Completely satisfied !! THANKS
Evening Paolo,
Just wanting to add a bit more information for your good self along with anyone else wishing to conduct this modification.
First up is to acknowledge that the correct seatbelt buckle from Audi Tradition is the way forward but is pricey at €60+ before delivery
What I initially tried to do was utilise was a later style Audi seatbelt buckle:
The above seatbelt buckle was too long and the securing bolt used within the A2 doesn’t pass through the base of the buckle strap. In an attempt to see what else might be possible I took the buckle casing off to see if the electrical element could be moved to the A2 buckle. Totally different internals and simply not possible.
Only today I collected this item which looks rather similar to the correct A2 buckle mentioned earlier in this thread. It’s from a Mk5 Seat Ibiza:
It has the very same red connector that’s on the aforementioned correct A2 seatbelt buckle. It’s also the same connector as the electric lumbar connector so the pins can be moved to this if you have a Sport model with lumbar. This is what I’ll do when I next have the seat removed. The connector cannot be plugged in incorrectly by design so is totally safe to do, much like all the other connectors which would result in an electrical catastrophe if they were not designed to only be connected one way.
The only issue I have with the Ibiza buckle is that it’s metal strap is 2 inches longer. No major problem but really want to retain the A2 buckle as it’s fits as Audi intended.
What I proceeded to do was remove the Ibiza buckles black casing with a hope that with it being from an earlier generation, it’s mechanism was identical to that of the A2 buckle.
I know some people will frown upon taking the black plastic casing off the seatbelt buckle but I can assure you that it doesn’t interfere with any of the safety of the locking mechanism at all. In fact taking it off was a good thing as it revealed 20 years of fluff and grime in and around the mechanism, I was amazed at how much had entered through the slot the seatbelt clip goes into. A quick pass with a clean/dry paint brush and all was as clean as it was when new.
The Ibiza Buckle:
The 2 wire assembly unclipped from the Ibiza buckle:
The A2 buckle with cover removed:
The A2 buckle with the Ibiza 2 wire assembly clipped on:
Casing back on the A2 buckle ready to be fitted when the seat is next removed, I’ll secure the loom to the strap with some 60mm heat shrink:
At no point during any of this was the safety or integrity of the locking mechanism touched or tampered with. Just a small plastic plunger assembly was unclipped from the Ibiza buckle and clipped onto the A2 buckle, nothing more and nothing less.
As the Ibiza 2 wire assembly fits perfectly onto the A2 buckle I guess what I’m left with here right now is pretty much what I would have if I was to spend some €60+ before delivery from Germany.
Costs involved: £10 for the Ibiza buckle plus a wasted £12 on the A6 C7 buckle, not a bad outcome in the name of innovation/experimentation.
Kind regards,
Tom