my vehicle is ticking me off

[mummy2jakob&erika]

I honestly can't get these seats installed correctly, and it is driving me INSANE!! one second there rock solid, the next, I look back and my daughter is tilted to the side. I don't understand what the heck I am doing so wrong. My son's seat is more solid, but I can't for the life of me, get it to stay not reclined. it always slips and slides into a slanted position. it has now slanted so far that the base is almost completely off of the seat. I use the lock offs for the belt. I have now moved my daughter to the middle, to get away from the lap/shoulder belt combo, I got a way better and tighter install, I used the lock offs, but it's still wiggly when I drive. but when my husband drives it's solid, because his seat is so far back it is touching my daughters chair. I check the belts, their tight, I have to always tighten my daughters tether when I drive, because my husbands loosens it, to put his seat back ( which drives me bonkers) I am just seirouslly so fustrated, I almost feel like getting new seats. they just wont fit right, and they wont stay solid. I can't think of anything I am doing wrong. There is just no other option, with only one tether anchor, on the passenger side, my son has to stay there. I am starting to not like Britax seats anymore.... HELP!!

[jen_nah]

Originally Posted by mummy2jakob&erika

I honestly can't get these seats installed correctly, and it is driving me INSANE!! one second there rock solid, the next, I look back and my daughter is tilted to the side. I don't understand what the heck I am doing so wrong. My son's seat is more solid, but I can't for the life of me, get it to stay not reclined. it always slips and slides into a slanted position. it has now slanted so far that the base is almost completely off of the seat. I use the lock offs for the belt. I have now moved my daughter to the middle, to get away from the lap/shoulder belt combo, I got a way better and tighter install, I used the lock offs, but it's still wiggly when I drive. but when my husband drives it's solid, because his seat is so far back it is touching my daughters chair. I check the belts, their tight, I have to always tighten my daughters tether when I drive, because my husbands loosens it, to put his seat back ( which drives me bonkers) I am just seirouslly so fustrated, I almost feel like getting new seats. they just wont fit right, and they wont stay solid. I can't think of anything I am doing wrong. There is just no other option, with only one tether anchor, on the passenger side, my son has to stay there. I am starting to not like Britax seats anymore.... HELP!!

Need a little more info. Need your vehicle info (year, make, model). What type of seatbelts (lap only or lap/shoulder belt) in the position you are installing on? What Britax seats do you have?

[lovinwaves]

I see you have Marathons, or am assuming that's what "BM" means in your siggie? We commonly refer to them on the forum as "MA"'s Here is a link you might find helpful: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=9547 One is rear-facing and one is forward-facing is that right?

It's important to know that you *must* have a good install first without the tether in place. The tether can give you a false sense of a good install, so it is important to check the tightness before you cinch up the tether whether it is forward-facing or rear-facing.

Also, the seat only needs to move less than an inch at the belt-path or Latch area. The top of the seat will probably move more than that before the tether is put on, but that is ok as long as the belt path is tight.

Marathon's are pretty compatible with any car, so I'm sure we can help you get a correct tight fit. Don't panic or dislike the seat just yet. I have yet to have a problem with installation of the Marathon in any car.

Like Jen_Nah said, we need some more info from you to help assist you.

The next best thing to do would be to contact a local CPS Tech. Where abouts are you? Maybe one of the members here is close to you.

-Melissa-

[mummy2jakob&erika]

ok, yes, BM means Britax Marathon's. sorry about that. I have my daughter installed in the middle with the lap belt. I install the tether after I route the belt, it is tight. I use the lock offs. My son is forward facing passenger side, with lap and shoulder belt, using the lock off. I drive a 1998 Jeep Cherokee. I only have one tether anchor, as I still need to put the Jeep in the shop to get more installed, so having my son anywhere else is just not an option. And there is no CPS tech where I am. nowhere to get car seats checked or installed. which is why I would like to take the course myself. because I think we should have something. I'd probably have to leave the NWT just to get my car seats inspected, which is sad, and disappointing on the NWT's part.

[snowbird25ca]

What type of seats does your vehicle have? If they're leather, you might need to use a shelf liner to help with your installation.

As for your son's seat, it sounds like the mechanism that locks the base into the upright mode might be broke. This is a problem that some people have with their MA's. When the seat isn't installed, when you switch the recline of the base from recline to upright, does it lock? Or does it slip back into recline mode again? If that's the problem, I'd try installing your dd's MA ff'ing for ds and that should fix it. You can just trade the covers.

How long does ds's marathon have until it expires? Britax might fix it for you depending on how old the seat is if the recline mechanism on the base isn't working.

For your dd's seat, from what I'm understanding it's installed rf'ing in the center with a lap only belt, and then tethered. As for the loosening/tightening of the tether adjustment, is there a place to loop the D-ring under the passenger side? Then the drivers seat wouldn't affect the tether tautness, and the passenger seat likely isn't adjusted as often.

Are you using the lock-off on the side opposite the buckle? If you're using the one closest to the buckle, that could be part of the problem. Also, what kind of lap belt do you have in the middle? Does it have a tail on it that you tighten, is it on a retractor that you could pull out & it would retract repeatedly even while buckled, or is it on a retractor that will only tighten once it's buckled?

When you say that your dd's seat is wiggly when you drive, are you talking about the top of her seat, or are you talking about wiggle room at the belt path? There should be no more than 1" (2.5cm's) of wiggle room side to side at the belt path or front to back. The best way to test this is to hold onto the metal latch bar and pull back and forth on there - I find it's a good place to get a good grip. The movement at the top of the shell will vary depending on the tightness of the tether and if the sat is braced or not. But what matters is that there's less than 1" of movement at the belt path prior to the tether being attached.

Hope that helps some.