Diono radian for BMW 325 ?

Unregistered · May 26, 2012

I bought the diono radian 120 for our BMW 325 (2006model). Baby is 17 pounds, 29 inches tall and 7 months. The car manual says to do install in the rear side seats but I understand that the center is the safest. We want to keep daughter rear facing as long as possible. The problem is that when I install seat rear facing in the center rear, the backrest of the seat extends a few inches between the two front seats. Is this ok? The plus is that it secures the seat from moving side to side, but the downside is it doesn't seem safe for the people in the front.

Can I use this seat in the rear side seat, and is it ok to wedge the carseat with the front seat?i can't find info on this in the manual.

Alternatively. Is there another seat I should try that is more upright than the radian when rear facing?

wendytthomas · May 26, 2012

You can only use LATCH on the side. In the middle you need to use the seatbelt.

Having it stick out between the front seats is fine.

The sections of your manual that would say yay or nay to the Radian touching the seats is the airbag section. Likely you have advanced airbags on the passenger side, but a BMW may or may not have sensors affected by weight from behind. Check there, though, for warnings against something touching or bracing or hanging from the back of the front seat.

Wendy

Unregistered · May 27, 2012

Which is preferable : installing the radian on the side using latch (which secures the seat very tightly) or installing in the center rear using shoulder belt (which doesn't secure the seat as tightly, but side to side movement is stopped by the two front seats, since the radian sticks out between them about 3 inches)? The rear center has a slight bump, but it is wide enough for the radian...I prefer to have baby in the center,so should I try a different seat? And if so which would you recommend trying?

wendytthomas · May 27, 2012

I'd try the center first, and see what's going on. First, are you locking the seatbelt? If you are, is the buckle in the way of tightening it? Maybe twisting the female end down up to three full turns would help with that. Maybe the angle adjuster under the seat would get it more upright and change the angle enough so that the install is easier in the middle. Provided your daughter can sit at the angle at which it achieves, it's safe to use.

If those tricks don't work (and feel free to post pictures so we can critique what we see!) then I'd go on the side with LATCH. The center is not safer if you have a lousy install. Good installation always trumps position.

And remember, rear facing is up to 534% safer. The middle is 30-40% safer. So it's a nice bonus, but not required. And a child on the side rear facing is 100% safe.

Wendy

Diono radian for BMW 325 ?

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wendytthomas

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