After about twenty-three years the driver's seat belt does not retract well and it's time to get it fixed. Is it easy and cheap enough for me to fix it myself, or should I go to a shop and have them do it?

 

I would always start with cleaning them first.
usually they won't retract bc there is a ton of gunk/dead skin/sweat/drink stains over the years that has collected making it less pliable and less prone to retracting.

google/youtube different methods on cleaning them yourself.

 

This thread is super old but I'd like to just share my recent experience on my Celsior. Driver's seat belt would absolutely not retract unless I unbuckled the belt, it would retract, and then I could re-buckle it for a tight fit. I was going crazy looking for the right replacement, considering spending a few hundred dollars on this as it felt like safety was in question, but replacements are super scarce it seems. I kept reading about how "it probably just needs to be cleaned" but since I couldn't see any visible dirt or anything, I kept ignoring that option. Well I finally decided to go ahead and try it anyway after living with this issue for a few months. And to my happy surprise, it worked GREAT. I spent only about 5-10 minutes with a bucket of hot and soapy water (dish soap) and a towel. Let it soak, and used my fingers to try and scrub through as much as I could. Let it dry for a bit and when I came back it was SO much better. It still struggles very slightly. I'm sure if I spent more time soaking it, used an actual scrubby brush to clean it, and used a better sized bucket I could clean the hell out of this thing and it would be like brand new, no doubt in my mind. Just wanted to pass this on so someone doesn't go wasting a bunch of money for no reason if they find this post! Take the time and clean as much as you can