HereKittyKitty
04-27-2006, 02:25 PM
Hi!
(Sorry, this got really long...)
We finally got our Chicco Keyfit, and I played around with it in my car last night. It fits nicely on either outboard side of my Saab 9-3, and fits generously in the middle (we're not tall, though, I'm 5'6 and hubby is 5'8). I got a better install outboard than in the middle, the middle seat has kind of a hump to it, so the base settled into the seat better and seemed more secure on the sides. Added bonus - with the seat on the passenger side, the 60 part of the 60/40 split backseat folds down!
Anyway, I have some installation questions - I am going to have it inspected, but I want to make sure I know what to ask when I go, and what to question if they tell me something weird. I can get a pretty solid install with latch, less so with the seatbelt, but hubby's car doesn't have latch, so I need to learn how to do it with the seatbelt anyway.
1. When I check for movement, I know I should be checking "at the beltpath." Does that mean whether the base slides along the actual belt, or whether I can wiggle the base in the seat? It wiggles a little, but it doesn't slide on the belt - it seems to be wiggling because the bottom of the base is so narrow, and the latch anchors are further apart than the base is wide? It's not a lot, either, so I think I'm probably ok. (This is with latch) Do you think it would help to put something grippy under the base (I have leather seats, and the bottom of the base is smooth, so maybe it's a little slippery, too?)
2. The front of the base (towards the front of the car) lifts off of the seat a little bit when I have it in there as tight as I can. If I change the recline foot, then it doesn't, but then the recline is a little bit off instead. How concerned should I be about this? It's not inches off of the seat or anything, but it's not sitting firmly on the seat, either, at that end. Would using a towel instead of the recline foot help, maybe?
3. Is there a trick to using the lockoffs with the seatbelt? I threaded the belt through, latched it closed, and then pulled as hard as I could on the shoulder belt portion while pushing down on the seat. This works fine, but it loosens back up some as I put the shoulder belt into the lockoff. Should the lockoff actually open, or do I just slide/shove the belt in there? If I'm using the lockoff, do I also need to lock the shoulderbelt at the retractor?
4. The manual doesn't say anything about whether it's ok to brace the seat against the seatbacks or not - do most manuals say that it's NOT ok, if it's not? If it's not ok, how much space should be in between the carseat and the seat infront?
Thank you so much - sorry again that this got so long. :)
Kitty
(Sorry, this got really long...)
We finally got our Chicco Keyfit, and I played around with it in my car last night. It fits nicely on either outboard side of my Saab 9-3, and fits generously in the middle (we're not tall, though, I'm 5'6 and hubby is 5'8). I got a better install outboard than in the middle, the middle seat has kind of a hump to it, so the base settled into the seat better and seemed more secure on the sides. Added bonus - with the seat on the passenger side, the 60 part of the 60/40 split backseat folds down!
Anyway, I have some installation questions - I am going to have it inspected, but I want to make sure I know what to ask when I go, and what to question if they tell me something weird. I can get a pretty solid install with latch, less so with the seatbelt, but hubby's car doesn't have latch, so I need to learn how to do it with the seatbelt anyway.
1. When I check for movement, I know I should be checking "at the beltpath." Does that mean whether the base slides along the actual belt, or whether I can wiggle the base in the seat? It wiggles a little, but it doesn't slide on the belt - it seems to be wiggling because the bottom of the base is so narrow, and the latch anchors are further apart than the base is wide? It's not a lot, either, so I think I'm probably ok. (This is with latch) Do you think it would help to put something grippy under the base (I have leather seats, and the bottom of the base is smooth, so maybe it's a little slippery, too?)
2. The front of the base (towards the front of the car) lifts off of the seat a little bit when I have it in there as tight as I can. If I change the recline foot, then it doesn't, but then the recline is a little bit off instead. How concerned should I be about this? It's not inches off of the seat or anything, but it's not sitting firmly on the seat, either, at that end. Would using a towel instead of the recline foot help, maybe?
3. Is there a trick to using the lockoffs with the seatbelt? I threaded the belt through, latched it closed, and then pulled as hard as I could on the shoulder belt portion while pushing down on the seat. This works fine, but it loosens back up some as I put the shoulder belt into the lockoff. Should the lockoff actually open, or do I just slide/shove the belt in there? If I'm using the lockoff, do I also need to lock the shoulderbelt at the retractor?
4. The manual doesn't say anything about whether it's ok to brace the seat against the seatbacks or not - do most manuals say that it's NOT ok, if it's not? If it's not ok, how much space should be in between the carseat and the seat infront?
Thank you so much - sorry again that this got so long. :)
Kitty