Installation help!

[Unregistered]

I have two Graco Nautilus car seats and am trying to install them into a VW Touran. My girls are over 48lbs, so I cannot use the latch, but I need to use the teather.... right? The seat belts do not automatically tighten, so we have to use the clip. We cannot get the seats in tight with the clip, it just slides up and down the seat belt. Any tips on how to get them in tight with a clip? We did have them installed into our ford with the clip and it was just fine, but we cannot get them in tight at all! I really don't want to use them as boosters because my youngest is only 4yo, but she is over 48lbs and is tall. The problem is she has quite the temper and if she is a booster and gets mad at me she just lifts up her arms and slides out the bottom onto the floor..... in the middle of the highway! HELP!

[Andie]

Yes, you can still use the tether.

To install with the locking clip, I buckle the seat in, tighten it by pushing back and down, then I hold the seat belt together next to the latchplate and unbuckle. I then put the clip on, and rebuckle it. If it is too loose, just unbuckle, and instead of taking off the clip completely, try to just take out the shoulder portion, and tighten that a bit and re-clip it. Buckle it in again. You may have to have someone to kneel in the seat and someone to buckle the clip. I think there are some videos of how to do this, I'll see if I can find something.

[crunchierthanthou]

If your vehicle has LATCH or tether anchors, then the seatbelts lock. All passenger vehicles after 1996 are required to have locking seatbelts (tethers/LATCH didn't hit the scene until 2000-2002). Your seatbelts either lock at the retractor or the latchplate. Your vehicle owner's manual will tell you for sure. If at the shoulder retractor, slowly pull the seat belt all the way out. You should hear it click as it ratchets back in and you won't be able to pull it out again until it's fully retracted.

If your locking clip is sliding, it's possible you aren't using it correctly. Here's a great site with info on using a locking clip. http://www.carseatsite.com/lockingclips.htm :)

[Unregistered]

Thank you for your posts. I double checked our car and it does not have the locking seat belt. We live in Europe and just bought the VW Touran here. The car seats here are AWFUL and the cars are not made for carseats at all. Our car does have the 'isofix' which is the latch and teather. I didn't even think to try the seats before we bought the car. Not all of the cars here even have the isofix, so when I saw the teather I was ok thinking that the seats would work just fine. I bought the Natilus when I was visiting my family in the States this summer so that I could have my girls in a 5pt harness. I did not have the locking clip close to the buckle, so I will try that tomorrow. My fingers are crossed!

[crunchierthanthou]

We live in Europe and just bought the VW Touran here.

I wondered if that might be the case because I didn't recognize Touran, but you were talking about a US seat. I just figured you meant either Toureg or Routan (North American VW models). :o

[Gypsy]

Are you *positive* your seat belts don't lock? They might lock at the retractor by pulling the belt all the way out, or at the latch plate.