UGH! New Blvd harness is messed up!

mykidsmylife · Mar 17, 2009

I got my new harness today. I put it on and the clip on the right is backwards. I CANNOT twist it and I CANNOT get it off the harness.
The velcro part will be rubbing against Seths thigh so I can't have that.
I dread calling them back but don't know what else to do.....

Here is a pic... You can see the velco tab that would be on his leg...

horseymom · Mar 17, 2009

I'd call for sure, you can't have that rubbing him

Unregistered · Mar 17, 2009

I'm a novice in how to explain the car seat things and I'm not a tech but I've had a Boulevard for a few yrs and previously the Wizards....

Lift up the cover and look under the shell where the strap goes down. It goes through a hole. You can twist the entire strap around (and subsequently the metal part/buckle). This should solve your problem. You'll have to deal with it every time you wash the carseat cover. Daunting at first but really fairly easy.

Good luck,
Kristen

UlrikeDG · Mar 17, 2009

Unregistered said:
Lift up the cover and look under the shell where the strap goes down. It goes through a hole. You can twist the entire strap around (and subsequently the metal part/buckle).

This is a clever solution, but it would put the velcro on the "wrong side" of the strap, where it would rub the child's leg.

To the OP, I wonder if they sent you two left straps by mistake. I bet if you call them, they'll fix it.

Unregistered · Mar 17, 2009

It won't put the velcro on the wrong side. After extensively reading the manual a couple yrs ago when I had the same problem the velcro is there to hold the belt back so the child isn't sitting on it when you pop them into the seat....a feature I've never bothered to deal with btw. Anyways, it's a little tricky to tell in the pic but it really should work. Give it a go and let me know if it doesn't.
Kristen

mykidsmylife · Mar 18, 2009

I called them. I heart Heather. LOL.
She sent a new kit out today.
I have to say I really really like this harness.

Blondie87 · Mar 18, 2009

I don't understand.. can't you just take the harness back out and flip it and put it in the other way? As far as I knew.. there is no left and right harness, you just have to put it in so the velcro part is on the outside. Sometimes I put it in wrong like that and have to redo it.

mykidsmylife · Mar 18, 2009

Blondie...
If I did that the harness would be twisted.
The buckle tounge does not come off the harness so I can't just flip it or I would....

Judi · Mar 18, 2009

You don't have the take it off. Just fold the strap, then feed the tongue over the fold.

UlrikeDG · Mar 18, 2009

Unregistered said:
It won't put the velcro on the wrong side. After extensively reading the manual a couple yrs ago when I had the same problem the velcro is there to hold the belt back so the child isn't sitting on it when you pop them into the seat....

Blondie87 said:
I don't understand.. can't you just take the harness back out and flip it and put it in the other way? As far as I knew.. there is no left and right harness, you just have to put it in so the velcro part is on the outside.

If the OP turns the harness so the buckle is correct, the velcro will be facing the wrong direction and will rub against the child's leg. If she turns it so the velcro is correct, the buckle will be facing the wrong direction and the strap will have to be twisted in order to buckle it.

Basically, the buckle itself is flipped 180 degrees on the strap from where it should be, and the strap is too thick (or the opening is too narrow) to allow the buckle to be flipped back the right direction. The problem isn't that the STRAP is installed wrong. The buckle is facing the wrong direction ON the strap.

myboysmylife said:
She sent a new kit out today.

Yay, glad to hear it!

Judi · Mar 18, 2009

UlrikeDG said:
If the OP turns the harness so the buckle is correct, the velcro will be facing the wrong direction and will rub against the child's leg. If she turns it so the velcro is correct, the buckle will be facing the wrong direction and the strap will have to be twisted in order to buckle it.

Basically, the buckle itself is flipped 180 degrees on the strap from where it should be, and the strap is too thick (or the opening is too narrow) to allow the buckle to be flipped back the right direction. The problem isn't that the STRAP is installed wrong. The buckle is facing the wrong direction ON the strap.

Yeah, I know. I just fixed that in my vehicle tonight. Just fold the strap and pull the tongue over it. An I missing something? Maybe I need to go play.

UlrikeDG · Mar 18, 2009

I was under the impression that the OP tried that and couldn't get it to flip. I know some buckles are narrower than others. My newest Britax buckle is over 2 years old, so I don't know what changes have been made recently.

Blondie87 · Mar 18, 2009

I can take the buckle part off my harness then put it on the right way I do it all the time... how come yours won't come off?

Judi · Mar 18, 2009

Ok, is the new tongue a lot narrower than the older one? I just turned mine.

Blondie87 · Mar 18, 2009

Judi said:
Ok, is the new tongue a lot narrower than the older one? I just turned mine.

I have 2 new style Boulevards and I haven't tried turning it, but I can easily take the tongues on and off of my straps...

snowbird25ca · Mar 18, 2009

Blondie87 said:
I have 2 new style Boulevards and I haven't tried turning it, but I can easily take the tongues on and off of my straps...

Just an FYI - you probably shouldn't be doing that... the instructions very clearly say to not remove the buckle tongues from the harness - or at least all the manuals I've read thus far have said that.

No clue on what the newest tongues are like, so no clue if the buckle can be flipped or not.

Blondie87 · Mar 18, 2009

snowbird25ca said:
Just an FYI - you probably shouldn't be doing that... the instructions very clearly say to not remove the buckle tongues from the harness - or at least all the manuals I've read thus far have said that.

No clue on what the newest tongues are like, so no clue if the buckle can be flipped or not.

It also says not to remove the adjuster strap, but people do that. I think it's just because a lot of people might not put it back on correctly and the seat can't be guaranteed to be used correctly. But I know I put them back on right. I only do it when I need to take the harness out, or else how would I switch straps and stuff? I guess if I go the opposite way when taking them out, if that's possible, but this is just easier for me.

Jennifer mom to my 7 · Mar 18, 2009

Blondie87 said:
It also says not to remove the adjuster strap, but people do that. I think it's just because a lot of people might not put it back on correctly and the seat can't be guaranteed to be used correctly. But I know I put them back on right. I only do it when I need to take the harness out, or else how would I switch straps and stuff? I guess if I go the opposite way when taking them out, if that's possible, but this is just easier for me.

THe straps come out of the bottom of the seat also. There is no reason to take off the tongues. And I have never heard of someone taking off the adjuster strap. In fact, when there was that recall back in 04? the new adjuster strap had a plastic feed peice on it so you could get it back on. You had to cut the strap in order to get it off (iirc). Just wanted to point that out.

Oh, and the whole buckle tongue in general. The went to the new tongues without the plastic over them. That caused the straps to twist really bad. IIRC, britax said they had those buckles with the metal readily available, and would switch over the the plastic encased buckles when they got them. It is the plastic encasement that makes the britax buckles not twist like some other seats do.

mykidsmylife · Mar 18, 2009

These are new tounges. The metal is coated in plastic. There is NO WAY to take the tounges off or to turn the harness in the tounges. I have tried. LOL.
It WILL NOT HAPPEN..

I wish it was just that easy but it isn't.

I have taken the tounges of the other harness from my new style blvd but it has the metal showing and there is enough room. That harnessed is trashed anyways though.

Splash · Mar 18, 2009

I too am lost about why you can't just unthread the harness, remove the tongue, and put it back on. I've taken my tongues off loads of times, why wouldn't I? Even when you order a new harness, don't they just send the harness itself? They don't sent you a whole new buckle assembly just to change the straps out.

Of course, I can't see MYML's pics, so it might be something completely weird. But that seems very wrong to me.

UGH! New Blvd harness is messed up!

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