Help with new seats/I now hate our Britaxes

[cat19me]

1) We have two Regents in our Ford Escort. I can get them tight (though it's HARD to get the belt to install using that LBP), but adjusting the harness is a nightmare. I honestly feel I'm not strong enough. My mom can't drive the kids anywhere because she can't get them strapped in.

Have I installed them incorrectly? The LBP safety belt runs against the harness straps on the back of the Regent and is unbelievably tight to install; is it likely I've done it incorrectly so that it's "trapping" the straps?

2) Our 2001 Ford Escort has what looks like tether anchors above the seats in the back; how can I/where do I check to make they are appropriate tether anchors for a Regent?

3) What do you recommend as an easier safe long-lasting 5-point seat for my DH's 1999 Saturn LX station wagon (which does not have anything that looks like to me a tether) that will do FFing for our two kids (one 30 pounds at 2 1/2 years old, one a bit under 40 pounds at 4 1/2 years old)? I have hated these Regents; they have been so much harder to install and use than the Boulevards and Roundabouts that I loved.

4) The seatbelt lockclips (to hold the seatbelt in place) on our Boulevard and Roundabout (the ones I want to replace) just slip too much these days; they used to be rock solid. I check them daily and tighten at least one a week; is this a recall-style issue or have we somehow damaged the seats?

[Gypsy]

You want the belt between the harness and the shell of the seat, not over the harness trapping it against the seat.

[Gypsy]

2) Our 2001 Ford Escort has what looks like tether anchors above the seats in the back; how can I/where do I check to make they are appropriate tether anchors for a Regent?


Check your owners manual, it will show you where the tethers are, and you will want to use the one most directly behind the seat -- ALL forward facing seats should be tethered, not only the Regent.

3) What do you recommend as an easier safe long-lasting 5-point seat for my DH's 1999 Saturn LX station wagon (which does not have anything that looks like to me a tether) that will do FFing for our two kids (one 30 pounds at 2 1/2 years old, one a bit under 40 pounds at 4 1/2 years old)? I have hated these Regents; they have been so much harder to install and use than the Boulevards and Roundabouts that I loved.

Graco Nautilus

4) The seatbelt lockclips (to hold the seatbelt in place) on our Boulevard and Roundabout (the ones I want to replace) just slip too much these days; they used to be rock solid. I check them daily and tighten at least one a week; is this a recall-style issue or have we somehow damaged the seats?

Some people have noticed over time that the lockoffs don't work as well, call Britax, they may send you free replacement lockoffs.

[Cindy&Connor]

You want the belt between the harness and the shell of the seat, not over the harness trapping it against the seat.

According to pg. 14 of the owner's manual the belt needs to go over the straps. There's a channel that allows the harness to slide freely.

[Gypsy]

According to pg. 14 of the owner's manual the belt needs to go over the straps. There's a channel that allows the harness to slide freely.

You are right.

I'm sorry.

I'm mis-remembering, she said the harness straps were trapped and my brain went to "trapped is wrong, so it must be the other way".

OP is the recline bar installed?

[cat19me]

2) Our 2001 Ford Escort has what looks like tether anchors above the seats in the back; how can I/where do I check to make they are appropriate tether anchors for a Regent?

Check your owners manual, it will show you where the tethers are, and you will want to use the one most directly behind the seat -- ALL forward facing seats should be tethered, not only the Regent.

Do all cars have tethers then, even older cars? Because I honestly can't see any in my husband's car... the back is a station wagon back, and so the top of the seat is backed against the empty cargo space. Can we install an anchor somehow? How much does that cost? I don't want to use a booster, but at least they don't require a tether anchor I can't find.

[Gypsy]

Do all cars have tethers then, even older cars? Because I honestly can't see any in my husband's car... the back is a station wagon back, and so the top of the seat is backed against the empty cargo space. Can we install an anchor somehow? How much does that cost? I don't want to use a booster, but at least they don't require a tether anchor I can't find.All passenger autos, mid-1999 and newer are required to have 3 tether anchors.

All passenger autos, mid-2002 and newer are required to have two full sets of LATCH (minimum 3 tethers).

[cat19me]

I "hammered" the !@#$ recline bars in... which is another thing I hate about the Regent; I don't want to have to jam together and smack the pieces of a carseat together so that it will work, esp when the manual tells me it's secure when you just put it in--HA! It kept falling out and/or sliding around during install before I came here and found out to hammer it in.

[joolsplus3]

The Saturn probably doesn't have them, you aren't missing anything. (from 9/1/99 they were required, which in most car lines is the 2000 model year...if it was a 99 made on 8/31/99, it won't have anchors...they can be added, though, give a Saturn dealer a call).

Honestly? If I had done it 'right', with the 'strap trapping seatbelt path' and it were making my seat impossible to tighten, I'd do it the other way so the straps could move freely. That would be my personal parental decision if it were my seat and my child.

[Cindy&Connor]

Honestly? If I had done it 'right', with the 'strap trapping seatbelt path' and it were making my seat impossible to tighten, I'd do it the other way so the straps could move freely. That would be my personal parental decision if it were my seat and my child.

I would agree *if* the seatbelt was really trapping the harness. On my Regent there's at least a 1/2 inch to an inch of space between the shell and the seatbelt. If I put the seatbelt the other way it would hold the harness away from the shell. I'm not a tech so this is just my experience. Mine was also hard to tighten but it was because of the harness being caught between the vehicle seat and the bottom of the carseat.

[keri1292]

You don't need locking clips in your vehicle. You most likely have locking latchplates.

Are both seats installed long belt path?

[cat19me]

Keri,not locking clips; I'm talking about the belt lockoffs built into the Roundaabout and Boulevard. When they get loose the whole seat swings back and forth far more than an inch.
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Both Regent seats are currently installed LBP; older child is hovering right below 40 pounds.

Cindy, if the seat itself is trapping the harness underneath, is there anything I can do to make it less impossible to tighten?

[keri1292]

Keri,not locking clips; I'm talking about the belt lockoffs built into the Roundaabout and Boulevard. When they get loose the whole seat swings back and forth far more than an inch.
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Both Regent seats are currently installed LBP; older child is hovering right below 40 pounds.

Cindy, if the seat itself is trapping the harness underneath, is there anything I can do to make it less impossible to tighten?

Yes, I'm saying that you don't need to use those built-in lockoffs on the RA and BV at all. Just lock the seatbelt. :thumbsup:

Also, when we install our Regent, I make sure that the harness is pulled tight while I install to lesson the harness hangup thing. But, I also noticed that there was a certain point, a certain weight, where the harness was hard to tighten. I think it was because of where the splitter plate rested. Have you tried tightening the straps as they would ride, uninstalling and seeing where the splitter plate is? It may just be in a weird spot.

[skaterbabscpst]

where are you testing for movement? You should only test your installation at the belt path. If it's working itself loose at the belt path over time, flip the male end of your seatbelt one half-turn and rebuckle. Your Saturn will have locking latchplates, which means the lap-portion of the seatbelt is locked at the buckle.

[Cindy&Connor]

Like Keri said tighten the harness before installing does seem to help. I think mine was harder when the harness was in the lower slots. Now that it's in the second to top slot it's easier for me. I also don't loosen the straps very often but I do have to fight to get the harness buckled.

[Niea]

Where is the splitter plate? When I installed my new Regent today, I noticed that if the harness was in the lowest slots, the splitter plate was under the seat bottom. When the seat was empty, I could adjust the harness just fine, but as soon as DD sat in it, her weight was enough to prevent the plate from sliding. . .hencethe harness was difficult to adjust.

She ended up needing the 2nd slots afterall, and when I moved the straps up the splitter plate was higher up and in the gap between the Regent and vehicle seat. The harness adjusts much easier in this position.