Question a couple questions

JamieB · Mar 24, 2009

a couple questions **updated**

My friend rents a house in Florida every year for a few months. While she was there this time she bought a Keyfit. I've heard about seats being destroyed at the border. Is this true? Her husband is driving back but she is flying with the kids, so the seat will be empty.

Also, my friend brought her Caravan in the other day to have anchors installed for the top tethers of her carseats. She wanted two for the second row of seating and they put them right beside each other. Does that makes sense? So now she has two anchors directly beside each other, right behind the passenger side of the bench seat. So if there is a seat installed on the driver's side of the bench seat, the top tether goes waaayyyy off to the side. I'm assuming this isn't safe? And now I think they'll want to charge her to put another one in.

Update:

My friend got her seat here. She ended up flying with it. And I just have to say, wow, it is really nice. I wish I could use it here

canmom · Mar 24, 2009

As far as the Keyfit goes... it is illegal and it could be taken at the border. If a seat doesn't have the CMVSS sticker on it we have no way of knowing if it meets our CMVSS standards. If they happen to get it across the border it can also be taken by a police officer if they are stopped with the seat.

I'm not really sure on the anchors to be honest.... I would think they would have put one on each side??

JamieB · Mar 24, 2009

Ugh, apparently i'm not being the smartest person ever today. I wanted to say that she doesn't want to use the seat here at all. She just doesn't have anywhere to keep it in Florida but wants to use it there again next year or the year after.

And I can't understand at all why the put the two anchors so close together. I guess it would have been more work to put one behind the other seat. I just find it hard to believe they would put them like that if it wasn't safe?

canmom · Mar 24, 2009

I don't think it matters if she is plans to use it here or not... if they see it at the border and she is a resident of Canada, they will take it. It would be sort of like having drugs on you and saying "But I'm not going to use them, just hang on to them"... illegal is illegal, KWIM?

I don't know why the would either... I really don't know much about having anchors installed so I hope another tech answers this for you.

JamieB · Mar 24, 2009

canmom said:
I don't think it matters if she is plans to use it here or not... if they see it at the border and she is a resident of Canada, they will take it. It would be sort of like having drugs on you and saying "But I'm not going to use them, just hang on to them"... illegal is illegal, KWIM?

I don't know why the would either... I really don't know much about having anchors installed so I hope another tech answers this for you.

I didn't think it was illegal to just have them here. I thought it just wasn't legal to use them here.

TechnoGranola · Mar 24, 2009

JamieB said:
I didn't think it was illegal to just have them here. I thought it just wasn't legal to use them here.

It is illegal to import them as well. http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/safedrivers/childsafety/notices/2007c09/menu.htm A couple of key points from that page:

Transport Canada is concerned that parents and caregivers may not know that it is illegal to import and use in Canada a seat that does not comply with Canadian standards.

The use of non-compliant child seats may not only jeopardize children's safety and pose a serious danger to the public, but it may also result in repercussions such as:

* Confiscation of the seat at the border or after it has entered Canada;
* Fines and/or demerit point penalties;
* Reduced or voided insurance coverage for injury or death; and
* Possible criminal charges and/or civil litigation.

If she doesn't need the seat until she is in Florida next year, I'd recommend returning it and buying a seat there next year. There might be something even better out then!

AmericanPeanuts · Mar 24, 2009

We just moved up from Florida with our 2 boys and neither seats were taken when we went through the lengthy customs process to relocate back into Canada. We flew and they didn't look at them, question them, touch them! We may have been the exception to the rule.

TechnoGranola · Mar 24, 2009

AmericanPeanuts said:
We just moved up from Florida with our 2 boys and neither seats were taken when we went through the lengthy customs process to relocate back into Canada. We flew and they didn't look at them, question them, touch them! We may have been the exception to the rule.

But you lived in the U.S. They give you some time to buy new seats in most cases. This person was just visiting the U.S. so has no reason to own a U.S. seat.

sparkyd · Mar 26, 2009

TechnoGranola said:
If she doesn't need the seat until she is in Florida next year, I'd recommend returning it and buying a seat there next year. There might be something even better out then!

I was assuming that the seat was used while they were in Florida...

We don't have any stats on the child, but I'm wondering if the Keyfit will even fit her child next year. Maybe she should just sell it down there now... assuming it hasn't been a collision and has all the parts and the manual etc.

TechnoGranola · Mar 26, 2009

sparkyd said:
I was assuming that the seat was used while they were in Florida...

Ya, that's likely it.

I was wondering why the heck she would buy a seat a year ahead of time. :ROTFLMAO:

hipmaman · Mar 26, 2009

Don't have a lot of time post at the moment...

Anchor... Can you tell the year of the Caravan and whether the second row is a bench or 2 captain seats?

KeyFit... Is she keeping the seat for more use in the US (still fit the child, more children later, etc?)

And to be completely honest, border control on carseats is hit and miss. Flying with carseat, empty or not, is also hit and miss. So if she wants to keep the Key Fit for more use in the future, it's okay to take it back to Canada. And flying with the empty seat in cargo is ok with custom but chancy with damage, lost, etc.

Gotta run for now. Sorry.

unityco · Mar 26, 2009

About the tether issue...

I remember someone else posting a similar question (they thought their anchors had been misplaced too.) I'll try to find the post, but in the meantime, here is where the anchors were installed in our '99 Caravan:

http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=720805#post720805

ETA: This is the thread where another member seemed to have the same tether problem you do, but the pictures have since been removed: http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=61191

JamieB · Mar 26, 2009

Thanks for the replies everyone!

TechnoGranola said:
It is illegal to import them as well. http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/safedrivers/childsafety/notices/2007c09/menu.htm A couple of key points from that page:

If she doesn't need the seat until she is in Florida next year, I'd recommend returning it and buying a seat there next year. There might be something even better out then!

Thanks for that info. That makes sense now. And yeah, she's already using the seat but DS isn't really a big guy and will almost definitely fit in it next year. Plus she may have more kids so it will be used again.

hipmaman said:
Don't have a lot of time post at the moment...

Anchor... Can you tell the year of the Caravan and whether the second row is a bench or 2 captain seats?

KeyFit... Is she keeping the seat for more use in the US (still fit the child, more children later, etc?)

And to be completely honest, border control on carseats is hit and miss. Flying with carseat, empty or not, is also hit and miss. So if she wants to keep the Key Fit for more use in the future, it's okay to take it back to Canada. And flying with the empty seat in cargo is ok with custom but chancy with damage, lost, etc.

Gotta run for now. Sorry.

Okay about the anchors. The more I think about it, the more I think that there's no way they can be used. It is a 99 or 2000 Caravan, so a second row bench seat. They would only give her three anchors (and wanted to charge her for them but she talked them out of it) and they put one behind the third row and the other two behind the second row. I'd say they put one directly centered behind the passenger side of the second row seat and another one *maybe* 3 inches beside that one, towards the driver's side. I think they might even be closer together than that.

unityco said:
About the tether issue...

I remember someone else posting a similar question (they thought their anchors had been misplaced too.) I'll try to find the post, but in the meantime, here is where the anchors were installed in our '99 Caravan:

http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=720805#post720805

ETA: This is the thread where another member seemed to have the same tether problem you do, but the pictures have since been removed: http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=61191

Thanks for this. Her tethers are just like your first picture, with the other one basically directly beside it.

mommycat · Mar 27, 2009

About the Keyfit - if they stay down there for a few months at a time, I would assume that they must know at least some people down there. You don't just keep 100% to yourself for months, typically. Would she know anyone who would be willing to store the seat for her, maybe even for a small fee? It would be easier than lugging it around and there would be no chance at all that border services will seize it!

JamieB · Apr 3, 2009

updated

TechnoGranola · Apr 3, 2009

Re: a couple questions **updated**

JamieB said:
Update:

My friend got her seat here. She ended up flying with it. And I just have to say, wow, it is really nice. I wish I could use it here

You know the KeyFit is available in Canada, right?

JamieB · Apr 4, 2009

Re: a couple questions **updated**

TechnoGranola said:
You know the KeyFit is available in Canada, right?

Yeah I know the Keyfit 22 is available here but I didn't think the 30 was. My DS is too big for the 22 and i'll probably end up buying a Snugride 32 for the new babe in October. I'd like a higher weight one that then Keyfit 22. Plus they're kinda on the pricey side. Thanks though!

TechnoGranola · Apr 4, 2009

Re: a couple questions **updated**

JamieB said:
Yeah I know the Keyfit 22 is available here but I didn't think the 30 was.

Yup, only the 22. I didn't realize your friend had the 30. The SR32/SS is a larger shell anyway, so will fit longer.

snowbird25ca · Apr 4, 2009

Re: a couple questions **updated**

TechnoGranola said:
Yup, only the 22. I didn't realize your friend had the 30. The SR32/SS is a larger shell anyway, so will fit longer.

Yeah, the KF 30 and KF 22 have the same size shell, just one is rated to a higher weight than the other. So if you have kids average height but heavy, you'll get extra use from a 30, otherwise the extra 8lbs isn't needed for most kids. You'll get loads more use out of the SR32 anyways. :thumbsup:

Question a couple questions

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Forum Ambassador

New member

Forum Ambassador

Active member

Forum Ambassador

Moderator - CPST Instructor

Ambassador - CPS Technician

New member

Well-known member

New member

Forum Ambassador

New member

Forum Ambassador

Moderator - CPST Instructor

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics