Questions re: install of a marathon

[jgenie]

DH installed a new marathon in his car (97 BMW 5 series) over the weekend. I don't know what the problem was, but it took him a couple of hours to do it. I told him Britax seats are supposed to be one of the easiest to install, but he didn't agree. Any thoughts on why he had so many problems? I'm waiting until he has a weekend off so we can uninstall it and I can try installing it. Any tips or tricks? It's currently installed in the rear passenger position. Also, he said he tethered it to the seat bottom because he couldn't find any other place to tether it but if the seat is adjusted the tether would be affected. TIA

[Joolsplus2]

Forward facing or rear facing? I'm assuming RF...yeah, that can be a touch harder, but not significantly so...run the belt through the belt path, tighten it down, clamp the lockoffs (manual says the one away from the buckle, but really either or both are fine to use). You probably won't adjust the seat anyway, so as long as the tether connector strap is tied to something solid, don't worry about it (I've had more trouble finding anything to tether to in old BMW's, I hope he really found something solid/welded/bolted under there, I've just often had to leave it undone altogether).

[o_mom]

I'm going to go with 'it's your car' as my answer. :p

I'm assuming it is rear-facing? You probably have it in a lap-shoulder belt position (pre-LATCH car), which means using the lockoffs. Getting it at the right angle so the belts are through the lockoffs but the belts are not squished to one side or the other and preventing the lockoff to close can be a pain sometimes. If the belt stalks are long they can put the latchplate in a position that it lands right on the lockoff. Add leather seats and I could see that being difficult. If it's any consolation, most seats would be even worse.

So, tips...

Know that you only have to use one lockoff - you can use both, but it's not necessary. The one opposite the buckle is usually easier (and what Britax suggests) - just make sure both lap and shoulder belts are though it.

Twist the buckle stalk. It is acceptable to twist the buckle stalk (female part of the buckle) up to three full twists. This can shorten the stalk and put the latchplate in a better place. If the buckle stalk is rigid, this won't work, obviously.

The rear-facing tether - finding a good point can be difficult in a high end european car. We had a heck of a time finding a point in our Passat. The trim is covering every inch of the seat mounts so neatly that there is not place to put it. The rear-facing tether is not required, so if you feel like it's not going to work well where it is, then you can go without it.

[arivecchi]

I was able to thether our RF Boulevard to the bottom of the passenger seat belt post in the front passenger seat - it was the only spot that worked. We have a 2005 BMW X5. I agree with the PPS. Marathons are normally pretty easy to install. The first time always takes a bit longer if it is the first time you ever do a convertible seat install as you are learning how to do it. After that, it should be a breeze.

[jgenie]

Thanks for the tips - I'll print them out for when we try to reinstall it. :)

Yes, it's installed RF.

[jgenie]

I'm going to tackle a marathon install in DH's car this weekend. I'm not understanding what part of the seat needs to be at a 45 degree angle. Is there a video or graphic that shows what it should look like? TIA

[KrisM]

:offtopic: I'm going to tackle a marathon install in DH's car this weekend. I'm not understanding what part of the seat needs to be at a 45 degree angle. Is there a video or graphic that shows what it should look like? TIA

Basically, your baby's spine should be at 45 deg. So, the part of the seat that is where his back goes. But, a 9 month old can be more upright than that and you can go up to 30deg from vertical.

[Joolsplus2]

Here's a corny picture of a good recline angle for an older baby... http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/joolstag/?action=view&current=DCP00312.jpg back in the day, we had big red lockoffs to look at, but you can see the line of the curve along the side of the back (parallel to the lockoff in my picture, your seat will have the same line). Your hand makes a 90 degree angle, the 45 would be a perfect diagonal, and a little more upright is fine.