really minor accident - would you replace?

I got into a really minor accident today - backed into a parked car. My car ended up with a broken tail-light cover, the other car has a shallow dent in the driver's door. Would you replace the seats in this scenario? I know I am supposed to but honestly, I've gone over speedbumps with more force than this accident. The seats in question are a Britax Boulevard and a Graco Snugride and they were occupied at the time.
Thanks!

I believe if you check the Britax website, your crash meets the criteria for NOT replacing. Minor accident, were able to drive away. Not sure on the Graco....let me check.


ETA:
From the Britax websites' FAQ:

"Q. What should I do with my child seat that has been involved in a crash?A. Britax recommends that the use of a child seat be discontinued if it has been in a severe crash. We further advise of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) position that it is not necessary to replace a child seat after a minor crash. A minor crash is one that meets ALL of following criteria:

The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site;

The vehicle door nearest the child restraint was undamaged;

There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants;

The air bags (if present) did not deploy; AND

There is no visible damage to the child seat. "



From the Graco website's FAQ
"I was recently in an accident. Do I have to replace my child's car seat? There doesn't appear to be any damage.
Answer: Yes. You must replace your child's car seat if it was involved in an accident, no matter what. Even if there appears to be no damage to the car seat on the surface, the impact and force of a collision can cause unseen structural damage to the interior of your car seat. Any such damage may prohibit your car seat from properly protecting your child in the event of a sudden stop or crash.

Some insurance carriers will reimburse you for the replacement of a new car seat if it was in a crash. Check with your insurance carrier for more details."

Yeah I knew about the NHSTA thing for the Britax, not sure what to do about the Graco. The accident was so minor we are not going through our insurance, so I have to pay out of pocket for the taillight cover for us and the other guy's dent. Really didn't want to add the cost of a new carseat too. And really it was such a small bump!

would you replace after this accident?

I got into a really minor accident today - backed into a parked car. My car ended up with a broken tail-light cover, the other car has a shallow dent in the driver's door. I was going maybe 5 mph, I had literally backed the car up maybe 30 ft? We most likely won't be reporting the damage to our insurance company so the money would come out of my pocket. Would you replace the seats in this scenario? I know I am "supposed to" but honestly, I've gone over speedbumps with more force than this accident. The seat in question is a Graco Snugride and it was occupied at the time.
I know according to Graco's standards the seat needs to be replaced. What I am asking is, would you in this situation, replace your child's seat. So car seat techs, would you?

Thanks!

Re: would you replace after this accident?

I can't tell you what *you* should do, and as a technician I can only advise you consider what your manual and Graco advises, but given the scenario you describe, no, I would not replace.

Right, to me the question is, was this a colllision, or a bump? Bumps, no, I don't replace. I make that parental decision (and I have, I bumped someone coming out of my alleyway. If Piper hadn't confirmed that she'd heard it too I would have thought I imagined it, it was that minor).

Wendy

I guess it was somewhere in between a bump and a collison - I mean it was enough to dent the door and break my taillight cover, but not what I would call a hard jolt.....

My DH accidently backed into the neighbor about 2 years ago while backing out of the driveway. We felt it, but we were only going about 5MPH, maybe even less. There was no damage to our car, but she did have some damage. The main reason being the way we hit her tire well. My son was in a TF. We made the parental decision to keep the seat since it was so minor.

snoopy5386 said:

I guess it was somewhere in between a bump and a collison - I mean it was enough to dent the door and break my taillight cover, but not what I would call a hard jolt.....

Click to expand...

but you can dent a door and brake a tail light by continuing to reverse at 2 mph yk? If you "push" hard enough a tail light will break and a dent occur even if there is no "impact".

I'm leaning towards not replacing.....trying hard to remember the accident - I don't even think the impact was enough to lock my seatbelt.