Tech recommending *more* than one inch at belt path!

twokidstwodogs

New member
So we had some friends in town this weekend, who live halfway across the country On my advice, they just purchased a Marathon for their five month-old, who has outgrown her Snugride. They had it installed in their non-LATCH car by a tech, but she told me that the tech admitted he almost never saw Britax seats and didn't know what to do with the rearfacing tether. (It's a rural area.) I told her not to mind, that I would show her how to use it when she got here. They arrived yesterday with their Marathon installed in the rental car. Since they weren't familiar with LATCH, they did it with the belt, but my friend said she wasn't satisfied with the installation and asked me to check it. When I went out, I discovered that it was incredibly loosely installed. I reinstalled it with LATCH outboard, because it was an SUV and I wasn't sure if it allowed center seat installations. (So annoying that rental car companies don't give you a manual!) I got a great install and tethered it for them--no problem. So my friend comes out to see the installation and to learn how to do it herself. She asked me whether it was too tight. I said, no, that tighter was better. Now brace yourself....

She said that their tech had warned them that it must be installed loosely, with an inch or more of movement at the belt path, because in side impact collisions, you want the seat to move away from the side of the car as much as possible. :eek: (I can't even begin to count the errors.)

There's no chance she misunderstood this tech.. She is super-smart and very safety-conscious. Both she and her husband have Ph.Ds. But she trusted the tech. Fortunately, she trusts me more, so the baby is now riding quite safely. But *what* is this tech possibly thinking? How can anyone think that a loose installation is safer?
 
ADS

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
I agree it needs to be reported and he needs some serious re education.

I can see how techs might not know about the rear face tether but for pete sake bust out the manual and read about it. Not a hard concept to follow.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
but for pete sake bust out the manual and read about it. Not a hard concept to follow.

:yeahthat:

Isn't that what techs are taught to do anyway? Aren't they supposed to read the manuals? I know we all should, but isn't that part of the curriculum?
 

twokidstwodogs

New member
Don't worry--we'll report him! I can forgive him his failure to know how to tether RF, since that does confuse a lot of people. And Britax manuals are hard to read, though not *that* hard. But the belt path thing is completely ridiculous. He seems to be making up laws of physics as he goes along......
 

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