HELP ME... Install my Marathon

[newmama4]

Oy, you would think 2 reasonably intelligent people would be able to install our new MA. Help!!!!

I think we are putting the seatbelt through correctly, but when we tighten everything up - the MA is not nearly tight enough.

We have a MAzda MPV without latch. We are trying to install it behind the driver's side (Julie and I emailed about this a few weeks ago and determined this would be safe b/c there is no real middle seat in the MPV). Anyway, we open the latching clip near the door, send the seatbelt through the hole (for lack of a better word) on the side of the MA near the door, then we put it under the cover and under the belt used to tighten the straps (by the way, I think I am missing a piece of white foam - when I pulled the cover back, only one piece of foam was there - help). Ok, then we send the belt through the hole on the otherside of the seat and under the black bar. Is this right so far? Then we buckle the beat and push like crazy on the seat to get it tight. Assuming we have threaded the belt correctly, this is our problem, we just can't get it tight enough. Then we lock of the open locking clip and voila....the seat moves like crazy.

If we tether it, will it stop moving? What are we doing wrong? I am hesitant to take it to our poice station b/c they were the ones if you remember that installed our snug ride wrong - without the locking clip which was clearly needed. So, I will continue to use the snug ride, but, it really is time for the switch. Please help, give advice, tell me I am not an idiot, and can really do this correctly.

Thanks!
Elise
Hannah Meira's Eema (11/16/04)

[Joolsplus2]

Ok, deeeeep breath... ;)

Where, exactly, does it seem loose? Is the seatbelt really loose? Or is it just the top of the seat? The main thing to tighten is the lap portion of the belt...just tug tug tug up up up on the shoulderbelt (kind of IN the seat, like, leave the cover and grey foam all peeled back up and off the seat) to get the lapbelt tight, then lock the lockoff (whichever one you can lock easiest, either is fine), and THEN do the top tether and pull it down to recline...you should have pushed the front of the seat down while the lapbelt was getting tightened, so that the seat would be getting way too upright.

This page has a picture of an old style MPV with a Marathon tethered in it ..http://www.angelfire.com/wa3/isakswings/ratetherrf.html (scroll down for it).

I think you can manage it...sounds like you're really close to getting it!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[newmama4]

Julie,

Thanks so much for your help - let me know which kind of cookies you like and where to send them!

Truely, we did push and pull with all our might on the seat belt - and the MA was loose all over. like we did nothing. Should we use a towel or noodle to get the MA seat closer to the back seat edge? Do you think we might be threading the belt wrong?

I saw the picture - that child is cute! We havn't even begun to figure out the tethering thing yet, I just want a tight fit using the seat belt first.

If it is just a matter of pushing and tugging, we will try again tomorrow, maybe I'll make spinach for dinner!

Also, am I missing foam? Can I get another piece?

Elise
Hannah Meira's Eema (11/16/04)

[Joolsplus2]

LOL, Spinach! Yeah, I am always surprised to see people working as hard as they can to install their seats, and after minutes of struggle the seat isn't as tight as I can get it in about 8 seconds...I forget that I have massive seatbelt-pulling muscles :D But it's also all about leverage...when you push on the front of the seat, where the baby's feet go, there's a certain "sweet spot" that if you push the seat will get very easily tightened...so try pushing down on different areas of the seat while you pull up on that shoulderbelt, you might just "get it" all of a sudden, and then clamp the lockoffs and voila, tight lapbelt. And tightening the tether will then get most of the movement out of the top of the seat and get the recline right (sorry if I'm repeating myself at all...I just get on a roll and visualize the whole process so I can try not to leave anything out).

Oh, yeah, about that foam...go ahead and call Britax tomorrow if you don't just miraculously find it tonight, and describe the foam you need 1-888-4BRITAX, and they should send it to you, I think for free....you are definitely not the first person to need it replaced...lots of people mistake it for packing foam and toss it out by accident (they could put a sticker on it or something, at least! it looks like packing foam...sheesh!)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[kellyotn]

Is the whole foam piece missing, or is it just the indent for the manual? That confused the heck out of me. :-)

[newmama4]

Ok, Julie you are brillant!!!!! I did it - well half at least. The problem was we were trying to install the MA with the base angled. Once I pushed on the base straight down (and put the mpv's seat back a tiny bit more) I was able to get a really tight fit and latch off the belt.

Now, as you rightly perdicted, I'll be damnned (can I say that?!)if I can find a metal piece on the floor to tether the seat to. I looked for one and all I found was a cord I think part of the electric system (not good) and not much else. Can I tether it to the headrest of the front seat? Any other ideas? I'll have my DH crawl around under the seat, but any other ideas would be appreciated.

Oh, the foam (which definitley went the way of the recycling truck with the box) is white and when looking down on the seat, to the left of the belt. Is this where the manual goes, and maybe there shouldn't be foam there. I remember it came out easily (not bolted in like the other piece) so I thought it was for the packing.

Thanks,
Elise

[Joolsplus2]

I'm asking the mom of that cute fella in the Marathon in the MPV if she can describe how she did it...maybe your seat is different from hers, but it looks like there's a big metal crossbar under the front seat that works...?
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[newmama4]

I don't seem to have a cross bar - but will look again. Meanwhile, I have been driving around with the MA (DD is still in snug ride) & it got loose again and the locking clip opened. Any other advice? I am hoping that it is just b/c it is not tethered.

Oy oy oy oy....

Elise

[Joolsplus2]

No, that shouldn't have happened :(

Sometimes you have to put the base a little closer to the front or the back of the vehicle seat, and that keeps the seatbelts flatter when they go through the lockoffs (Wish I could tell you more about that, but it's really "trial and error"), so that they don't pop open.

Your seatbelts pull all the way out and then retract tightly, yeah? You might want to do that after you have the install just the way you want it...get it all perfect and tight, and THEN lock the seatbelt...that way, it won't be pulling up the side of your seat all hard, but it also is locked and will keep the carseat tight should the lockoffs pop open (which they shouldn't...but better safe than sorry, since obviously it's happened already!)

Hang in there, you're SO close!
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[newmama4]

Julie - hope the move is going well!

Hi, Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. I took a break from trying to install the MA. Tonight we had some young couples over with kids for a Memorial Day cook out and one of the Mother's (ironically with no kids in car seats - hers are too old) offered to help me. We pushed and pulled and followed your advice about the seat belt and I think (my fingers and toes are crossed) that we got it installed correctly.

I do have some questions though....

1. RE: the foam that I through out - I think that it was supposed to be removed so that the manual can be stored in the seat. Is this right? Should I call for a replacement piece?

2. The locking clips - ok for an expensive seat - why are they plastic and not metal??? We locked the one near the door (can't lock the other one b/c the seatbelt is in the way) and I will check tomorrow morning to see if it is still locked. We also locked the seat belt in place - pulled it out and retracted it back, so if it shoud be unlocked, the seat will still be in tight. The problem is where and how the seat belt hits the MA (the angle) and that it is plastic and doesn't want to stay closed once any pressure is put on the clip. I suppose it would defeat the prupose to blow off the locking clips entirely and use the metal snug ride one - which I never had a problem with. (Ok, don't flame me, I won't do it.)

Anyway, is there anyway to lock the locking clip so it won't unlock - or is it ok, b/c I have retracted the seat belt?

3. We tethered it to the metal bar underneath the seat. This definitely makes the seat rock solid in the MPV! I just want to double check that it is ok to tether the seat to the metal bar underneath the seat in which it is sitting on - that is it is NOT tethered to underneath the front seat - but underneath its own seat. Does this make sense? Is it ok?

As an aside, several of the friends we had over wanted to know why I cared so much that the seat was installed 100% correctly and didn't move more than an inch in any direction. Then before I could answer, they all figured that, oh it's her first DC, and therefore she's neurotic about car seats (and everything else). Well, I answered that I wanted my DD to be as safe as possible - and that I heard that it doesn't matter how much you spend on your seat - what's important is that it is installed correctly and used correctly 100% of the time - and that I wanted to make sure it is installed correctly to begin with. Everyone said, oh yeah, well that makes sense - they all knew the same statistics about car seats. If this makes me neurotic, so be it - and byw, I plan on being this neurotic about all of the DC we might have in our family, and in our cars!

Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day and I hope that we have peace in our time soon (and safe car seats)!

Thanks,
Elise
Hannah Meira's Eema (11/16/04)

[Joolsplus2]

Hi! Glad you had some luck with your seat and a nice get together! (me? I'm decompressing after a day at a theme/water park with the kiddos :) ).

Ok, well, there are 2 pieces of foam, and the one that goes over the manual is a bit thinner, so there's room for the manual underneath it. I don't think it's a major huge safety concern, but since it's gone, it technically puts you back in the "seats used wrong" category (which of course is 99% of us...I have <gasp> a seat mat under my Marathon, which the manual tells me voids the warranty, so don't sweat it, we all do something wrong, lol).

I don't even know what to say about the locking clips...aren't they a pain in the a$$? Don't worry, your belts lock, everything is fine, I promise.

Yup, keep it tethered there. Britax murmured something about not wrapping the top tether all the way around to the back of the seatback, then never said anything again, so I'm going with the old recommendation that tethering to the same seat is A-OK till I have further word (and I really think it's ok and perfectly safe, no sweat there).

Yeah, it's too bad people who want to get this right are labeled "neurotic" even jokingly...we are just so deaf and blind to the statistics...you hear "injury accident" and "fatal crash" so often on the news, you don't even stop to think that means someone died or was seriously hurt!

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[murphydog77]

OK, Julie, where's the blushing icon? Where does the manual go? All my foam looks identical, so I just tuck it underneath the gray comfort foam. But, if there's an actual spot for it, I'd like to know where it is. Or do I have to read the manual to find it ;)?

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.CarSeatSite.com

[Joolsplus2]

Boy, was I crossing my fingers when I went to my car that I wasn't just telling a big tale about this foam thing, but sure enough, here is how my very own seat looks this very morning...see? smaller foam on one side, manual rolled up under it <phew!>
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/26522.jpg

[stillplayswithbarbies]

huh. Well I am going to have to stuff mine in there too. I just have it under the seat cover and it slides around. Sometimes it slides down and interferes with tightening the harness straps.

I wonder if it was shipped that way and I took it out to look at and forget where it came from. Probably.

[DebbieJ]

Interesting!

Mine had the PermaBook thingy, but I cut it off! How the heck am I supposed to install a seat when I can't have full access to the manual while doing it?!?! I didn't have one stashed on the plate in back either.

Anyway, so my manual has been floating around my desk upstairs. I can find it if I need to, but I'd never be able to tell DH where to find it, IYKWIM?

I just ran out to the car to look and I have the room in my foam too! Imagine that!

Off to go find my manual and stick it in there!

Thanks, Jools, as always!

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

[Joolsplus2]

Of course, having it shoved under there has made some peoples' completely unreadable with the first big milk spill that occurs in the seat (pages all stuck together...eeeew!)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[DebbieJ]

Good thing you can download and print a new manual!

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

[murphydog77]

So thaaaat's where it goes! I've never looked at it from the front, just the top and it never occured to me why that piece of foam moved around a bit. I thought the manual was supposed to tuck in next to the side of that foam. Huh.

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.CarSeatSite.com

[Joolsplus2]

Well, don't feel bad, it took me well over a year to find the little pockets for the LATCH hooks in the cover (ok, who needs pictures of that now? ;) )
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Those pockets are so awesome! I just found them recently, after reading about them here. It was so nice to go through the airport without those hooks swinging around on my last trip!

[newmama4]

Look what I started - LOL!!!

Ok, we love the MA - yes the latch was still locked this morning - so we used the car seat when we went to Music ! IT was great! No protests from DD so I am sure she likes it too. I am not touching that latch or moving the seat even a tiny bit - so that it will stay closed. I really think it is where my seat belt hits the side of the seat that makes it a problem.

Anyway, yes that is the foam I removed and it went the way of the recycling truck with the box. Should I call for another piece?

Oh, and where are the pockets for the latch? I admit it,I need a picture.

Thanks Julie!
Elise
Hannah Meira's Eema (11/16/04)

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, I'd call them toll free 1-888-4BRITAX and get some new foam...really, if nothing else, it might keep them alerted to the fact that they should LABEL stuff that looks like packing foam!!! My friend's wizard has dark grey foam, and it looks like it really is part of the seat.

I made another post with the LATCH pocket, lol.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[new_mommy25]

Okay, tell me where these pockets are!! I have looked for them on many occasion and just cannot understand where they are supposed to go!