Should i replace? :(

krissybear25

New member
So I have a decision to make and it's driving me nuts. We had some crazy rain last night and there was some flash flooding. Some friends got stuck in the water and they managed to get out of the water but not off the road. Their car would not start so we tried to tow them off the road. They had dd ( in a cosco scenera) in their car but we took her out and put her rfing in a MR next to my DS who's RF In a CA. So anyways dh forgot to tell the person driving the car to use the handbrake because his pedal brakes won't work. So he landed up hitting the bak bumper on my van :( there is no damage to my van or his car. We were going really slow. I know the car seat companies say to replace in any kind of crash. But I don't really think this qualifies. I'm sure I could have put more stress on the seats if I had to slam on my brakes. We really can't afford to replace the seats right now, and my spares seats are outgrown rfing so I would have to FF DS and my friends DD( I drive her quite a bit) which I wouldn't feel comfortable doing.
Anyways can u guys please tell me If u think I should replace them or not?
 
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Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
The mfg say replace after any crash. If you feel that this was a bump - not a crash - then they don't need replaced.

Was there any damage to either vehicle?
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Honestly then... it's really on you. None of us were there and felt the impact, kwim? So if you don't feel that there was stress on the seats, that needs to be your parental decision.

Here's another way to think of it. If, a couple of years from now -- when this incident should be long forgotten -- you get into a crash and there's a problem with the seats, are you immediately going to go "OMG it must have been that bump with the flood!"? Or would it be long forgotten? If you think it's going to weigh on you, then you need to replace.

TBH I would probably strip the seats, check for stress, and be tempted to not replace -- as a caregiver. As a tech, you should follow your manual, which means crash = replace. If it wasn't a crash, then no replacement is necessary.

Hopefully someone else will chime in here so you have more opinions than just mine. :)
 

monica-m

CPST Instructor
If it was no more jarring than if you slammed on your brakes then I would not consider it a crash. We don't consider seats crashed if they were in a car that braked suddenly but did not crash.

If there is no damage to the seats or the vehicles, no one is sore the next day and you truly feel that it was not a crash but a bump then the seats should be fine.
 

mandynee22

New member
I wouldn't. Can you imagine replacing everytime you, say, hit a curb? No damage to vehicle, no seat belt marks on the people in the car? I'd consider it just like bumping a curb.
I once hit a deer and had no problem not replacing (this must have been like 3 years ago so Ii have since then). There was no damage to my car, not even a scratch. The deer fell over...but got right back up and ran away.
 

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