Cannot get tight install with radian in '08 Odyssey

[twowhat?]

I posted this on the carseat.org forum too...but was wondering if anyone here can help.

We bought Radian 65s manufactured in July 2009. I've tried all the tricks...reclining the seatback, pulling the seat out from the bight...with LATCH RF in the second row captain's chairs, the seat still moves a good inch+ when I jiggle it and I am only jiggling it at the belt path with one hand...it seems to loosen up as I jiggle! I can get it much tighter with the l/s belt but the part where the female end of the buckle meets the male end seems dangerously close to the belt path with 1 full twist of the buckle stalk and is jammed against the plastic on the seat - this is why I think it's tighter. It's because the l/s belt buckle is jammed against the plastic, so the seat can't slide back and forth along the belt. The buckle stalks on this car are NOT long either. I haven't tried 2 full twists yet.

Is there a trick for tightening the LATCH belt to get it tighter? Maybe something to do with the angle at which I yank on it to tighten it? The seat just seems to slide back and forth along the belt path. It is nowhere near as secure as our snugrides that I just took out...those were no-budging-at-the-belt-path-rock-the-car solid. We do have leather seats but I can't imagine having fabric seats would make a difference...in fact I feel like it would slide around even more on fabric seats because the boot doesn't have any grip liner underneath.

I haven't even attempted to install it FF with the l/s belt yet. We planned on RF to 40 pounds, then turning it forward and installing with the l/s belt because of the LATCH weight limit (of which I could find no mention ANYWHERE in our car manual!) ARGH! We LOVE THESE SEATS in every other way, esp the leg room for our long-legged skinny babies, and for the fact that they can easily look out the window (which they like to do)! I would HATE to return them for a Britax JUST because I can't get them in tight!

[Joolsplus2]

It seriously did take me a good 3-5 tries to figure out the LATCH with this, and I find almost every other seat to be a breeze in an Ody, first try is always the only one I need. At first I always installed with the seatbelt (does the manual say anything about keeping the buckle out of the belt path? I never even worried about it, honestly, since it's a switchable retractor, not a locking latchplate and won't loosen by itself), but then I finally figured it out to do it with LATCH.
Ok, so... recline the seatback several notches. Shorten the LATCH before you try to buckle it. It should seem like it's almost too short, this will take some playing with, but once you get it the right length, you actually will never have to tighten it or loosen it again upon removal or reinstall, because it will be perfect, almost like Rigid LATCH, but it will take more effort pushing down on the side of the seat. Ok, so you have the LATCH belt shortened pretty well....clip in the side toward the center of the van first for ease of reaching. Then the outboard side. Then get the tail of the LATCH belt, run it through the rearfacing belt path, and pull it tight from the other side of the adjuster button. Does that make sense? Instead of pulling the tail UP on the same side, pull it SIDEWAYS through the belt path to get that last bit of slack out of the belt. Then you should be able to pop the seatback back up a couple notches to kind of lock it all into place. And hopefully find a place to tether... easy in old ody's tougher in new.

I don't know if that helps at all, hopefully you can glean some ideas from it. And 40 pounds is a long way away, it's usually at least age 4 or 5 for average kids. (no, it's not in the manual, it's something they only told the publishers of the LATCH manual when pressed for an answer...but a seatbelt install is just as easy with the RN in that car so it shouldn't matter).

:)

[twowhat?]

OK I tried your tips and the LATCH installation is a little better but I can still rock the seat at the belt path. It's probably not more than an inch, but it is definitely not rock solid. Is this acceptable? I can get it a bit tighter with the seat belt, it probably moves about half an inch or so at the belt path. But if I use both the seat belt AND LATCH, it's actually pretty rock solid:) But I know that's probably a no-no:)

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, definitely a no-no, lol. If it's only moving half an inch at the LATCH path, it's fine. Even mine wiggles a bit, I've grown accustomed to it's non-rock-solidness, lol.

[twowhat?]

Thank you so much Jools. I'll wait for my husband to help me tighten that strap. I have trouble getting enough leverage while I'm sitting in the seat:)

I did try the FF installs with both LATCH and the seat belt. Both ways are MUCH easier than the RF installs, and they are both rock solid, which I'm very happy about. The recline-the-seatback trick I think is actually more helpful for the FF installs.

I guess I'll just try to forget about my dreams for a rock-solid RF install:)

[twowhat?]

OK I'm feeling better now. With my husband to help, I put all my weight at the foot of the seat while he tightened the LATCH strap per your instructions. It's near-rock-solid and fairly upright, all of which I'm happy about. Tomorrow's goal...see if I can get to those RF tether points in a newer Odyssey. I'm still a little miffed because I'm not a wimp and I've got some guns for arms from hefting around twins and I'm feeling a little cheated that I couldn't get it tight enough alone:)

Thank you so much for your help!!

[Joolsplus2]

hahaha, well, now that you have the LATCh straps the right length, it'll be easy next time.