Britax Marathon in 2006 Honda CR-V

[mwalt2]

We recently moved our son (9 mo) into the Marathon from an infant seat. We went to the hospital and had one of the techs there help with the installation of the Marathon. It was placed in the center (where we wanted it) with the belt. After a few days, it looked to me like the seat was reclined a little bit too far. I decided to take it out and re-do it.

I did run into one problem while installing rear-facing in the middle. The buckle is really close to the seat belt lock off. I have tried twisting the buckle a couple of times (the tech also had me do this when we installed it the first time), but I cannot get it to look like the picture in the manual of proper buckle placement. When the tech helped install it, it was pretty hard to get the lock off to latch correctly and seemed like it could pop off fairly easy because the buckle was high (another reason I wanted to re-install the seat).

Do the belt lock offs need to be used if you have one of the locking belts (ie pull all the way out and it clicks)? Is it ok to run the belt over the plastic lock offs on the carseat when they are not in use? Is there a better way to get the buckle in the correct position when using the lock offs? I currently have the seat installed using LATCH on the passenger side, since I could not get it installed in the center to my satisfaction. It was a lot easier to do outboard with the LATCH for me. What are people's opinion on the safety of outboard position in a vehicle with side curtain airbags? One last question, where is the best place for the tether that can be used on the Marathon rear-facing? I have tried both the LATCH anchor in the rear and creating an anchor point on the passenger seat at the floor. Having the tether hooked to the passenger seat seems easier and did not affect the angle of the seat as much as when I installed using the rear LATCH. Thanks for the help.

[loufrando]

I have an '04 CR-V, but I think the center belts and most everything are the same, if not very similar.

For the lockoff: I do suggest using it (as opposed to locking the belt at the retractor) because the seat will tip up to one side if you lock the belt. As far as the lockoff being too close to the buckle, you should be only using the lockoff on the far side, away from the buckle. I realize that the center position belts actually kinda have a 'buckle' on both sides because of the way the belt comes from the ceiling and clicks in, but you should be using the lockoff on the passenger side of the car, the 'little buckle'. Clear as mud? ;)

Let's see if I have a picture from when I installed my MA in the center last week...

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/?action=view&current=April08164.jpg

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/?action=view&current=April08165.jpg


As for the tether point, I use the inside leg of one of the front seats. You have to pop off a plastic piece covering the metal (where the leg is bolted to the floor), but it pops right back on, so no worries about damaging your car. Here's another pic:

http://s87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/?action=view&current=May07047.jpg

HTH!

[loufrando]

Okay I don't know why my pics aren't showing up! Maybe I'll try attaching them. A picture really is better than explaining!

Here:

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/th_April08165.jpg (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/April08165.jpg)

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/th_April08166.jpg (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/April08166.jpg)

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/th_April08164.jpg (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/April08164.jpg)

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/th_May07047.jpg (http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k132/loufrando/May07047.jpg)

Also wanted to add: notice how I have the base of the MA about 2 inches away from the seat bight (crack). This makes it more upright. (since your original reason for uninstalling it was that it was too reclined).

[mwalt2]

Thanks a lot. The pictures really help. I'm sure it'll be easier only using the lock off on the passenger side as it was the driver's side one that was giving me problems. That tether point also seems better than the one used by the carseat tech. we went to.

[Unregistered]

I just returned from having my MA install in my 2006 CR-V checked, and the Tech told me that I cannot install it in the middle due to the forward-of-the-bight seat belts. I had installed it in the middle the same way as pictured here, and it seemed to be a good, tight, install. Can anyone confirm that I should not have a MA RF in the middle of an '06 CR-V? Now I have it installed outboard using LATCH on the passenger side. But both my husband and I are tall, and we are completely squished in the front seat with the car seat installed behind. Bascially makes the front passenger seat unusable when all three of us are in the car!

Also, I can't figure out how to tether the seat on the passenger side as I can't get the cover off the leg like I could on the driver's side. Any suggestions there would be greatly appreciated!

[MKG]

Hopefully bumping this thread up to get some more info about the Marathon in a 2006 CRV. I have a coupon good tonight only at BRU for 20% off and Britax doesn't seem to be excluded so I'm going to buy one for my son (8 months). We are both ready to ditch the infant seat (SafeSeat), and I've been waiting for a good deal on a Marathon.

My questions are:

Is what the previous poster heard about the middle position (that you can't use it because of the buckle position) correct?

I'd like to install it just like the pictures above - would the fact that we have leather seats prevent us from getting as tight of an install?

Do both front seats have to be pushed forward to install in the center position? Currently, our SafeSeat is behind the passenger (we got a tight install there, and we were worried about using the middle (as it's a 'smaller' seat and there's no latch in that position) before the baby was born). The passenger seat is pushed forward to fit the SafeSeat. If we could reclaim full room for both of us in the front we'd be very happy!

Any other info you have about this is much appreciated! Thanks!

[Defrost]

I'd like to install it just like the pictures above - would the fact that we have leather seats prevent us from getting as tight of an install?

This is something that comes up occasionally, because it's easy to confuse. Forward-of-the-bight seatbelts, as shown in the pics posted above, can make a carseat install difficult or even impossible. I double-checked my MA owner's manual, and the only thing it says is that "...some types of vehicles designs prevent a secure fit of the child restraint due to the position of the seat belt lower anchorage points."

This doesn't mean you can't install a carseat there, it just means you will have trouble with some carseats, and others will not be compatible at all.