Radian EPS foam broken off

selinajean · Jan 14, 2011

There is a foster Mom in town who is having issues with her Radian. A large chunk of the EPS foam has fallen off. She contacted SK and was told to glue it back on using craft glue.

Really? She pays over $300 for a car seat and has to use it for arts and crafts sessions after a year of use? She is very concerned with this. As a foster parent, her care and parenting practices are under scrutiny. She can't afford to be cutting corners or found to be doing anything which could be judged as unsafe.

Thoughts? Advice? Is this actually safe? SK has replaced entire seats because stickers are falling off yet they won't do the same for the EPS foam? Stickers are compliance related, foam is a safety issue. I don't see the reasoning on this.

tam_shops · Jan 14, 2011

I'm sure I've read that you are to tape the foam back on when it falls apart?? I certainly would not use glue, wouldn't the glue get sticky when the car gets hot in the summer? I can just see it being a big mess. My sister glued curtains together once! ROFL They lasted a few days! She was so surprised! LOL

Since there is liability involved w/ a foster child, I'd be inclined to get them to send the request to repair it that way in writing...and of course, no one is going to know but her...

tam

mommycat · Jan 14, 2011

I do remember seeing someone else being told to tape the foam back in place. In some respects this might be fine, since the foam works by crushing under load, so a crack may not have much impact on performance. However, I am not sure I would be entirely happy with it especially in terms of liability issues as a foster parent - get her to call SK again and stress this point and her concerns regarding "cutting corners". Where was the foam that broke off? I would worry more about head area foam than a chunk elsewhere.

selinajean · Jan 14, 2011

tam_shops said:
I'm sure I've read that you are to tape the foam back on when it falls apart?? I certainly would not use glue, wouldn't the glue get sticky when the car gets hot in the summer? I can just see it being a big mess. My sister glued curtains together once! ROFL They lasted a few days! She was so surprised! LOL

Since there is liability involved w/ a foster child, I'd be inclined to get them to send the request to repair it that way in writing...and of course, no one is going to know but her...

tam

That is what I just recommended. I said that she should call back and see if a different c/s rep will provide a different answer. If not, I said that she should get this in email from them so that she can have proof of the manufacturer stating it is safe and legal to use.

I honestly just can't believe that tape and glue are being offered as a solution for fixing such an expensive seat. I am more than a little disappointed with this. :thumbsdown:

Minnesota · Jan 14, 2011

Oh boy. Umm.... who did she speak to? Did his name start with an R and rhyme with bus? LOL ... Or is there an entirely different rep for Canada?

I personally would never feel comfortable with that solution, and wouldn't allow a child in my care to ride like that. As a very temporary fix (as in, no alternate seat, and you're waiting for replacement foam to arrive in the mail) you may tape the chunk back in place so it's where it needs to be in case of a crash, but you can't really count on that to behave the same way as an intact piece of EPS, especially long-term.

Can she call back and speak to someone else? If it's the same customer service number that the US uses, there are a couple other people there who are likely to be more helpful, (Susan and Kristin, namely) but if it's different, I'll leave the advice up to my Northern neighbors.

selinajean · Jan 14, 2011

mommycat said:
I do remember seeing someone else being told to tape the foam back in place. In some respects this might be fine, since the foam works by crushing under load, so a crack may not have much impact on performance. However, I am not sure I would be entirely happy with it especially in terms of liability issues as a foster parent - get her to call SK again and stress this point and her concerns regarding "cutting corners". Where was the foam that broke off? I would worry more about head area foam than a chunk elsewhere.

Thank you... I forgot to ask that and was meaning to. I haven't had the chance to speak with her directly yet. I was contacted about this by one friend who is a local retailer for SK and another friend who is a tech and home support worker. We are all just in shock over the glue suggestion.

selinajean · Jan 14, 2011

chimpmandee said:
Oh boy. Umm.... who did she speak to? Did his name start with an R and rhyme with bus? LOL ... Or is there an entirely different rep for Canada?

I personally would never feel comfortable with that solution, and wouldn't allow a child in my care to ride like that. As a very temporary fix (as in, no alternate seat, and you're waiting for replacement foam to arrive in the mail) you may tape the chunk back in place so it's where it needs to be in case of a crash, but you can't really count on that to behave the same way as an intact piece of EPS, especially long-term.

Can she call back and speak to someone else? If it's the same customer service number that the US uses, there are a couple other people there who are likely to be more helpful, (Susan and Kristin, namely) but if it's different, I'll leave the advice up to my Northern neighbors.

I know that it is a different c/s line than the US but I am not sure who she spoke with the first time. I am hoping that she will have better luck on a second call.

canadiangie · Jan 14, 2011

I know that I've read here that Britax says to tape broken eps headwing bv foam back into place...

Minnesota · Jan 14, 2011

canadiangie said:
I know that I've read here that Britax says to tape broken eps headwing bv foam back into place...

Have they suggested that as a permanent measure? I always understood it to be a temporary solution until you could get a new piece.

canadiangie · Jan 14, 2011

chimpmandee said:
Have they suggested that as a permanent measure? I always understood it to be a temporary solution until you could get a new piece.

I've heard both. I remember feeling terrible that I told someone they had to replace their foam ($$) after reading here that it could be taped.

selinajean · Jan 14, 2011

canadiangie said:
I've heard both. I remember feeling terrible that I told someone they had to replace their foam ($$) after reading here that it could be taped.

I wouldn't feel bad about that. I know that I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using a seat for my child if it had been taped together, no matter what I was told. You erred on the side of caution and safety.

mam521 · Jan 14, 2011

Personally, I'd feel more comfortable with tape than with glue. Some glues react with foam and melt it. And, glue gets hard...if I were in an accident, I wouldn't want my kiddo's head hitting a hard glue seam for fear it wouldn't compress like tape would...

Agreed too...you spend $300+ on a carseat and the company won't replace broken foam? Its a pet peeve of mine with my BV...mine's only cracked around where it moulds around the plastic wing, but annoying none the less.

tam_shops · Jan 14, 2011

Selina, glad you liked my answer! LOL In the fall I had been told by the rep at Evenflo that I should take off my cupholders (and how to do it). Then heard opposite had been said here, emailed & of course they said NO go! PITA b/c then the seats all had to come out & get re-installed to move them that fraction of an inch they were hitting the door handle!

Mandy, a friend of mine spoke w/ that R rhyming name here in Canada. They seem to patch through to him when you ask difficult questions...she was asking about the 48#-65# switch of the seats that happened in 2009. Funny part of all that was she got the permission, but her seat was in a wreck before she needed it & replaced it w/ a higher weight one! Minor accident, all were fine...

I'm w/ everyone that says fine for tape temporarily, not permenant fix. Think about how dried out tape gets just sitting on something in your cupboard...

tam

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