Important info regarding the new Radian buckle tongues!

[supercrunch]

In my last email from Russ, he wrote...

"The harness manufacturer re-confirmed that the harness system is very, very safe. The buckle tong fit is so that as the child enters and exits the seat, everything kind of stays in place and the buckle tongs don’t always just slide down to the bottom, making re-entry to the seat and fastening a little easier…especially when parent-child cooperation is not at its highest level. I thank you for mentioning this to me so that I could ask the questions. Again, all harness systems undergo significant testing and must meet a mandated abrasion testing, which Radian’s harness system more than meets. That said, I had the harness manufacturer send us some different buckle tongs (a little wider) and we switched them on your new seat so that it has these slightly wider tongs. "

The bolding is mine.
I just wanted to emphasize that Radians currently being manufactured do not necessarily come automatically equipped with the new buckle tongues. It seems as though the seats they are sending out to those of us who have had trouble with fraying have had different buckle tongues placed on them.

Which is good because they won't fray in the near future,
and bad because...

OMG
what if they didn't crash test the seat with these buckle tongues???
could it make a difference if they just swapped them out for a different "size" and slipped them on there???

 

[doriansmummy]

Ok, I was thinking the same thing and thought I was being paranoid.
Oh no, what do I do now???
How do we find out if they are crash tested? I am not sending back my old Radian until I find out. Thats scary.
The old one has started to fray but at least not too bad yet and its been tested.. and if this new one has not I dont know what to think.

 

[mommycat]

Can someone else please email him about this. I've sent him about 5 emails in the past 3 days and am starting to feel like a freak...

 

[doriansmummy]

Can someone else please email him about this. I've sent him about 5 emails in the past 3 days and am starting to feel like a freak...

I want to email him but dont know what to ask to get a clear answer...

 

[supercrunch]

Can someone else please email him about this. I've sent him about 5 emails in the past 3 days and am starting to feel like a freak...

done

I said...

Has the Radian been crash tested with these alternate buckle tongues? It is widely proclaimed to never use anything with a car seat that was not crash tested with it…and I am afraid that is exactly what we are doing with these replacement buckle tongues.

 

[doriansmummy]

done

Oh I look forward to the reply.. I just hope its not one of his canned responses.
Man what the he double-hockey sticks is going on at SK?!

 

[mommycat]

Is Russ the ONLY person at SK who has any answers? Because at this rate they will need to clone him!

 

[supercrunch]

I agree.

This situation has potentially just gone from bad to worse.

The NHSTA's jaw would be on the floor over this one (if they haven't been tested this way)

 

[supercrunch]

Is Russ the ONLY person at SK who has any answers? Because at this rate they will need to clone him!

I have gotten replies from another CS rep, but she isn't nearly as friendly or helpful as Russ.

But at the same time...poor Russ has himself quite a full plate right now, and he's handling it as well as could be expected. They need to promote this guy!

 

[mommycat]

I would ASSUME that they would have sent clips with the same or better load ratings as the originals... but it would be nice to know for sure!

 

[mommycat]

I have gotten replies from another CS rep, but she isn't nearly as friendly or helpful as Russ.

But at the same time...poor Russ has himself quite a full plate right now, and he's handling it as well as could be expected. They need to promote this guy!

Yes, I feel quite enamored of him. Carseat email affair....

 

[doriansmummy]

I would ASSUME that they would have sent clips with the same or better load ratings as the originals... but it would be nice to know for sure!

But if they are not tested how would they know for sure?
Or does 1+1=2 in this case? I dont really know that much all I think is if its not tested how would they 100% know for sure?

 

[wondering1]

Snail mail SK to let them know how great of a job Russ is doing. That speaks volumes and is greatly appreciated. Management values this type of feedback a great deal.

 

[supercrunch]

okay...he replied to my earlier email and said "Yup, got you covered"

which is cute and all, but I emailed him back to find out if it has specifically been crash tested this way

 

[mommycat]

But if they are not tested how would they know for sure?
Or does 1+1=2 in this case? I dont really know that much all I think is if its not tested how would they 100% know for sure?

If the buckle design for the bigger one meets or exceeds that of the smaller one, it should be fine. Assuming they properly define the loads and design procedure to replicate what the buckle sees in a crash. The question would be, did they make sure to send one that meets criteria, or did they send a bigger one and expect SK to determine if it is suitable... Lots of grey areas here that we have no way of knowing. Can't wait to hear the response.

 

[supercrunch]

he simply replied with the word "Yes"

 

[mommycat]

So I guess they did retest the seats with the new buckles. That's good, I would have serious doubts about them if they were sending out un-tested parts willy-nilly.

 

[doriansmummy]

he simply replied with the word "Yes"

So does that mean yes?
Russ sounds burnt out.
Question is why are they only on ours and not the new radians?? I just dont understand.

 

[supercrunch]

I don't know...but now that he has my address, I think I should stop pestering him so that he doesn't come TP my house

he is, however, sending out a new set of buckle tongues for my other Radian that is not yet fraying. So that's a plus!

 

[doriansmummy]

I don't know...but now that he has my address, I think I should stop pestering him so that he doesn't come TP my house

he is, however, sending out a new set of buckle tongues for my other Radian that is not yet fraying. So that's a plus!

Hahah.. Ya I know, he seems irritated with me.
As I emailed him that my older Radians harness is easier to adjust than the new one. He seemed less than happy that I was complaining.