re: European VW Golf 2003 and anchor points.

[Unregistered]

Hi, I am new, in Australia, and am desperately looking for some advice...

We are travelling to Europe in May and are borrowing a VW Golf wagon 2003 and are going to take our SNS compact deluxe for my 6 month old DD. She obviously is still rear-facing at 7.5 kilos.

My question is regarding the isofix system. I cannot find reference to child restraint anchor points that work with the belt and top anchor type seats in this VW model. The aussie seats arent able to use isofix are they?

I have asked the people who own the car to look but they arent sure what to look for and it is hard from the other side of the world and with language difficulties.

Does anyone know if there are top anchor points in this type of VW? - I would imagine they would be on the floor of the boot near the rear door as it is a wagon.

I greatly appreciate any help and look forward to a quick reply.

Sharna

[Aurinia]

if its for rearfacing tethor you'll probably have to use the metal seat rails of the seats in front. i dont think many cars come with top tether anchors in the UK if im thinking of the right thing. :confused:
we are rearfacing in a swedish seat in the UK and using the two rails of the front passenger seat to tether the seat to the car.

[ketchupqueen]

Australian seats use over-the-top tethering, not toward-the-front tethering like Swedish seats, IIRC.

I don't know if it would in fact be allowed to tether the seat "backwards" from how it was designed to be used. I also don't know whether you can use it without using the top tether. I would check with the manufacturer (make it clear to them that you're going to be using it in a European car, in Europe, without top tether anchors and see what they say.)

If you can't do either, you're kind of stuck, as many Euro cars don't have top tether anchors at all. More recent cars from some brands do (but not all, and from what I hear only in the last few years.) You might be better off if you can borrow or otherwise obtain once you get there a seat that either does not tether or tethers like the Swedish seats do, toward the front of the car.

How long will you be staying? Are you staying with friends or family, or someone else who might be able to borrow a seat for you?

[Aurinia]

ah i see, i thought i was missing something, the post makes sense now :) thanks

[ketchupqueen]

Yep. The other thing to do might be to rent a car and make sure you get one with top tethers, but I don't know how feasible that would be, logistically or financially.

[joyride]

Europe is big, to know a country would be fine.
From my point of knowledge, you won´t find any Top-Anchors in an 2003 VW, because 2003 there were nearly no ECE certified seats with TT available.

And even in new rental cars, getting one with TT-Anchor is very unlikely and you can´t order one with. This is the state in Germany and most europe countries I know.
Joy

[Unregistered]

Thankyou all for your prompt replies.

We managed to locate online an image of the rear of the same model and year VW and sent it to the people how are loaning us the car. To our amazement the photo showed three upper ancher points on the back of the rear seat, below the head rests... to our dismay our friends said their VW does not have these. Surprising!

We are now looking into borrowing a seat from family friends but are struggling with explaining the concept of rear-facing and why it is so important. We were offered a car seat that is rated for 9-18kgs and I am assuming this is a non-convertible seat and will be FF only... so not for us.

Our last resort will be to purchase one. Herein lies the biggest dilemma. We are travelling to Romania, and have to instruct my in-laws to go and purchase an appropriate RF seat for our DD. What would you recommend? We are willing to pay a reasonable amount, but are mindful that we will only be using this carseat for 6 weeks. What is a reasonable priced car seat that is ranked well?

Thanks once again.

Sharna

[ketchupqueen]

I'm thinking you probably found a picture that was actually of a non-EU Golf of that year. Possibly North American.

How tall is she? Can she still fit in a bucket (capsule) seat? Or must it be a convertible seat?

If she will still fit in the infant carrier/bucket/capsule seat, just tell them to get the cheapest carrier or convertible seat certified for group 0 (or group 0-1.) Anything certified for group 0 will have passed European standards and be rated for rear-facing up to at least 9 or 10 kg (just tell them NOT to get a "carry-cot"-- those are often installed sideways. You want a seat that rear-faces, of course. But I think they're usually more expensive anyway.) Ease of use or fabric may not be as nice as on the more expensive seats but as long as it's new and it's certified it will be safe.

Maybe someone will have knowledge of what kinds of seats are available in Romania on the cheaper end of things.

[joyride]

be rated for rear-facing up to at least 9 or 10 kg
It´s group 0+ and rated to 13kg (28lbs). A higher weight rear-face seat is not available in Romania!
Jyo

[ketchupqueen]

That's what I thought but some google searches confused me. Thanks for clarifying!

[QuassEE]

Is the rear-facing tether actually mandatory on your current Australian seat? If it's not mandatory, having read that there may be little or no benefit to most rear-facing tethers, I wouldn't hesitate to use the seat on holiday without is the manufacturer allows... The Golf in the UK doesn't have anchors near the headrests, and I also doubt that the bar for the boot is available (they would cost over 300 quid, as well, since they were $500+ US for the older model Golf in North America) but it's something you could check on.

Can you have someone purchase you a Group 0 that goes to 13kg for your travels? I really like the Britax CosyTot because the seat itself is really light (great for travel) although the ISOFIX base does have most of the weight (you won't need the base, however..) It will require a lap/shoulder belt to use to 13kg, as the shoulderbelt routes through a blue belt guide on the back of the seat when used without the base. You'll probably be much happier travelling with a capsule versus a larger seat, and they cost about 75 quid without a base so it's an inexpensive option.

Keep in mind that I'm Canadian, and NOT in the UK..although doing my best with my own experiences. DH and I took an infant seat to the UK with our then 10m old son, so as to avoid compatibility issues and transporting a heavier seat.

-Nicole.

[drjanetm]

Is the rear-facing tether actually mandatory on your current Australian seat?

Top tethers are mandatory on all Australian car seats. (Which is why I laugh that most Australian cars only come with one preinstalled anchor, and you have to install others yourself!)

OP, have you checked out the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix (http://www.maxi-cosi.com/maxicosi/productindex.aspx?id=14&language=gb-en)? Not cheap but if you brought it back to Australia, you'd get most of your money back selling it on ebay! Can be used without a base, or with. I have the Easyfix base, and even with a seatbelt instead of ISOFIX, the install is simple and TIGHT.

[joyride]

Keep care, the Maxi Cosi Group0+ seats are way smaller then the Britax-Roemer ones.
Joy