Can't get new covers, can we still used them?

[sorry, title error should be "use them"]

There are no new covers to be had for my Combi Avatars through Combi or elsewhere that I can find. These seats have 7 year expirations, so 3 years left. A while back the covers fell apart on both seats and so I traced out and made some new ones with some fabric I had. I have since found out that you are not supposed to do this. It seems like such a waste to have two good seats with 3 years of life left just sit unused and have to buy new ones. DS1 will outgrow the Avatar soon (the handmade covers are less padded and gave him a little more room) and DS2 will grow into it soon (the harness won't tighten down enough for him yet because of the lost padding). They are nice seats. DS1 uses them right now and DS2 is in a Peg-Perego which will soon be outgrown because his head is less than 2 inches from the top of the seat. What's the verdict? Can we use them this way, should we keep them for back up / occasional use, or do we just have to give them up?

By using them with homemade covers....the manufacturer will have no liability should they fail in a crash. Plus I'm guessing they haven't been treated with flame retardant that extends the time before the seats catch on fire should you have a fire in the car.

I would say that no you can't use them.

Susan

Didn't you call Combi? What did they say about them?

Yeah, I called Combi and they didn't have any more. They said I could go to a craft store and get some batting to sew up the old covers (which doesn't solve the problem). I said "what if that wouldn't work or I couldn't do that" and they said that "sorry" I would just have to buy some new seats then.

What a bummer. But I'd say get new seats. You'll need a new seat for DS eventually anyways as the Avatar only goes to 40 pounds. If it were me, I'd get a Sunshine Kids Radian for DS1 and a Britax Roundabout (or better yet a Marathon!) for DS2. The new Roundabouts/Marathons RF to 35 pounds which is a huge plus.

Personally, I wouldn't have a huge problem with them being used as back up seats especially since the new covers have less padding than the originals so compression and ejection isn't an issue.

I do have a couple questions, as it might change my recommendation as to what seats to get. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Do you plan of having more children? What is your new seat budget?

I know the official position is 'no after market covers'... period.

One issue is the liability issue that someone else mentioned. Another issue is the concern that the harness won't move or fit the way it is supposed to, because the after market cover might not fit the seat properly. Another concern is the lack of fire-retardancy of the replacement cover.

Since you sewed the replacement covers yourself, using the originals as pattern pieces (if I understand your post correctly), you will know if you did a good and accurate job -- if so, I don't really believe your replacement covers would cause problems with the harness. Do your replacement covers stay neatly on the seat or do they bunch up and 'travel'? Does the harness run freely and accurately through the slots? You also say that your replacement covers have less padding than the originals, so you are not adding compression/ejection hazards.

You should consider how you feel about the liability and fire-retardancy issues. Frankly, I'm not sure how fire-retardant an official cover is, after it has been washed a few times... and washing the official covers is pretty much always allowed in the manuals. Liability issues are worth considering, but liability is an after-the-fact legal concept -- it doesn't actually affect the performance of the carseat in an accident.

I know I'm giving a wishy-washy answer. If you had bought your replacement covers from some unknown person on ebay, it would be a clear 'no'. However, since you measured and sewed them yourself, I think there is more leeway for you to make your own decision. I would certainly keep these seats as backup seats, even if you decide you are uncomfortable with them as primary seats.

Katrin

The official position is that no, you can't use them. And especially since you write that the covers affect the way the kids fit in the seats, I'd go along with the official position on this one.

The covers fit pretty well, they just slide off the lower side wing when I put him in sometimes, but then I just pull it back over once he's in.

We drive a 2006 Corolla. Grandma had bought DS1 a Recaro Young Sport for his birthday in 2 weeks, but there was a problem with it and had to send it back. I believe they are sending her a new one. An idea I was kinda tossing around in my head was to get a Triumph Advance for DS2 and then, if DS1 got to be 40 lbs too soon, to switch them. Does that sound doable? We plan on having another child, but in probably a few years. We can fit someone else in the back seat right now (a smaller adult) and would like to still be able to if possible. I don't know if that will be possible with an EFTA, though. I tried a Radian in my car at a local store, but I couldn't fit it RF with the proper angle and it didn't seem like it had that much side protection.

I would use them. I am not so concerned with the flame retardants, since they come out once you wash the original covers any way. If you like your cpvers and want to keep using the seats then use your judgement. I have made plenty of after market covers and my kids like them.