Radian 65 in 2000 Pontiac Grand Am - help quick

[samuel's mama]

Okay we are on our second carseat here and getting pretty frustrated. We want to install this seat rear facing in the center of our backseat. We do not have latch so we need to use the seatbelt to secure the seat.

Here is the problem: When we pull the seatbelt strap through the carseat and buckle it...we cannot get it tight enough. It's because the buckle part (that the seatbelt clicks into) sticks up higher than where you thread the seatbelt, so we cannot get a tight fit. We even tried it on the outboard with no luck there either.

Is there something we can do to remedy this problem? Would it be safe to put towels under the seat to boost it up? If there's nothing I can do, could someone PLEASE recommend a carseat to me that would work in my poorly designed car. I am so frustrated and don't know how many more seats I can go through. :( Maybe I just need a new vehicle!:eek:

My baby has outgrown his infant seat so we need something FAST. Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions you can provide.

Sincerely,
Melanie

[Brilliantmama]

you can twist the buckle up to 3 times to help shorten it.

Also there is a thread about tricks to install radians, I don't have the link handy, but maybe someone can help find it.

Also, as far as I know you CANNOT use towels or noodles with radians.

[samuel's mama]

Thank you so much for such a quick response. :love: My husband is going out to the car to try twisting the buckle stalk. I really hope this works. We did lots of research and really want the radian to work because of safety and cuz it takes up so much less space in our smaller vehicle. I'll keep everyone posted!

[scatterbunny]

Twisting the buckle stalk might help, so do try that. :) It's okay if the buckle is inside the belt path, just not okay for it to be resting at an odd angle, part inside and part outside. Then the latchplate won't be at the proper angle to stay locked in tight (as you've found out).

You're using the rear-facing belt path and the rear-facing boot, correct?

[samuel's mama]

We twisted the buckle stalk three times and got a tight install! :D When you say rearfacing boot, I assume you are meaning what Radian calls the base right? I am pretty sure my DH used the rearfacing belt path cuz he had his head in the manual for like an hour last night. ;) I emailed him to make sure and I'll post again when I find out..

So twisting the belt stalk is truly a safe thing to do? It doesn't compromise the safety of connection? Thanks so much for the help. :love: