Can't get seat tight in Subaru Legacy?

[Robin]

Okay, my 22-month old son is ffing in a Graco ComfortSport, and he LOVES riding in it! We just got a Subaru Legacy wagon, and I have the seat installed, but I can't get the seat to be as tight as it was in our old car(a 1996 Neon). I've found that it is because the center seatbelt latch, when the seat is tight, comes up underneath the cover for the his seat. Any suggestions?:confused: Are there any products out there that can help with this? Thanks in advance!

[crunchierthanthou]

Subarus have long belt stalks, which can interfere with a tight install (buckle stalk = the nylon webbing that connects the female end of the buckle to the vehicle frame). You can twist the buckle stalk up to three full twists. This will move it lower and hopefully away from the beltpath enough that you''ll be able to get the seatbelt tight enough.

What year is your Legacy? Does the seat have a hump in the center position?

[Robin]

It's a 1995, and there isn't a hump in the center. I didn't know about being able to twist the stalk, though! I will try that tomorrow - too cold to deal with it tonight! Thanks so much!

[crunchierthanthou]

As long as the three full twists move the buckle low enough, you should be able to get it. The center hump in newer models can make installs difficult.

Has he outgrown the Comfort Sport rf?

[Robin]

No, I'm actually pretty lucky with that - he has a short torso, and is still below the top slots for the harness, so I'm hoping to get another 6 months to a year out of it. Any suggestions for a new seat when he does grow out of it? I generally keep two seats, one for my car and one for my aunt's car.

[mbmsv]

Hi all,

I've just got a '99 Legacy and am having the same problem. Besides, it does have a hump in the middle position and that's where I want to install the seat. Any advice? Also, should I install an anchor for a tether? If I should where can I find instructions on how to do it?

Thanks,
/MM

[crunchierthanthou]

Hi all,

I've just got a '99 Legacy and am having the same problem. Besides, it does have a hump in the middle position and that's where I want to install the seat. Any advice? Also, should I install an anchor for a tether? If I should where can I find instructions on how to do it?

Thanks,
/MM

what seat are you trying to install? rear or forward facing?

as for the tether anchor, you can have them retrofitted. If cost is an issue, you can order the part and install them on your own (it really is a DIY job because the tether points are already there). Here are the locations and the part numbers:

wagon-
three 8 mm weld nuts in rear ceiling trim
96031AC070 (dark gray)
96031AC080 (red gray)

sedan-
three 8 mm weld nuts in rear filler panel
96031AC000MU (dark gray)
96031AC000RA (red gray)

[Pixels]

No, I'm actually pretty lucky with that - he has a short torso, and is still below the top slots for the harness, so I'm hoping to get another 6 months to a year out of it. Any suggestions for a new seat when he does grow out of it? I generally keep two seats, one for my car and one for my aunt's car.
The original question was if he had outgrown the seat rear-facing. :) A rear-facing seat is outgrown when the weight limit is reached (30 pounds in the ComfortSport), or when there is less than 1 inch of hard shell left above the child's head, whichever comes first.

If he still fits rear-facing, pretty much everyone on this board will agree with me in suggesting that you turn him back rear-facing. It is much much safer that way.

Front-facing, a seat is outgrown when the child's shoulders go over the top slots, the midpoint of the child's head (tops of ears, or eyes) goes over the top of the hard shell, or the weight limit is reached (40 pounds in the ComfortSport). Again, whichever one comes first.

Depending on your budget, you have a number of options, depending if you are going to go back to rear-facing or stay front-facing. Start a new thread asking for seat suggestions (you'll get much more traffic that way; I'm not great at seat recommendations). Include your sons weight, age, and torso height (distance from butt to shoulder; sit him against a wall to measure it), approximate budget, what vehicles the seats would be for, and rear-facing or front-facing.

[crunchierthanthou]

Look closely at the date, Pixels. While the child has likely outgrown the CS both rf and ff, Robin hasn't been on in over a year. :whistle:

[mbmsv]

what seat are you trying to install? rear or forward facing?

as for the tether anchor, you can have them retrofitted. If cost is an issue, you can order the part and install them on your own (it really is a DIY job because the tether points are already there). Here are the locations and the part numbers:

wagon-
three 8 mm weld nuts in rear ceiling trim
96031AC070 (dark gray)
96031AC080 (red gray)

sedan-
three 8 mm weld nuts in rear filler panel
96031AC000MU (dark gray)
96031AC000RA (red gray)

Thank you. I am trying to install a forward facing seat. I misplaced its manual, but it is a 2-3 years old Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 model made by I believe Cosco. In fact, I managed to install it yesterday (without a tether so far) by twisting the seat belt stalk a few times (more than 3). It is pretty tight now, so I think it will be OK with the tether.

[Pixels]

Look closely at the date, Pixels. While the child has likely outgrown the CS both rf and ff, Robin hasn't been on in over a year. :whistle:
:doh:

[Pixels]

Thank you. I am trying to install a forward facing seat. I misplaced its manual, but it is a 2-3 years old Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 model made by I believe Cosco. In fact, I managed to install it yesterday (without a tether so far) by twisting the seat belt stalk a few times (more than 3). It is pretty tight now, so I think it will be OK with the tether.
Three twists is the maximum allowed. The reason is that the more you twist it, the weaker the belt gets. Belts have been tested and approved for three twists for installing child restraints.

How tight is "pretty tight?" After you tighten the belt but before you tighten the tether, check for movement at the belt path. The seat needs to move less than one inch at the belt path. Then you can tighten the tether.

[mbmsv]

Three twists is the maximum allowed. The reason is that the more you twist it, the weaker the belt gets. Belts have been tested and approved for three twists for installing child restraints.

This is all nice, but what's the alternative? Can I get a dealer to install a shorter seatbelt stalk? Is there a car seat that would fit this car without having to twist the belt?

[crunchierthanthou]

you can get a copy of your manual here (http://www.coscojuvenile.com/instructions/).

Three full twists of 360 degrees each really is the maximum. There's a reduction in strength with each twist.

The base is optional on the EB 3-in-1 convertible seats. You can try removing it or try a different seating position. Is it a lap only belt in the center?

It may just be that the seat is incompatible with your vehicle. If that's the case, what size and age is the child and what is your budget? We can suggest some seats that may work.

[mbmsv]

Three full twists of 360 degrees each really is the maximum. There's a reduction in strength with each twist.

Is there a link to some study on this?

The base is optional on the EB 3-in-1 convertible seats. You can try removing it or try a different seating position. Is it a lap only belt in the center?

Yes, it is a lap only. I think removing the base will only make it worse...


It may just be that the seat is incompatible with your vehicle. If that's the case, what size and age is the child and what is your budget? We can suggest some seats that may work.

The child is 3.5 years old, and weighs 30 lbs. She is a little taller than most of the kids of her age we know, but I don't have a number :) With regards to the budget it is zero, but I will consider all options available. As it stands now we move the car seat from one vehicle to another quite frequently, which is probably not a good idea either, so perhaps getting a second seat would be good overall... The second vehicle is a 2 door Honda Civic Si 2000, and the installation is not ideal in it too, but that's a topic for another thread I guess...

[Pixels]

Three full twists of 360 degrees each really is the maximum. There's a reduction in strength with each twist.


Is there a link to some study on this?
Here is a link (http://carseat.org/Technical/tech_update.htm#twistedvehbelt) to good info on this

[lorismurph]

I have a terrible time installing a Graco CarGo in our Subaru Impreza. I guess Subaru makes long buckle stalks. Even with twisting 2 full twists, I can never seem to get the seat as tight as I like (I have LATCH in my car with NO movement). I have not tried other seats FF but I would imagine the same problems.

[mbmsv]

Thanks to everyone for your help.

The database on http://www.carseatdata.org/search seems to say that Britax Maraphon would be a good fit. A person had it installed in center position with great results in a '97 Legacy. Has anyone here tried it? I am not sure if the seat and buckle stalks in 1997 were the same as in 1999...

[APmama2MAK]

I directed the OP back to the post in case she had unanswered questions, and to give her the chance to see any responses she got :)

[crunchierthanthou]

The child is 3.5 years old, and weighs 30 lbs. She is a little taller than most of the kids of her age we know, but I don't have a number :)

She may have already outgrown the 3 in 1 by height. The top headrest position is for booster mode only and is not reinforced for harnessed use. The harness needs to be at or above her shoulders. If you have it on the top position, you need to move her to something else ASAP.

At her age and size, I'd probably skip the Marathon (or any convertible seat) unless there is a younger child to pass it down to. The Graco Nautilus tends to install well in most vehicles. It has the second highest harness slots currently available and makes a decent booster. It can also be found for as little as $130 and almost always under $150. Another option is the Britax Frontier, but it's a trickier install and about $100 more.