Problems installing sunshine radians

mommaof3girls

New member
My husband is trying to install my new ff radians and is having a very hard time.

1 the top latch when finally installed would not tighten enough it was still extremely loose after putting a lot of force into the strap.

2 my husband is just having difficulty in general installing these seats..

Could use some quick advice on how to get these things installed without the cussing and yelling lol... Thanks!
 
ADS

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Into what car are they going? Do you have pictures?

Don't discount the helpful power of cursing at the top of your lungs. Sometimes it's the only way to get things done.

Wendy
 

Mae

Well-known member
May I ask how old the kiddos are? Are you aware of the benefits of extended rear facing? :)

I've found that sometimes, it's best to hook and tighten the top tether *before* you install the seat. Like you, I couldn't pull the tether strap tight once I had the seat installed, so I learned to just do the top tether before installing. :)

Also, are you aware of the circumstances to use the Safe Stop?

You use the Safe Stop under three conditions.

In order to use the Safe Stop, you must meet all three of the following requirements:

(1) Child must be FF
(2) Seat must be installed using the top tether
(3) Child must be under 40 lbs.

If you answer "no" to any of the statements, you do not use the safe stop. If you answer "yes" to all of these statements, you must use the Safe Stop.

When you do use the Safe Stop, it will look like this:

c32b82a2-1.jpg





If you don't use the Safe Stop, it gets stored right here:

IMG_9475.jpg
 

mommaof3girls

New member
problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

Ok im going to repost this because I am in serious need of some advice.

I have a 2010 Chevy Impala, I just bought 2 radians for my older children to ride in since I need 3 across.
Well when installing these seats im having a heck of a time. We are using the top tether with seatbelt on both seats with the radian ratchet seatbelt thingy.

Well I am having some serious issues. We have tightened the tether and seatbelt to the utmost that we can do. The car seat is still loose. It seems the back of the car seat where the tether is located has a lot of slack even when tightened... its almost like a 'V' attached to the back with a slider thing that goes back and forth then the tether coming off of it... I dont know how the heck to tighten this area and even if its supposed to be tightened.

The seat doesnt move so much side to side but if you push the seat toward my driver seat the car seat seems to go to an angle and isnt flush against the back seat, which worries me a great deal in the dept of a rear end collision.

This is the link that kinda shows what im talking about with the 'V' thing on the back that connects the top tether to the car seat

http://carseatblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/dsc01130dsc01130.jpg




I NEED ADVICE!!
PLEASE HELP!
 
Last edited:

Morganthe

New member
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

Last summer, I rented a 2010 Chevy Impala and I discovered that the fixed, jutting, rear headrests made it impossible to install a HBB into any of the rear spots. Are you sure it's the radian you're having difficulty with or the car's design? At the time, I couldn't imagine trying to install any tall child seat in there.

Take a look at the photo at the head rests -- are they similar to what you have?
ry%3D400


If so, then the only thing I can possibly think that i f you have an inch or so to fit the radian underneath is to clamp it down as much as you can. But IIRC, that was a firm vehicle seat, so there might not be much give.

If you can get the Radians to install tight & secure against the seat back of the vehicle, you do not need the top tether. In fact, the way the headrests jut forward, I doubt there's a way to take up any slack with them.


I used to like the Impala very much. I installed a radian, regent, Maxi-cosi, a britax in older models that I used. After dealing with the 2010 model, I sent a letter to Hertz documenting all the trouble I had, especially with children's seats back there. It's just a hard fit, imo.

Sorry I can't offer much help, just sympathy. Maybe someone else has suggestions if it's not the vehicle seat fit that's causing difficulty.
 

andre149

New member
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

I don't have any advice on the seat/vehicle combo, but I noticed you say the Radian "ratchet seat belt thing". If you're referring to the Mighty-Tite (the locking "device" that goes on the seatbelt) those are extremely unsafe and have actually damaged people's seat belts. If you can't achieve an appropriate install without an add on device on the belt the seat and your car are not compatible. I would recommend finding a tech in your area to help you out if you can't get the seat in properly... sometimes all it takes is another set of eyes/hands, and they will be able to tell you if the head rests are in fact a problem.
 

jess71903

Ambassador
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

:yeahthat:
The Mighty Tight needs to come off.

You need to check for tightness at the belt path. If the seat moves less than 1" in any direction there, it's a good install. It would be nice if the seat was unmovable all over, but in reality, that doesn't happen much. If it's tight at the belt path, you just take the slack out of the tether the best you can.
 

Pixels

New member
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

Well I am having some serious issues. We have tightened the tether and seatbelt to the utmost that we can do. The car seat is still loose. It seems the back of the car seat where the tether is located has a lot of slack even when tightened... its almost like a 'V' attached to the back with a slider thing that goes back and forth then the tether coming off of it... I dont know how the heck to tighten this area and even if its supposed to be tightened.

That area doesn't get tightened.

Are you routing the tether over or under the headrest?
 

singingpond

New member
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

....
Well when installing these seats im having a heck of a time. We are using the top tether with seatbelt on both seats with the radian ratchet seatbelt thingy.

Well I am having some serious issues. We have tightened the tether and seatbelt to the utmost that we can do. The car seat is still loose....
I have some concern about this, if the 'ratchet seatbelt thingy' is indeed the MightyTite. I used to use one of these (before I learned better), and it gives you an awful lot of mechanical advantage -- it's very solid and well designed to take slack out of the strap (i.e. the seatbelt) that it's reeling up -- which is an inherent part of the problem with using the thing. We never tightened ours as hard as would have been possible, since our intuition told us that might put unreasonable strain on the seatbelt and/or the carseat. If you've really cranked down on the MightyTite as hard as you can in an effort to solve the problem, I would take a very close look at the seatbelt to see if it's damaged -- maybe even have the seatbelt professionally inspected (that's assuming people at a typical dealership have some idea what to look for when inspecting a seatbelt :p).

Katrin
 

thepote

New member
I've found in some sedans (we have an 04 Elantra) the tethers on tall shelled car seats simply cannot be tightened short enough. The distance isn't far enough :thumbsdown:

It's a known issue. I tighten the tether as far as it will go before putting it in the car, and just attach it even though it's not tight.

When installing it with the seat belt, you can twist the buckle stalk up to 3 full times to shorten it to keep the buckle from hitting or going into the belt path, which could be keeping it from tightening.
 

thepote

New member
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

I answered in your other thread... here it is again:

I've found in some sedans (we have an 04 Elantra) the tethers on tall shelled car seats simply cannot be tightened short enough. The distance isn't far enough

It's a known issue. I tighten the tether as far as it will go before putting it in the car, and just attach it even though it's not tight.

When installing it with the seat belt, you can twist the buckle stalk up to 3 full times to shorten it to keep the buckle from hitting or going into the belt path, which could be keeping it from tightening.
 

andre149

New member
Re: problems in stalling sunshine radians (repost)

OP, you may want to ask the mod's to merge your two threads... looks like you're getting answers on both of them, it would probably help you get better answers if they were one thread :)
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
I went ahead and merged the two threads together because cross posting isn't allowed and it's best to have the info. all together in a single related thread.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,655
Messages
2,196,895
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top