That is just freaking wonderful Dorel!

swtgi1982 · Mar 9, 2011

They sent out the recall kits to anyone with a seat owned by them "just in case you needed it" I was just told by the lady at the recall hotline. I just called since I got one and do not nor have I ever owned an affected seat.

How many parents are going to apply the lubricant unnecesssarily and make their seat unsafe just because they got the Letter and failed to read the fact it did not really affect their seat?

Great just great Dorel!

Cryssy Jane · Mar 9, 2011

I didn't get one and I've got three unaffected dorel seats... hmm but yes I can see that being a big issue.

icnee · Mar 9, 2011

I also have three unaffected seats and I didnt get one either.

I really hope it was sent to you by error and tha lady was just comming up with some thing to say cause that is just not good.

swtgi1982 · Mar 9, 2011

I was just wondering if her saying that was them admitting their may be other issues not yet brought to light. Like the potential for more models to be added to the list. Or maybe they really do not know yet whether other models are affected.

CTPDMom · Mar 9, 2011

Well, we know there have been reports of models in the recall but dates later than the recall having problems...so maybe they're just covering their bottoms?

I can't help but ask, though, why you think adding the lube will MAKE a seat UNSAFE...when adding the lube to a recalled seat is what makes it SAFE (their claim, not mine)?

swtgi1982 · Mar 9, 2011

CTPDMom said:
Well, we know there have been reports of models in the recall but dates later than the recall having problems...so maybe they're just covering their bottoms?

I can't help but ask, though, why you think adding the lube will MAKE a seat UNSAFE...when adding the lube to a recalled seat is what makes it SAFE (their claim, not mine)?

Well just going off the fact their manuals say not to add lubricant.

carseatcoach · Mar 9, 2011

If we trust Dorel to keep kids safe -- and many of us do, even though some do not -- we have to trust that they've tested this lubricant.

swtgi1982 · Mar 9, 2011

chickabiddy said:
If we trust Dorel to keep kids safe -- and many of us do, even though some do not -- we have to trust that they've tested this lubricant.

I am not saying it isn't safe when needed. I am just worried about use of it when not needed. For example they say to use only two drops on each side. So if a seat does not need it and it is applied I worry about the use of two much like when not necessary. I mean they state to not use lubricant in their manual for a reason. I am nit against using the repair kit when warranted. But not when it is not needed.

BananaBoat · Mar 9, 2011

Interesting, as I have 2 Avenues that ARE affected & have yet to receive anything

Not that I want it. In fact, I'm happy to check my seat every time I use it rather than dousing it in vegetable oil

thepeach80 · Mar 9, 2011

I haven't received one either for my Avenue that was recall plus the others I ordered for events when parents come in w/ recalled seats. I guess I'll have to e-mail them as I ordered them both on the 18th or 19th I think.

CTPDMom · Mar 9, 2011

swtgi1982 said:
I am not saying it isn't safe when needed. I am just worried about use of it when not needed. For example they say to use only two drops on each side. So if a seat does not need it and it is applied I worry about the use of two much like when not necessary. I mean they state to not use lubricant in their manual for a reason. I am nit against using the repair kit when warranted. But not when it is not needed.

Well, they state lots of things in their manuals. We don't know why many of them are there, but we do have to follow them.

Now they're changing the game, and it's certainly a legit question to post to Dorel, why they have 'no lube' in the manual but they're sending out lube for recalled seats (and for no reason at all, apparently, since you have said you have no recalled seats! LOL).

And sadly, the fact is someone WITH a recalled seat might use too many drops and cause an issue worse than the one the recall was for in the first place.

It's just not a great situation all around!

LISmama810 · Mar 9, 2011

On the other hand, it's not like they'd write into their manuals, "Don't use lube. Unless, at some point, we have a recall on this seat, in which case maybe we'll send you some, and then it's ok."

Britax doesn't put "Don't cut your adjuster strap," but they clearly don't want you to...unless it's done as part of the instructions in a recall.

Clearly this is APPROVED lube with detailed instructions. I think the idea of the prohibition in the manual is to keep people from spraying WD-40 all over the place.

Anyway, my point is that this isn't necessarily a contradiction.

I do, though, think it's odd if Dorel is sending recall kits to people without affected seats. Since other people haven't reported it, I'm inclined to think it's a clerical error for now. But who knows.

swtgi1982 · Mar 9, 2011

The only seat I have that is a name listed is the Onboard but mine is a different model number and out if the date range. It also is not registered yet as I just got it as a warranty. The old one was newer then this one so it also was not affected.

Kobain's Mommy · Mar 9, 2011

LISmama810 said:
Clearly this is APPROVED lube with detailed instructions. I think the idea of the prohibition in the manual is to keep people from spraying WD-40 all over the place.

That's what I was thinking! Sadly even with it in the manual I know someone that WD-40s everything! I'm sure if they felt anything on their car seat was "sticking" they'd whip out their can and start spraying away.

NatesMamma · Mar 9, 2011

CTPDMom said:
I can't help but ask, though, why you think adding the lube will MAKE a seat UNSAFE...when adding the lube to a recalled seat is what makes it SAFE (their claim, not mine)?

What about the concerns in this thread that the lube could attract debris and make the adjuster more likely to stick? I would hope that Dorel has tested the lube for longevity under something approaching real world conditions, but I think the concern seems legit.

Baylor · Mar 10, 2011

I don't own a dorel seat.. but I have been following all the threads closely and I would not be comfortable at all with this fix. I saw the videos about the harnesses loosening and that little tube of lube would not make me comfortable using them at all.

I wonder about the debris and other complications that may arise.

snowbird25ca · Mar 10, 2011

Different grades of lubricant break down differently - and it's not that all lubricant naturally attracts debris.

My bet is that your average household cheap lubricant would actually make the mechanism stickier - not truly acting as a lubricant. So that warning is very prudent when you're talking WD40 - but if they're using a lubricant with special properties, then it's not going to have the same effect or risks that another cheap household lubricant would.

This may not be a traditional type fix, but for a company with this many seats recalled, I sorely doubt that they'd issue a fix that didn't work. There is going to be a higher degree of liability due to a failed recall fix than if the seats hadn't been recalled yet and a kid was injured. They waited this long for the recall - why would they do it with something that they thought wouldn't last 6 months? I'm sure they considered the long term effectiveness of the fix when they were working on it.

For all we know, they have been testing the lubricant for the last year to make sure that it actually works long term. :shrug-shoulders:

Bottom line? Unless we're engineers and/or defect investigators - or witnessing failure of the fix, then it is not our place to determine that a recall fix isn't good enough and that it won't do what it's supposed to do. It may be something that seems odd to us, but nobody here is in the position to state that it can't be trusted or won't work.

In the end, a company is always going to go with the effective option that costs the least. And if the lubricant works - which we have no reason to doubt that it does, then it's really not our place to criticize the fix and put doubt in the hundreds of thousands of parents minds who so far as we know, have a perfectly safe seat once the fix is applied. :twocents:

swtgi1982 · Mar 10, 2011

Like I said before I completely agree with you snowbird. I am not arguing the validity of the fix kit. It just scares me that they are sending it out so random to people who do not need it.

I did not start this thread to argue the validity of the recall repair kit just the craziness of them sending it out to random people who do not have affected seats. And I posted in the tech forum so not everyone could read it and freak about the randomness of this.

Jeanum · Mar 10, 2011

It's good IMHO that we have this thread here in chat to have more visibility for both guests and members to compare notes to see if others with non-recalled Dorel seats also receive the lube kit and can corroborate. :twocents: FWIW, I have 2 seats registered with Dorel that are not part of the recall and haven't received a lube kit for either one. I really think it would be a hugely immense added expense for Dorel to proactively provide kits to every Dorel seat owner in addition to the thousands with recalled seats, and I also have to wonder if the rep you spoke with was confused on that?

carseatcoach · Mar 10, 2011

OP, iirc, you have owned (and returned) quite a few seats. Is it possible that you did indeed at one time have an affected seat?

That is just freaking wonderful Dorel!

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