was spontaneous and limited to one evening of violent demonstrations in one, small but important geographically, area of the city.

We have never been inconvenienced in any way and continue to feel perfectly safe here - probably more so than in most UK city centres, based on what we see on Sky News etc.

AND the weather's better!

[Dunc]

Thats good to hear Rex. When we see news stories, our thoughts immediately turn to people who are there.

My wife is Australian and we were frequent visitors as we used it as a stop off in Thailand en route to Sydney to break up the trip. We have many happy memories of Thailand, including our honeymoon, so I am glad to hear that life continues as normal and that you and your freinds and family are safe.

I never saw a Lotus while I was there, but I did once bump into Lou Carpenter from Neighbours on a side street in Hua Hin.... He was there visiting family as his wife is Thai. It was quite a surreal moment bumping into someone famous in a sleepy little town on the other side of the world...

D