MA problem install questions??

[Airforcemomma]

It was brought my attention in another thread that attaching tether anchor's backwards was not allowed. I didn't want to change topic on the OP so I've posted this seperately. I took pic's of what I have done to show how my tether anchors look, they are located on the base of cpt's chairs and are very awkward if not impossible to attach my tether's to without attaching them backwards. They're kind of just a hole in a triangluar (?) piece of metal attached to the bottom of the seat. Really stupid design.

I also wanted to ask about DD's marathon and how it is installed. I have good compression of the MA at the front of the base but then from the middle of the base to the back of the base it is not sitting on the vehicle seat, I can put my fingers in between the MA base and the vehicle seat and the same with the back of the MA and the back of the vehicle seat. There is enough space between the MA and the vehicle seat for me to insert my entire hand between the two.

Is this ok, should I reinstall the seats??

In case any of you tech's need to know the vehicle the seats are installed in, it's a 2007 Pontiac Montana

This is how much space is between the vehicle seat and the MA base

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01315.jpg

Side view of base
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01316.jpg

This shows how much space is between the vehicle seat back and the back of the MA
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01318.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01320.jpg

This is what my tether anchors look like
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01325.jpg

This is how I have the seat tethered, the tether attached to the child seat has been turned backwards to enable me to hook it to the anchor
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01326.jpg

Tether hooked backwards
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01322.jpg

Do I need to make any changes? Sorry the pic's are so big, I couldn't figure out how to resize them.

[An Aurora]

Yes, you need to turn the tether clip. With the risk of being redunant, I will re-type what I had said in the other thread, in case someone else with a Marathon in a 2001-2008 Chevy Venture/Oldsmobile Sillhouette/Pontiac Montana has the same question.

I agree, the TA setup is horrid. It is very hard to get those tethers connected. I have had luck doing this: take the tether strap, lengthen it all the way, and route under the headrest. Then flip the entire vehicle seat forward (this is tricky since you have to move the car seat out of the way while you clip the tether), and attach the tether. At that angle, with the seat flipped forward, it's much easier to get it connected. Then you can flip the seat forward and install the car seat.

[Airforcemomma]

OK, DH and I just spent a good 20 min's trying to get the tether' hooked the right way. I took the MA out, let out all the tether, DH held the seat while I tried to attach the tether. No matter how I tried to get it in there, it would not go. DH tried while I held the seat and it just won't go. We can not get it hooked the right way around. There seems to be some overhang from the vehicle seat over the tether anchor and that seems to be what is preventing us from getting it hooked, and I still can not get the base of the MA to sit flat on the vehicle seat.

I reclined the vehicle seat, attached the tether and LATCH, tightened it all up and could not get the seat back to even come up one click out of the recline.
Maybe I should try loosening the LATCH straps a little??

I don't know what else to try or how to get these anchored right.

So frustrating.:mad:

[Jewels]

I reclined the vehicle seat, attached the tether and LATCH, tightened it all up and could not get the seat back to even come up one click out of the recline.
Maybe I should try loosening the LATCH straps a little??



Yes, try to loosen the LATCH connectors so that you can get the vehicle seat back to come up.

When you are installing it you don't have the tether tightened at all right :confused:

When starting out is the whole base of the MA on the seat? I know that when I install it I have the carseat back flush against the vehicle back so that makes the base not flush against the seat.

About the tether, I don't know what else to say that the op hasn't already said.

[Airforcemomma]

Yes, try to loosen the LATCH connectors so that you can get the vehicle seat back to come up.

When you are installing it you don't have the tether tightened at all right :confused:

When starting out is the whole base of the MA on the seat? I know that when I install it I have the carseat back flush against the vehicle back so that makes the base not flush against the seat.

About the tether, I don't know what else to say that the op hasn't already said.
NO, tightening the tether is the very last thing I do.

Because Britax has a double tether, it is supposed to go around the headrest, right??

Ok, I will go out and loosen the LATCH and tether, try to push the seat back up at least a click or 2.

Is the base of the MA being off the vehicle seat a bit ok or a NO NO? I will take a pic and show you what I have done.

[natysr]

Can you remove the headrest? This may help with getting the seat to fit flush at the bottom and back.

[An Aurora]

Let me go play with my MA in my van and I will report back with pics ;)

[Jewels]

Can you remove the headrest? This may help with getting the seat to fit flush at the bottom and back.

I haven't installed my MA in a Montana but I know in the Caravan I have to remove the headrest in order to get my seat sitting properly.

[An Aurora]

In my van the head rests are not removable.

[Airforcemomma]

Unfortunately, no, my headrests can not be removed. I had looked into that just after we bought the van a couple months ago because they really interfere with the install.
Only way to remove them is to pop the pin down inside the seat and the dealership won't do that because of liability issues.

This is how the install looks

LATCH install is the recline on the seat back to much
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01332-1.jpg

View from the other side
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01327-1.jpg

How I have the tether routed around the headrest
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01329.jpg

Does the base look OK in relation the vehicle seat? Is it to far back?
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01330.jpg

Does this look ok or are there things I need to change?

[tanyaandallie]

Do you still have a big space between the base of the seat and your vehicle seat? if so, I'd pull the base of the Marathon out from the seat bite some to get the base of the Marathon all sitting on the vehicle seat.

[Airforcemomma]

Do you still have a big space between the base of the seat and your vehicle seat? if so, I'd pull the base of the Marathon out from the seat bite some to get the base of the Marathon all sitting on the vehicle seat.
There is still a bit of space between the base and the vehicle seat at the back of the base. If you look at the first pic in my last post you can see how the seat angles up towards the back. There's not as much space as there was before redoing it, but still some.

[Jewels]

Do you still have a big space between the base of the seat and your vehicle seat? if so, I'd pull the base of the Marathon out from the seat bite some to get the base of the Marathon all sitting on the vehicle seat.

I would try this just to see if you can get more of the base on the seat.

[An Aurora]

Ok, this is what the TA looks like when I fold the seat, and flip it up
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday003.jpg

I clip on the tether
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday004.jpg

When I pull it tight it looks like this
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday005.jpg

Then I put the vehicle seat into position and install the MA
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday007.jpg

The base is flat on the seat
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday008.jpg

There is a little gap towards the bottom of the back of the car seat
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday009.jpg
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday012.jpg

The tether looks like this
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday010.jpg

Close up of tether
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh53/carseatphotos/bday011.jpg

And holy crap I just realized my MA expires in two weeks!! :(

ETA: sorry the pics are huge, photobucket isn't letting me resize :confused:

[Airforcemomma]

Thanks for the pic's. Based on your pic's you have the bucket seats in the second row. I have cpt's chairs in the second row. The seat back will fold flat forward but the seat doesn't flip up like yours do.

The bucket seats also have a "flat" headrest that is angled the same as the seat back. The one's on my cpt's chairs tilt forward of the seat back. That causes the child seat to be pushed forward at the top of the shell.

I loosened the LATCH and pulled the base out from the seat bight, but as soon as I kneeled in the seat and tightened the LATCH belts it pulled back towards the bight and angled the base again so the front of the base is totally compressed into the vehicle seat but the back half of the base still has enough room for me to put my fingers under the base and my hand behind the lower part of the shell.

[An Aurora]

Yes, I'm sure our seats are different but the TA's are the same.

I would not be comfortable with the base of the MA off the vehicle seat like that. It looks like you can pull the base forward a good 4-5 inches. Did you try that?

[Airforcemomma]

Yes, and as soon as tightened the LATCH belts it pulled the seat back towards the bight again.

[Airforcemomma]

I'm wondering if the recline on the vehicle seat is what the problem is as far as getting the base to sit flat on the seat?

[An Aurora]

I mentioned that on the other thread--check your owner's manual and see what recline settings the vehicle seat can be in. I would try different ones for sure, just to see if you can get a better install. Did you try a seat belt install? Your kids are pretty close to the LATCH limit anyway.

ETA: Oh NM I see that you did try with a seat belt.

[Airforcemomma]

Yeah, I had a seatbelt install that had the same problem. Is it the owner's manual for the MA that I need to check or for my van?

[An Aurora]

The van. Your vehicle owner's manual over-rides the car seat owner's manual. ;) It seems like a belt install might work a little better, since it pulls the seat down instead of back.

[Airforcemomma]

Ok, I'll go try that and a post a pic to see what you think. Thanks

[Airforcemomma]

Well, it seems that no matter how I try to do this this seat will not go in properly.

I so wish there was a car seat clinic I could get in to, or a tech in my area.

The manual says to put the seat in the upright position. I did that and what a disaster. The base will sit flat on the seat that way, but the shell itself is a few inches off the seat back. Huge amount of space between the MA and the seat back.

This is what it looks like now

This shows the space between the MA and seat back
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01341-1.jpg

Angle of the headrest in relation to the MA
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01343.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01342.jpg

Base is flat on seat but whole seat is pushed forward of seat back
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/airforcemomma_photos/DSC01340.jpg

If I could get that headrest off I have no doubt that the MA would install quite easily.

[An Aurora]

Hm. Well, I know that the new Jeep Cherokees have an incompatibility with Britax seats for this very reason: non-removable headrests that cause a problem when installing the seats FF. I don't know what to say, sorry :(

How did you have the seat installed previously?

[Airforcemomma]

Hm. Well, I know that the new Jeep Cherokees have an incompatibility with Britax seats for this very reason: non-removable headrests that cause a problem when installing the seats FF. I don't know what to say, sorry :(

How did you have the seat installed previously?
I've been driving it around with installed the way it looked in the first photo's of my original post. Then read in another thread that it wasn't right, so that started me on this tangent to try and get it right.

The Safeguard seat installs like a charm.....very easily . It's almost like that child seat was built just for my van......lol. It fits perfectly in the cpt's seats without having to adjust the recline or the headrest. Perhaps because the shell of the safeguard is not angled at all is flat on the bottom and straight up and down at the back.

I don't know what to do to get this MA in right. Would it be better to use it like I had in the first post or like it is in the post showing it forward of the seat back , only until I can find somewhere to get it checked and installed by someone else?

[An Aurora]

As far as I know, Britax's only requirement is that 80% of the base is on the vehicle seat. If it meets that (which it looks like it does) and you're comfortable with it, I don't see a problem. The tether does have to be the other way, so if you can't get it tethered that way I would just not tether it at all.

[Airforcemomma]

Thanks for all your help.

I will reinstall it and put it back the way it was in my original post, at least that way only part of the base is off the seat as opposed the whole darn back being inches off the seat.

Not tethering the seat is not an option for me, we are required by law to have the seat tethered, otherwise we can be fined for improper installation and not properly restraining a child.

[An Aurora]

Right, I forgot you were in Canada.