Child seats

AX_Man · Post by **AX_Man** » 05 Sep 2006, 12:15

I have a 7 month old baby and have a normal car seat for her that the seat belt links into runners on the top and also the diagnal of the seat belt goes around the back of the car seat through guides.
God bless Citroen that this seat fits the AX, Saxo, a Picasso and a Pug 306 and even a Vauxhall MPV.

However my dad's saftey first car, a Volvo estate, the car seat doesn't fit as the belts are too short. Which is annoying as when going out with them have to take my car as well.

Anyone have any experience of this problem or know if there is a way around it?

Stuart McB · Post by **Stuart McB** » 05 Sep 2006, 17:36

All the rear seat belts or just the side ones? My 10 month old has a britax set up and it's fitted all the cars we've been in. Citroen, Reno, Mazda, Vauxhall and one of those Toyota people carriers.

AX_Man · Post by **AX_Man** » 06 Sep 2006, 12:37

I tried all the seats at the back. The middle one/armrest converts to a booster seat for when she's older.

Anyway my baby is only 7 weeks not 7 months!

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 06 Sep 2006, 13:29

The days of rolling around the back seat or sitting on your dad's lap while you have a go with the steering wheel are long gone!!

It may be possible to get a longer belt made up- try Quickfit (with a Q not a K) http://www.quickfitsbs.co.uk/aboutus.asp The website appears to be being revamped but the phone numbers, etc, are there.

They are excellent in sorting belts out for classics which never had them and one-offs.

I have no connection with them at all but they have a really good reputation in the old-car world, and it's where I'm going to go to get inertias to replace the statics in my Triumph.

reblack68 · Post by **reblack68** » 09 Sep 2006, 16:01

I had a similar problem on a 1985 SAAB 900 although, strangely, not on a 1983 900. I got around it by using the front seat, where the belts were longer. There were no airbags though.

In view of the fact that my SAABs had belts of varying lengths it might be worth a trawl round the scrapyards to see if Volvos varied too. I'm guessing it's a 9 series if it has the built in booster seat but a 7 series belt should be compatible. You only need to take one and remember to take the buckle even if it looks the same.

Failing that you could live with it until it's time to turn the seat around. The time isn't long in passing.

AX_Man · Post by **AX_Man** » 11 Sep 2006, 10:06

reblack68 wrote: Failing that you could live with it until it's time to turn the seat around. The time isn't long in passing.

Unfortunetly its not one that turns around. Looks like have to live with until 9 months when she gets thge next size up. Also the Volvo has airbags at the front so that is a defo nono...

Knowing my dad he won't get a new seatbelt. He firmly believes in only going to the Volvo dealer he bought it from for everything, even, heaven forbid, a new battery!

AX_Man · Post by **AX_Man** » 14 Feb 2007, 10:04

As a reference for anyone, I was told in Mothercare about Britax's brilliant website.

http://www.britax.co.uk//FitFinder/GB/FitFinder.php

You choose the seats from their range and then you select your car and there is fitting instructions.

For example in the AX some car seats may only fit to the front because of the height of the buckle.

Post by **SteveG** » 14 Feb 2007, 23:26

AX_Man wrote:I tried all the seats at the back. The middle one/armrest converts to a booster seat for when she's older.

Probably won't be legal to use the arm rest as a booster seat as it's unlikely to meet the ECE R44.03 standard. Mind you, by the time she's of an age to use a booster seat (about 6 years old) the rules will have changed again ... that's if we haven't all been taxed out of existence

Post by **SteveG** » 14 Feb 2007, 23:30

AX_Man wrote:As a reference for anyone, I was told in Mothercare about Britax's brilliant website.

http://www.britax.co.uk//FitFinder/GB/FitFinder.php

RoSPA also have an excellent web site relating to child restraints at www.childcarseats.org.uk

Homer · Post by **Homer** » 15 Feb 2007, 13:34

SteveG wrote: by the time she's of an age to use a booster seat (about 6 years old)

My daughter was too tall for a car seat (and over the weight limit) at 4yrs old and is 1cm away from the legal height for travelling without a booster at six.

Post by **SteveG** » 15 Feb 2007, 21:52

Homer wrote:My daughter was too tall for a car seat (and over the weight limit) at 4yrs old and is 1cm away from the legal height for travelling without a booster at six.

Big girl

AX_Man · Post by **AX_Man** » 19 Feb 2007, 16:07

SteveG wrote:
AX_Man wrote:As a reference for anyone, I was told in Mothercare about Britax's brilliant website.

http://www.britax.co.uk//FitFinder/GB/FitFinder.php
RoSPA also have an excellent web site relating to child restraints at www.childcarseats.org.uk

They refer you to the Britax FitFinder page!

Post by **SteveG** » 19 Feb 2007, 23:39

AX_Man wrote:They refer you to the Britax FitFinder page!

Really? I couldn't find a link between the two, although I didn't check every one.

My reason for pointing out the RoSPA site in the first place was that it is full of information relating to child car restraints - not just which seats fit which car.

Post by **SteveG** » 19 Feb 2007, 23:43

SteveG wrote:
AX_Man wrote:They refer you to the Britax FitFinder page!
Really? I couldn't find a link between the two, although I didn't check every one.

Yep, okay I see it now.

AX_Man · Post by **AX_Man** » 02 Jul 2007, 10:52

A word of caution with the Britax fit-finder.

The next stage seat (up to 4 years) that the fit finder said would fit, is dangerous with buckle crunch.

I went to Halfords and they in the end only found 1 that would fit safely, the Britax First Class as it has 2 different routing systems. Luckily it was on special offer that day