Seat savers

I'm starting grad school in a few weeks and due to DH working 2nd shift, my mother has very kindly offered to pick up DD at daycare and babysit until I get home from class. She just got a 2011 Nissan Maxima and my parents have a Britax Marathon 70 that will stay installed in my mom's car. DD is 12.5 months old and is RFing in Boulevards in our cars. DD is not given food or snacks in the car and the only beverage offered is water in a leak-resistant sippy cup, so DH and I don't worry too much about protecting our vehicle seats.

Mom just got her Maxima and being a safety-minded grandma she asked how she could get her seat checked (she is not comfortable installing it herself so it is just staying installed in her car and DH or I will check it periodically to make sure it's still secure and to adjust the harness height when needed). I sent her a link to the Safe Kids website and she called the contact listed at their local police station. This was the resulting purchase:



I asked her why on earth she'd bought it and she said that the officer - ostensibly a CPST - told her that she "had" to have a seat protector with leather seats, or the car seat would slip around and not be secure. So she went to Target and bought this one.

DH and I did battle with the seat and that damned seat protector until we had what we felt was a solid install (RFing, passenger side, with seatbelt, no tether). When we installed it I really tried to move the Marathon at the belt path because I was worried the seat protector would give a false sense of stability/security. It was secure enough (less than 1" of movement at the belt path) that we were OK with mom taking her but I said we needed to come to an agreement later with regard to the seat saver.

My parents said that they will do whatever we say re: the car seat, but that we have to protect those leather seats somehow. The Maxima is a lease and they're concerned that when they turn it in 3 years from now the car seat(s) will have damaged the vehicle seats to the point where they'll have to pay for new ones. I sympathize with the concern but DD's safety has to come first.

Any thoughts on when/if it's ever OK to use a seat saver? Since that cop told them to use a seat protector rather than a towel they think that they "have" to use the seat protector and a thin towel isn't good enough to get a secure install! After all, the cop is a technician and I'm not. And mom and dad think that if these things were unsafe or bad, it would be illegal to sell them, so that means it must be just fine. Is it OK to use a seat saver if you have a good install, or do I have to gear up to do battle? Any good arguments I can use in favor of just installing the Marathon without anything between it and the vehicle seat?

I have no input on the seat saver, but.... I have had 3 vehicles now with car seats and leather seats. A thin towel will keep the carseat from cracking or damaging the leather exterior or whatever. You will still have indents on the car's seats. However, ime, they fade quickly. When we sold my Rendezvous we took the car seats out, detailed it, and sent it off with my grandparents a few days later. The indents had lessened considerably and they were probably pretty much gone by the time the car found its new home. IME there was no permanent damage done to the seat, and of course the line about the seat slipping is bs!

I'm pretty sure the seat saver is a no-no, but I'm gonna let someone more experienced handle that one, and give you some better info than I could.

But on the leather seat front... in 09 I sold my Kia Sorrento which had leather seats. It had 2 car seats (1 a Britax) in it from '05 to'09, 1 in it from 04-05. This was the full-time everyday use car, and my kids eat and drink in the car and we had no seat savers. When I sold that Sorento to the dealership, yes it had some "dents" in the rear seat from where the car seats had been for 4-5 years, but the dealership didn't have any issue with it, they paid me a damn good price for the car (I was actually shocked by how much they offered us!), and they promptly listed and sold it as a used car in "GREAT" condition. I looked at it on their website, and could see pictures of the backseat. No dents! I bet their guys gave it a good detail job (which I'm betting they do to every car). So, hopefully that gives you a little bit of a good feeling.

Ugh, I typed a whole response that got erased. My personal vote is a strong no on the saver. They can create a false sense of tightness. The new Marathons have skid grippers anyway.

As far as the being illegal if unsafe, sadly that is not the case. The aftermarket accessories market it not strict and companies can mark products as "crash tested" using their own "testing". My 2c, besides thin towels or sock on the straps, if it didn't come in the box I don't use it with the seat.

Hope that helps.

I just helped with a Marathon 70 install in a car, with leather, and the owner would not remove the seatsaver (like the one in the picture). His call.
The Marathon 70 has a rubber part of the base that is meant to be kind on the seat of a car.

Since numerous posts claim they are unsafe, that's what I go by. I felt the seatsaver made for a more difficult install for sure, and can certainly mask a tight install.

A thin towel, along with the seat friendly base design, ought to work.

Here's a fantabulous post from CarseatBlog about seat protectors and which are better than others: http://carseatblog.com/3275/seat-pr...evil-predators-against-our-innocent-children/

For the record, we have always had leather seats, never used seat protectors, and never had any damage.

LISmama810 said:

Here's a fantabulous post from CarseatBlog about seat protectors and which are better than others: http://carseatblog.com/3275/seat-pr...evil-predators-against-our-innocent-children/

For the record, we have always had leather seats, never used seat protectors, and never had any damage.

Click to expand...

That is a great article!

Unbuckle the seat and hold the belt so it doesn't retract. Remove the seat protector and buckle the seat again without tightening, and see how much looser it is. If it's still an acceptable install it's technically ok to use. But I'm doubting it is. A thin towel is considered the only safe item under a seat like that.

The seat will cause indents no matter what. They'll fade out once the seat is out. Techs used to be told that something had to be put under carseats if the vehicle seats are leather, but it's been found that it usually just masks a loose install.

A good tech never installs the seat anyway. They should be teaching and showing her how to do it. In a proper check, the driver's hands will be the last ones to install the seat.

Heather's blog post (linked above) gives great perspective. Keep in mind that Britax prohibits the use of seat protectors under their seats. (Other manufacturers probably do, too, but you mentioned a Britax seat specifically.)

From http://www.britaxusa.com/support/faq/general-questions-about-britax :

Q. Can I use things like seat protectors or mirrors with my BRITAX seat?
A. No; do not use non-regulated products with or on BRITAX products. The following is a statement included in each BRITAX user guide: "The use of non-Britax Child Safety, Inc. covers, inserts, toys, accessories, or tightening devices is not approved by Britax. Their use could cause this child seat to fail federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or not perform as intended in a crash."

BRITAX does offer a line of accessories designed for use with BRITAX www.britaxusa.com/store


IME the Britax seats don't really need seat protectors. Their bases aren't sharp and they put grippy on the bottoms of the seats. Like PPs have mentioned, the new convertibles even have a rubber covered base, which is like a built-in seat protector.

I have a vehicle w/ leather seats. I have had car seats tightly installed w/ no seat protectors. Most of those seats (or the longest periods of installation) have been Britax seats. I don't have any cuts or permanent marks in my seats. There are dents, but they fade to barely noticeable within hours of removing the seats and are totally gone within a day or two.

It was disappointing to have a CPST telling them that they "have" to use an aftermarket product that is not recommended.

I know seat savers are generally a no-no and I just don't feel confident enough trying to install with and without to see if it's OK in this case. I think I'll take the tactic of showing them the manual as well as asking for a trial of going seat saver-less. If we install the seat and check in a few months, if there's any sign of damaging the leather (not just indenting it) then we'll try a towel. I really doubt there will be; our Boulevards have been installed for several months and our seats are totally fine.

At the time, DH and I were in the midst of a DIY bathroom remodel and were very stressed, so once I got what I felt was a safe install I sent DD with grandma for the afternoon. I was nervous until I got the call that they were safely at mom and dad's house. Now she's going to be taking DD two evenings per week and we need a better resolution; I am not going to be anxious twice a week until I know they've safely arrived at our house.

The officer who is the CPST did not offer to check the install or to help her learn how to install it herself. He talked to her on the phone and apparently told them we could install for them. Gee, thanks.

I have leather seats and a classic MA, and I don't need anything to get a solid install. My vehicle isn't a lease so I don't worry about the leather, but I've never seen one of my seats make a dent that didn't pop back out eventually.

I really like the article linked above.

My first question in considering a seat protector is to check the car seat's manual. If Britax says "no" on a seat protector, then your question is already answered.

I have a vehicle with leather seats. I install seats on it all the time without protectors. I have one seat that punched a hole in the leather (the Complete Air). Unlike every Britax seat I've ever seen (or any of my other seats for that matter) that one has really sharp plastic edges on the bottom. I looked at the manual for that seat and it actually recommends the use of a seat protector. Now I use one with that seat (but with extra care to make sure I'm not getting a false sense of security). I happen to have one of the old-style Prince Lionheart protectors that the person who wrote the article above liked. Unfortunately, they don't make that one anymore and the one that company currently sells is HORRID.

So, I have a big loud "It Depends" answer to this question. 1) Check the manual; 2) Determine whether it's really necessary; and 3) Proceed very carefully.

I just want to say that I don't keep my seats installed all the time and the dents never go away. I have a Mazda Tribute. Also, it is not difficult to get most seats tight in there without anything on the seat. I've never tried a towel, that seems like it would make it more slippery to me.

Just to follow up - DH and I promised that if the car seat damages her leather seats to the point that they're charged for the damage at the time of lease return we will reimburse them for that amount. I installed the Boulevard easily without the seat saver and all has worked out well.

The simple test is this:

Install the seat w/the "seat saver" and check the install (probably quite solid).

Now, take the seat and "seat saver" out WITHOUT changing the length of the seatbelt and reinstall the carseat. If you need to tighten up that seatbelt, the seatsaver was definitely interfering w/a safe install. If you only need to tighten it up a "smidge", it may be okay (less than one inch). If you need to tighten up a bunch, it's NOT okay.

We have a seat saver on our leather seats in our VW Passat, but it isn't that same one w/the padding....it's a different brand that is the same thickness as a towel or a piece of rubber shelf liner. I can get the same install either way....

FWIW, the leather pops back up in less than a day whenever I take the seats out...and they've been there since 2006...

hths

henrietta

(ETA: I helped at a car seat check for a Chicco infant seat w/this seat saver: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11345256....it was very thin, like a towel or shelf liner....and seemed not to interfere w/the safe install *provided you got it lined up right and not bunched up in spots*. This is similar to the one w/have that we feel safe using. But the other ones, mostly what are out there now, are NOT like this one. hths)