Marathon Install Questions & locking clip

I got my new Marathon today in Olivia I am so excited. DD was napping when it came, so I hauled it out to the car, removed the Roundabout and installed the MA.

My Daughter is 17 months 22.5 lbs and 31” tall. I have her RF in the middle seat of a VW Passat Wagon.

I have a few questions about the install though. The manual states that the seat be in the recline position to install it, ok I do this and get a great install. The problem is the seat is tilted back so far its at 45 degrees, which is ok but my DD likes to sit up more now so how do I get she seat more up right. The versa tether strap is not as tight as it could be in fact it’s kind of loose I was hoping that would help but it didn’t. Can I install the seat in the upright position instead of reclining it?

My other question is, I can’t get the locking clip on the side of the seat to close. I have it on the furthest one from the buckle. I think the belt is pulled to tight; can the seat belt be pulled to tight?

Ok my last concern is that my mom had the exact same VW same year but a different color wagon than mine and I was in an accident in hers. I had my niece’s car seat installed FF in the middle back seat (she was not in the seat at the time). We had the seat installed at the fire department so I know it was in there secure but it flipped all over the car and it was laying on its side when we all got out. The car has the belts that you feed in and they click to lock. So it did not have a locking clip. But I still remember looking in the rearview mirror and seeing the seat move all over. So I don’t trust the locking seat belts and I always use a locking clip. Is this ok or does it pose a hazard?

Thanks for reading.

do you think you could brace it on the front seat and make it a little more upright?
also are you locking the seatbelt as well as trying to lock the clip?

The car seat is in the middle and the front seats are pretty far forward, so the MA wont reach the front seats to brace. I have a locking clip installed (the paper clip looking thing), and the lock off on the MA itself wont lock because the cars seat belt is too tight with the install. I have the seat belts that lock by feeding the belt in slowly and then you hear a click and it wont come out. But in the crash in my moms VW they did come out. The belts released and the car seat flew all over the car.

I know the seat is in tight and it wont budge a bit. But I get worried about the little things.

you should not use a locking clip with your belts unless it's causing the child seat to tilt, use the locking mechanism of the seat. You do not need to use the lockoffs on the MA either. Just route the belts through the open lockoffs.

I would recommend seeing a tech.

Also, even slight tipping is OK -- at least 80% of the carseat base must be in contact with the vehicle seat with less than 1" movement installed.... Tipping might be a problem for small babies with softer skulls, but not so much for big kids I'd see a tech, too, though just because it's always a good idea & espeically if the seat is moving around when you have the Automatic Locking Retractor seatbelts engange

Sorry! My computer freaked out!

Oh boy, sorry again, guys!