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  1. #1
    ispira Guest

    Default britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    We're considering buying this seat for our son (17 lbs but too tall for his infant seat) and thought the extra 25 pounds limit (max 65 instead of 40) would make up for the higher cost. But will we really be able to keep our seat that long, or do they get trashed by use? (We're pretty good about cleaning up after our son, but he's very active.) Also, do changes in safety standards and technology make it unlikely we'd WANT to keep it that long?

    IIS

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia, USA.
    Posts
    20,018

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    Believe it or not, Britax seats expire after 6 years, and one of the main reasons they list is updated safety testing and standards. That said, they've had the Roundabout on the market for 7 or 8 years now, with the only substantial change being the addition of LATCH hooks--which are not safer, just sometimes easier to use than a seatbelt for installing.

    Most of the parts on the Marathon are replaceable...you could get a new cover, new harness, new comfort and impact foam, chest clip, lockoffs, HUGS and shoulderpads...for not much money (lots of people have winter and summer covers, and if you check www.britaxusa.com they often have great sales on covers) while the seat shell itself is very sturdy and should stand up nicely to years of use.

    My almost 6 yo still fits with a couple inches of growing room, though it's his sister's (almost 4) seat. It won't last either of them till 65 pounds, but it's the extra height limit that's important. She would be outgrowing most 40 pound convertibles by now and is really too young and light to go into a booster, so I'd have to fork out more money for a Combination seat with higher harness slots,but without all the quality and safety features that are in the Marathon (most people really find they can't stand other seats after britax ;) )

    Anyway, that's just my 2 cents...I bought about a dozen harnessed seats before I settled on a Marathon, and it's by far my favorite in terms of ease of use and comfort. The Roundabout is excellent, too, and if you want to gamble that combo seats are going to be much higher quality in a couple years, then you can find roundabout's for as low as $169 at a some places :)
    Good luck!
    Julie
    Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)

    DS age 18--Driving--(booster till 11 and almost 5ft tall)
    DD1 age 16--Learner's Permit!(booster till 11 and almost 5 ft tall)
    DD2 age 9-Safety 1st Incognito
    http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/LeahInCarseats#

  3. #3
    ispira Guest

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    Thanks, Julie. That was *very* helpful. And well-timed. My wife is at the store right now and just called me from there with the salesperson. We're getting the Marathon.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia, USA.
    Posts
    20,018

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    wow, that's great. I hope it works well...post back if you need any extra installation instructions later :)
    Julie
    Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)

    DS age 18--Driving--(booster till 11 and almost 5ft tall)
    DD1 age 16--Learner's Permit!(booster till 11 and almost 5 ft tall)
    DD2 age 9-Safety 1st Incognito
    http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/LeahInCarseats#

  5. #5
    jeepdad Guest

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    Julie, what do you mean it expires after 6 years?

    We are looking at getting one, so I'm curious.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia, USA.
    Posts
    20,018

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    All carseats have expiration dates, between 5 and 8 years, depending on the brand and the seat.
    Here's what my newest Britax manual says: "To prevent injury due to deterioration, hidden damage, lost instructions, outdated technology, etc., disconinue use of a car seat that is older than six years or has been in a severe crash"

    When I bought my first seat, I thought, "yeah, sure, they just want me to buy more!"...but really, technology DID change soon after that seat was made, and I had to buy a tether kit to put on it, there was no airbag warning on it, and government testing standards became stricter, too...now, it's still a nice looking seat (my kids use it as a TV chair, lol), but it' just doesn't pass muster according to recent standards.

    Hope that helps!
    Julie
    Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)

    DS age 18--Driving--(booster till 11 and almost 5ft tall)
    DD1 age 16--Learner's Permit!(booster till 11 and almost 5 ft tall)
    DD2 age 9-Safety 1st Incognito
    http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/LeahInCarseats#

  7. #7
    jlcana Guest

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    We've had one for 11 months now and love it! Its very easy to use and tighten straps. Only complaint is that one of my HUGS broke after 3 month of use and I think they're useless so far. If anyone can tell me the point of these, please do! Be warned that because the Marathon has higher wt/ht limits, it is a bit bigger than a say a Graco CS. We have ours installed in the middle of my 4 dr Grand Prix and doesn't leave much room for rear seat passengers.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Richmond, Virginia, USA.
    Posts
    20,018

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    HUGS are mandatory when the seat is used forward facing (they can be removed for the rearacing postion, though, since their primary purpose is to reduce head excursion, which is obviously not an issue for rearfacing kids).
    Here's a post from a CPSTech on another board that explains HUGS:

    "It's known that in a severe frontal crash, the webbing gets loaded and is very tight because the child is pushing on the webbing. We have seen that the neck of children can get bruised from the edge of the webbing because during the crash the webbing edge may press hard against the child's neck. The injury is very slight and the parents are glad the child was protected from serious injury, but we've looked for ways to get rid of the webbing bruises. Adding long cloth shoulder pads as in Europe has several problems. 1. Chest clip interference: Europe can't use chest clips so it's not an issue, but in the US the chest clips interfere with the pads. 2. A long cloth shoulder pad is near the mouth of the child and catches all the yucky stuff. Bacteria can collect in the longer pad. Removing the longer pads is not very quick and they won't dry fast so frequent washing may be a problem.

    HUGS uses an elastomer long pad with the chest clip installed so that it can be slid up or down...and the chest clip can't easily be slid up too high or too low because it's limited by the pad.

    The elastomer is actually TPE (thermo-plastic-elastomer) that is commonly used for pacifiers and to coat the ends of spoons etc. for infants. It is non-toxic, soft, and can't be bitten off. It is inherently resistant to bacteria because it is not porous like cloth and it won't catch the yucky stuff. We added soft comfort pads up at the top to rest against the child's neck and they can remain up away from the mouth. They are made of the same micro-fiber synthetic as some of our covers and they can quickly be removed, washed and dried.

    The elastomer pads cover the webbing edge and in a crash and are designed to prevent the webbing edge from contact with the child's neck."

    I think if I were you, I'd call 1-888-4BRITAX and tell them yours broke, if you've had it under a year, they should replace them free, and if over a year, they would still be happy to be alerted to the problem.
    Julie
    Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)

    DS age 18--Driving--(booster till 11 and almost 5ft tall)
    DD1 age 16--Learner's Permit!(booster till 11 and almost 5 ft tall)
    DD2 age 9-Safety 1st Incognito
    http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/LeahInCarseats#

  9. #9
    jlcana Guest

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    WOW, I had no idea they were so important! I thought it was just to keep the chest clip in place, mine snapped as I was pulling it up so sone couldn't chew on ends. I will call about getting new one. Thanks for the info!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    .
    Posts
    81

    Default RE: britax marathon - does one car seat really last for six years?

    My friend will hand me a Britax Roundabout purchased in 1999. Do you think it's safe to use or should i buy a new one?
    Thanks

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