nicks galore...be careful unbuckling

We've had our X5 for 2.5 months now. The other day I noticed the plastic interior molding where the seatbelt is located was peppered with nicks (like 50+). Apparently, if you unbuckle and let the seatbelt recoil back on its own, the metal clasp dings the heck out of this molding. So be careful...this item is not covered under warranty.

thanks for the heads up!

yeah, i just noticed the exact same thing just today! both drivers and passenger sides are all nicked up. that sux.

Hey I noticed the same thing today on mine. I thought it was my wedding ring scraping the plastic when I went to grab the belt but your explanation makes more sense.... looks all torn up!

Really? Mine have been fine - my Acura was *horrible* for this, looked like it was sandblasted after 2 years. Haven't noticed it yet on the BMW - black interior, seemed more durable, but I'll keep an eye on it.

though not covered under warranty, our dealer is replacing both passenger and drivers side mouldings free of charge...so it might be worth asking. This is the first car I've ever owned that had this problem.

Originally Posted by Aqua Bliss

Hey I noticed the same thing today on mine. I thought it was my wedding ring scraping the plastic when I went to grab the belt but your explanation makes more sense.... looks all torn up!

...that must be quite the ring

It's happened on every car I've ever owned.

Easy, don't wear the seatbelt and put in earplugs to ignore the warning chime!

Little dents on mine too...

Originally Posted by jdibber

though not covered under warranty, our dealer is replacing both passenger and drivers side mouldings free of charge...so it might be worth asking. This is the first car I've ever owned that had this problem.

This answer is so typical BMW
sorry that must be your fault ! how could you possible be thinking that BMW has not designed this part to stand up to normal daily use !!!

Oh, we'll do you a special favour and replace them for you !!

Of course this is BMW's fault, and it should be coverd under warranty.
The more people that complain, the more chance we as owners have of BMW taking any notice. Believe me, they have people reading these forums, and if we complain enough, they will take notice.
That doesn't mean that they will do anything, after all they are BMW, and their cars are the best on the planet. Everybody keeps buying them.
In Europe the X5 is the best sold SUV, even if BMW do call it a SAV.

Beutiful Vehicles, but I hate their attitude to the Customer.

have to say though, my dealer is great, no complaints there.

I think I will 3M clear mask them by the seatbelts - it is a problem with any car that has wood or metal trim in that area I think - the 3 series guys get dents all over the aluminum trim all the time from the seatbelt - my E93 doesn't have the issue as the belt is attached to the seat instead of the body of the car which helps a lot, but think I will be doing myself a favor before mines get's beat up and clear masking it!

Would the seat belt holder accessory help with this? I was thinking of it, but wanted to see if it even helped before purchasing.