After gluing together the "clamshell" halves of my driver's side seat belt buckle (and having them break again) several times, I finally decided to replace the buckle assembly (which includes wiring) with a new one. My problem is disconnecting the existing electrical connector under the seat -- it's located in an extremely tight spot and, no matter how I try, I can't figure out the trick to releasing it. The workshop manual is no help -- it simply says "Disconnect the electrical connector." Can anyone shed some light on this? (BTW, my seats are Recaros.)

 

You've managed to take the old buckle off? I have replaced a couple and needed to take the seat out to get access to the bolt. If true, once you have the seat out, should be straightforward. The seats shouldn't take more than a few minutes to remove (4 T40 torx bolts, same as the belt buckle, displace the seat all the way rearward to get to the front ones, displace forwards to get to the rear bolts). Tilt the seat over to better access the belt bolt and connector (tab on the male part, the larger female part comes away with the buckle).

Note: to get to the front outboard bolt, you'll need to remove the cover.

 

Yes, I have the seat out and turned upside-down. I have removed the old belt buckle and cut the wire in order to slip off the leatherette gaiter that surrounds the bolt assembly. I have slipped the black multi-pin connector, wire, and bolt assembly of the new buckle through the gaiter and snapped it shut, so it's ready to re-install. I have successfully removed the two "fir tree clips" that route the old wire under the seat. What I haven't been able to disconnect is the multi-pin connector assembly, which is hidden underneath a metal bar and two thick bundles of wire. There doesn't appear to be any kind of "release" on the side facing me (the only side I can see) and the opposite side, in addition to being hidden, is virtually impossible to get to. I'm wondering if I need to remove any of the parts that are impeding my access -- I'd definitely prefer not to do so.

 

Great. Is the connector still attached to the metal mount on the seat? If so, push forward from the black wire side to see if you can release it.