Britax Marathon Replacement straps.....WWYD?

[AnnieW625]

Our Marathon straps got really moldy (thanks to a rain storm last week; the Marathon was covered in a plastic bag, but low to the ground in our covered patio :banghead: (for not realizing it was out there) and now they need to be replaced. The seat is set to expire in Jan., 2012 and the straps are $21.99, and the hugs harness is $9.99 so that's $30+ for a seat we barely use (it's the extra seat to use with my sisters car--'97 Camry, which isn't often, or the seat to use when the Frontier has to be washed due to potty accidents, which is why we went to use it for today) and won't be able to use after next January.

FWIW, DD2 is still happy in the Safe Seat, and even if we do decide to move her to a convertible before she outgrows the Safe Seat it would be to one she could use from the beginning, and use until it expires like a RA 55, Britax BLVD, or FY True Fit Premier.

We also have a Safegaurd Go, which is what we are using now so it's not like we don't have a spare seat.

So, would you replace the straps, or would you just sell the cover on Ebay, and cut the losses with the seat?

[jjordan]

1 year left before it expires? I definitely wouldn't bother with new straps at this point. (Shipping will add $10 or so to your total, btw.) So, IMO, selling the cover is a good move!

[Beth24]

Is there any safe way to clean the straps? I read soaking in bleach kills the mold, but then you have straps saturated in bleach...

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, mold is a real bugaboo, bleach is about the only thing that kills it AND one of the few cleaners that will really destroy your harness strap strength, so you never want it anywhere near your straps.
I'd probably sell the cover, if it's in good shape...

And then I'd sing that song about how it never rains in southern california, but when it pours, man, it pours ;)

[vonfirmath]

I'd replace the seat.
Sorry!

[AnnieW625]

Thank you all for the insight. After I posted I remembered that I could just get a Britax Rounabout 50 Classic from Target as one of our seats (as we will need a travel seat and this one is pretty light) and then we'll be able to use the cover as a back up cover.

Jools, we've had about 11" of rain in the last month and are at over 300% of normal. The statistical normal for Jan. to June is only 12" of rain so I think we'll meet that with no problem this year.