Shop removing seat during work

jourdysmom · Sep 15, 2011

This may be in the wrong section. Not sure if it would be installs or car seat chat

A friend of ours owns a shop, he does NY state vehicle inspections. NY state requires that all seat belts be checked for proper use during the inspection. His question to me over lunch today was "I take the car seat out (not physically out of the car, just unbuckles to test the belt systems) but then what? I don't have kids, I mean I know they go in so they aren't loose, but I don't know how to put one in right... what am I supposed to do with it then?"

I explained that ideally he should lay it on its side, so the caregiver is aware that it is not buckled and needs attention, BUT that at that point it becomes a projectile risk. That i don't know what I would do except NOT to put the belt back thru and buckle it. Thats a huge liability risk for him.

DH told him to become a tech. But he also has 4 employees that can do this inspection. They can't close the shop for 4 days for all of them to go to the CPST class, and still, we aren't an "install service".

We were all brainstorming over lunch, these were the ideas:

buckle over it so it isn't a projectile risk. (meh, I still see major misuse, "the inspection station did it so it must be safe")

Add it on to the bill that states "Your child's car seat was removed if you had a NY state inspection, please be sure to reinstall it" He cannot add to the inspection form, it prints direct from the NYS system, and he doesn't print a shop bill as the NYS receipt works as his as well.

Put a notice on the dash stating ""Your child's car seat was removed because you had a NY state inspection, please be sure to reinstall it as it can be a projectile in a crash"
**I personally think this was the best suggestion, and pretty ticked that it wasn't my idea LOL

Ideas?

carseatcoach · Sep 15, 2011

jourdysmom said:
Put a notice on the dash stating ""Your child's car seat was removed because you had a NY state inspection, please be sure to reinstall it as it can be a projectile in a crash"

This, plus a link or number to the SafeKids coalition.

Brianna · Sep 15, 2011

I would also have him tell customers when they drop their car off that car seats need to be removed and they should do then if they wish to it themselves.

Who knows what his employees would do if they saw a RF seat tethered, kwim?

jourdysmom · Sep 15, 2011

carseatcoach said:
This, plus a link or number to the SafeKids coalition.

There is no Safekids here... the closest tech is me. Should he/I just make some up, on fluorescent paper and put my info at the bottom? With a little blurb like "More than 75% of child restraints are not properly installed, if you would like help in making sure your child is safe, please contact Jourdysmom at <blah blah blah>"

jourdysmom · Sep 15, 2011

briheartzu said:
I would also have him tell customers when they drop their car off that car seats need to be removed and they should do then if they wish to it themselves.

Most are dropped off at night for the next day, many with no appt, so he never knows what or when he is getting one. He said about 1/10 cars has a seat(s) in it.

briheartzu said:
Who knows what his employees would do if they saw a RF seat tethered, kwim?

LOL He would call me, he can find me anywhere I go.

He REFUSES to take my seats out, he knows I would drop dead right there to have to re-install everything in the parking lot LOL... He asks if they work, and knows that I would call him in a heartbeat if one of my belts ever malfunctioned...

Brianna · Sep 15, 2011

jourdysmom said:
Most are dropped off at night for the next day, many with no appt, so he never knows what or when he is getting one. He said about 1/10 cars has a seat(s) in it.

LOL He would call me, he can find me anywhere I go.

He REFUSES to take my seats out, he knows I would drop dead right there to have to re-install everything in the parking lot LOL... He asks if they work, and knows that I would call him in a heartbeat if one of my belts ever malfunctioned...

Lol! Sounds like a smart guy, at least he doesn't mess with things he knows he doesn't fully understand! I guess I would be more concerned if his employees would do the same or if they would just try to figure it out alone. This depends on if your friend is always there or if inspections are done without his presence.

TechnoGranola · Sep 15, 2011

Can he have a sign made for outside the shop as well? Something that people may or may not see, but at least is in the general drop off area? Something like "NYS inspections requires removal of child restraints to test safety restraint systems. Child restraints left in vehicles will be uninstalled to meet NYS requirements." or something like that?

And I was thinking of this sign in addition to something that goes on the dash, heck I'd put it ON the steering wheel. You don't know how many people I've seen driving around with their parking tickets still on their windshield and are surprised when I point it out to them.

mkmama · Sep 15, 2011

If customers are dropping cars after hours with no appointment, I assume he has a key dropbox? I'd put some sort of flourescent note above that saying that car seats need to be removed, if they aren't the shop will be required to remove them and they won't be reinstalled due to liability issues.

Then I'd also put something either in the car or on the receipt (or both!)..ideally the receipt if the customer routinely signs the receipt, just to help cover his butt for someone who DOESN'T reinstall it and gets in a wreck 2 feet out of the parking lot and injured by their own stupidity because they didnt take the time to reinstall their seat that became a projectile -- if he has a signed receipt with the notice about uninstallation, there's his proof that they knew it was uninstalled.

jourdysmom · Sep 15, 2011

briheartzu said:
Lol! Sounds like a smart guy, at least he doesn't mess with things he knows he doesn't fully understand! I guess I would be more concerned if his employees would do the same or if they would just try to figure it out alone. This depends on if your friend is always there or if inspections are done without his presence.

His guys are awesome, he pays well, they value their jobs, they do what he says! LOL

TechnoGranola said:
Can he have a sign made for outside the shop as well? Something that people may or may not see, but at least is in the general drop off area? Something like "NYS inspections requires removal of child restraints to test safety restraint systems. Child restraints left in vehicles will be uninstalled to meet NYS requirements." or something like that?

GOOD IDEA
:thumbsup:

And I was thinking of this sign in addition to something that goes on the dash, heck I'd put it ON the steering wheel. You don't know how many people I've seen driving around with their parking tickets still on their windshield and are surprised when I point it out to them.

By dash I meant behind the steering wheel blocking the gauges... *most* people look there occasionally LOL

TechnoGranola · Sep 15, 2011

jourdysmom said:
By dash I meant behind the steering wheel blocking the gauges... *most* people look there occasionally LOL

Ha-ha, I'm wouldn't be surprised if they didn't! Just yesterday I was wondering why the people out of gas in the middle of the freeway didn't check their gas gauge over the last couple days. :ROTFLMAO:

I'm thinking you might want to block the key hole with the note!

But ya, good place. I was thinking you just meant a note on the dash that had the potential to slide elsewhere when the door was opened and the breeze came in.

EmmaCPST · Sep 15, 2011

I work in a shop, and when a tech have to remove a seat, the service advisor puts a note in their repair order, I'm paraphrasing, but it's something very close to this:

In order to complete repairs on your vehicle today, the technician removed your child(s) car seat(s). <shop name> has an NHTSA certified child passenger safety technician on staff that would be happy to help properly re-install the seat(s) at the time the vehicle is picked up.

Then the guys just flip the car seat over on the seat so it's clear it's uninstalled. I found out there was one tech that was re-installing them and quickly shut that down.

Also, a quick funny - I had a tech come ask me for help the other day, he's an ASE Master Tech - the kind of tech that figures out super complex driveability issues with a snap of his fingers. But he had to take apart a back seat and could NOT figure out how to remove a Snugride 32 base lol he was all afraid he had broken it or something because it wouldn't come out of the seat belt. I opened the lockoff clip and he was SO MAD that that's all he had to do lol.

Baylor · Sep 15, 2011

briheartzu said:
I would also have him tell customers when they drop their car off that car seats need to be removed and they should do then if they wish to it themselves.

Who knows what his employees would do if they saw a RF seat tethered, kwim?

This! Let them know ahead of time, in writing and when they pick it up. Make sure they can not say he did not tell them.

KiwiGem · Sep 15, 2011

TechnoGranola said:
Can he have a sign made for outside the shop as well? Something that people may or may not see, but at least is in the general drop off area? Something like "NYS inspections requires removal of child restraints to test safety restraint systems. Child restraints left in vehicles will be uninstalled to meet NYS requirements." or something like that?

And I was thinking of this sign in addition to something that goes on the dash, heck I'd put it ON the steering wheel. You don't know how many people I've seen driving around with their parking tickets still on their windshield and are surprised when I point it out to them.

:yeahthat:

I like this idea! We have a system down here in New Zealand called the "warrant of fitness" that is required as yearly or twice yearly vehicle safety inspections and a couple of years ago, there was a huge jump in the number of parents complaining that inspectors were unbuckling the restraint to check the seatbelts but leaving the belt in the belt path so it wasn't obvious that the restraint had been uninstalled in any way. Some parents were saying it was weeks before they noticed their child's restraint had been unbuckled :twitch:

They chose to make it really obvious that the restraint had been unbuckled, ie. lie it on it's side etc but as pointed out, now it's a projectile.

iiicrazycats · Sep 15, 2011

emma41256 said:
I opened the lockoff clip and he was SO MAD that that's all he had to do lol.

Ha ha ha! That was my fave part of the SR32!

bnsnyde · Sep 15, 2011

The last two times I took my car in they removed a seat.
It was annoying b/c I did not know they did it.
The second time I asked them not to, but they did it anyway. Maybe they had to.

I was able to put it back in, of course, but I would have liked to know they did this.

Jenny · Sep 15, 2011

They should be able to put the message on the bill /invoice , and I agree that they should put the seat in a odd position so that people see it is not installed

The last time I had my car inspected (I am NY State) I did nt go to the dealer -- and there was a notice on my bill that said I needed to get my wheels inspected within 48 hours and that they took no responsibility if I did not.

This was like a jiffy lube -- I was mad at the time bec. the only reason I brought it to this place bec. I was short on time. But it seems like in NY they are already doing stuff like this
Jenny

geekKT · Sep 15, 2011

My vote would be for a note on the dash first (probably the easiest), followed by gear shift lever, or keys, or rearview mirror, maybe. I'm the type to read the bill and papers, and I check my seats no matter what was done to the vehicle, but I know many people probably don't. I figure a notice that's physically in my way or blocking my view would be the easiest way to get my attention.

ETA: and also put it on the bill.

Kobain's Mommy · Sep 15, 2011

They should put it somehow on the paper that the customer signs. Just putting a note on the dash the customer can say "Oh I didn't see the note." But if they make a note on the paperwork the customer signs and point it out to the customer. It covers their butts if the customer doesn't reinstall it and it becomes a projectile or a child gets hurt in an accident.

indycoltsmom · Sep 16, 2011

This is why I am glad our state doesnt have "inspections" once my seats are installed they stay installed... I would have him suggest that the parent remove the car seat prior to it being inspected..that would be my advice..

KaiLing · Sep 16, 2011

Holy cow! I had no idea they had to test the seat belts! I just took the Honda in in NY *yesterday* for both a problem and the inspection and took out the seat 'just in case' (and yes, it was RF tethered). I really like these guys--should I also ask them what they do? And if they don't have a system then give them something like your flyer, jourdysmom?

Also, is there a problem with suggesting they put the seat in the trunk of a sedan or the cargo area of other cars?

Aaand now I have something else to bother my poor (but very patient) friends who already fear me looking in their back seats...

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