UPDATE: Pics of damage from EFTA knobs

Mommy0608

New member
A week or so ago I posted that my EFTA was damaging the vehicle seat fabric. Here are the pictures I promised. The first is a close-up, the second is from farther away so you can see how big it is, relative to the seatbelt. The EFTA is outboard on the passenger side, and the vehicle seat is contoured so that the knob and red tab dig into the seat. I've tried reinstalling so that the knob doesn't hit the seat so much, but can't get it to work. I ended up putting painters tape over the worn spot, and a piece of duct tape on top of that (didn't want the duct tape on the fabric because of the residue, but was afraid the painters tape would rip under the pressure). Hopefully this prevents further damage.

The third picture I've attached is damage from the SS1 base. The front edge of the SS1 digs into the vehicle seat, and has left a few lines (different lines from different recline angles; I've installed it more upright as Tyler gets older). I also used the same fix here (tape). Oh, and the SS1 base is uninstalled in the picture, and the seatbelt has been moved aside to show the lines. Am I installing TOO tight? I'm not using superhuman strength, I'm actually a pretty small person but I happen to like rock-the-vehicle-solid installations. :p

OH, and the vehicle is a 2003 Honda Civic EX sedan.
 
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TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
That sucks. :( I can totally see the EFTA doing this in certain vehicles. I reviewed it awhile back and it surely would have damaged the seats in both vehicles I tried it in (one vehicle it dug into really bad).

Our SS1 dug into the side bolsters of the seat of our new vehicle as well. Our prior vehicle had flatter seats so it wasn't an issue. The new vehicle was more of a pain to install because the base was too wide to fit between the bolsters, which meant the seat took up MORE room front to back than it did in the prior, SMALLER vehicle! Luckily it was only in our new vehicle for 5 months before she outgrew it. When I removed it, there were dents in the seat, but they are leather and bounced back nicely. I could see it being a problem if the seat had been there longer.
 

valleyfam

New member
Wow! I've had two Evenflo Triumphs for almost 6 years now (yes I know they expire later this year and I will be replacing them) that have spent a good portion of their lives installed rf in various vehicles and I have never seen such!:eek: I would definitely email Evenflo if for nothing else but to make them possibly rethink the design. May I ask how old is your vehicle? Does if have any sun damage to the seat? Was just wondering if some type of sun rot worsened the problem. Again I'm just floored! Thanks for sharing I may take the EFTA out of consideration for the replacement of my old two. Just wow!

ETA: Oopps I see where you said 2003. Not on old seat at all! Your vehicle is newer than any of the vehicles mine have been installed in.
 

Mommy0608

New member
It's a 2003 Civic, no sun damage. :( (Sorry, left out vehicle info from original post but I just went back and edited to add it).

I will be sending these pictures to Evenflo to see what they say about it.
 

urchin_grey

New member
Wow, that sucks. The scenera has totally torn my seats up too. My car is older though so its not that big a deal for me. I hate to see that happen to a new car though. :(
 

stjemmes

New member
I use two crib mattres pads to protect my SUV from the three seat I have installed. It works great and is spill proof too. VERY CHEAP!!!!

I'm sorry that happened to you. Have you done anything else besides tape to make sure your seats are safe from your car seats???
 

Mommy0608

New member
I use two crib mattres pads to protect my SUV from the three seat I have installed. It works great and is spill proof too. VERY CHEAP!!!!

I'm sorry that happened to you. Have you done anything else besides tape to make sure your seats are safe from your car seats???

I don't put anything under my seats because it can be a safety issue. I'm hoping the tape over the worn spots will at least prevent it from getting worse. :(
 

Melizerd

New member
wow that does suck. It's not a secret that I'm not a fan of the knobs in general and those pictures solidify it for me.
 

Maedze

New member
I use two crib mattres pads to protect my SUV from the three seat I have installed. It works great and is spill proof too. VERY CHEAP!!!!

I'm sorry that happened to you. Have you done anything else besides tape to make sure your seats are safe from your car seats???

Oh dear. This is a huge safety issue! You never, ever, EVER put anything under a car seat other than a very thin towel or sheet. A crib mattress pad is THICK, and VERY dangerous.

It affects the quality of the install and can cause serious issues in an accident. I urge you to remove those immediately!
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
I don't put anything under my seats because it can be a safety issue. I'm hoping the tape over the worn spots will at least prevent it from getting worse. :(

The woman I work with won't use anything that could mess with the install, or endanger the child. She's been doing this for eons. She says it is ok to use a certain kind of pad... bought at a fabric store. It's fairly thin, and squashes nicely. But "think" enough to protect the seat. I'll ask her again what it is called.
 

Mommy0608

New member
The woman I work with won't use anything that could mess with the install, or endanger the child. She's been doing this for eons. She says it is ok to use a certain kind of pad... bought at a fabric store. It's fairly thin, and squashes nicely. But "think" enough to protect the seat. I'll ask her again what it is called.

Putting something under the seat won't help anyway, it's the knobs that are doing the damage.

Worth checking into though, for those who choose to have something under their seats.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Putting something under the seat won't help anyway, it's the knobs that are doing the damage.

Worth checking into though, for those who choose to have something under their seats.

I was thinking maybe you could put some of the foam between the knob and the seat :) Do you adjust the harness often? Or this is just from it sitting and pushing into the seat?
 

Mommy0608

New member
I was thinking maybe you could put some of the foam between the knob and the seat :) Do you adjust the harness often? Or this is just from it sitting and pushing into the seat?

Oh okay, that makes sense, but we do adjust the harness daily (almost daily anyway) so it might not stay wedged in there well. If the tape doesn't hold up, maybe I'll try something like that. I suppose I could tape a piece of it on there.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I use the ones that are posted above. They are very thin but protect the seats. A towel is much thicker.
Oh good :thumbsup: (working at BRU has given me great appreciation for the number of products that might be called 'crib pads', I had a feeling I was on to something :D)
 

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