The driver's seatbelt on my 2000 A6 Avant has become weak and less willing to retract all the way on its own when I unfasten it; and I keep getting it caught in the door. (I've had the same thing happen on older cars such as my Acura). I was just wondering if anything such as cleaning/lubing the mechanism would typically help this ore if it is more likely that the springs have weakened?

How do you gain access to the mechanism and is it very difficult to get at to take a look? Thanks

 

Theres not really much you can do. The seat belts have ignitors on them to tension the belts during an accident. The entire mechanism for retraction is enclosed in a box with the ignitor. You cant even see it. You are also probably correct in the cause being a weak spring. About all you can do short of replacing it is remove the upper b pillar trim and make sure the belt isnt twisted or something causing it not to retract.