advice needed :)

ReynasMom

New member
i have decided which seats i am going to get. i need two so i am going to get the boulevard (in cowmooflauge...im so excited!) and the safety 1st true fit.

i read that you can help with telling me where i should tether th britax in my car, rear facing. i have a 2002 saturn L100 and i am hoping to install it in the centre of the seat.

thank you!!
 
ADS

Maedze

New member
Hi :)

Yes, Britax recommends rear facing tethering and will provide information in the manual on how to do it :)


Did you by chance mean The First Years True Fit?
 

JerseyGirl'sMama

New member
Hmmm, I am not sure with your particular vehicle. Can you post pics of the tracks of the front passenger and driver seat, from the backseat? Does that make sense? We should be able to help point out a spot if we can see what you are dealing with. :)
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
We used to have an '02 Saturn L100. If your L100 is exactly like ours was, with manually adjusting front seats, IIRC, the only place I could find to loop the rear facing D-ring tether connector strap for our rear facing Britax Marathon or Boulevard convertibles was around a metal bar that runs horizontally under the front passenger seat. This meant we couldn't move the passenger seat forward or back on its tracks after RF tethering, but we made the parental decision to use it that way because it wasn't possible for us to loop the D-ring connector strap around a recommended fixed point toward the front of the car, like a front seat leg or front seat track. If you're not comfortable with that option or would need to move the passenger seat on its tracks, Britax also allows you to tether rear facing "Australian style/method," directly back over the top of the convertible seat to the tether anchor behind the vehicle seat that would normally be used for a forward facing installation. Australian tethering makes it more difficult to place the kiddo in and out of the rear facing convertible seat, though, with the tether strap positioned over the top of the convertible.
 

ReynasMom

New member
Did you by chance mean The First Years True Fit?

yes i did mean first years lol i knew there was a 'first' somewhere

Can you post pics of the tracks of the front passenger and driver seat, from the backseat??

i can try to do that!

We used to have an '02 Saturn L100. If your L100 is exactly like ours was, with manually adjusting front seats, IIRC, the only place I could find to loop the rear facing D-ring tether connector strap for our rear facing Britax Marathon or Boulevard convertibles was around a metal bar that runs horizontally under the front passenger seat. This meant we couldn't move the passenger seat forward or back on its tracks after RF tethering, but we made the parental decision to use it that way because it wasn't possible for us to loop the D-ring connector strap around a recommended fixed point toward the front of the car, like a front seat leg or front seat track. If you're not comfortable with that option or would need to move the passenger seat on its tracks, Britax also allows you to tether rear facing "Australian style/method," directly back over the top of the convertible seat to the tether anchor behind the vehicle seat that would normally be used for a forward facing installation. Australian tethering makes it more difficult to place the kiddo in and out of the rear facing convertible seat, though, with the tether strap positioned over the top of the convertible.
Yesterday 10:11 PM

i dont like australian method so that out, i will see what you mean. how far up did you have to move the passenger seat? like all the way or just a little bit?
thanks!
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
The metal bar was under the back portion of the front passenger seat and accessible without moving the passenger seat forward at all, IIRC.
 

ReynasMom

New member
The metal bar was under the back portion of the front passenger seat and accessible without moving the passenger seat forward at all, IIRC.

sorry what is IIRC? thats perfect if you dont need to move it forward, nobody adjusts my seats when they get in anyways so not being able to move them after would not be an issue. one more question, were you able to install your seats in the middle of the seat? or was it in an outboard position?
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
By the way, the Safety First True Fit Premier model (the newest version of the True Fit convertible that you're considering) has an anti-rebound bar (ARB for short) that's used for rear facing installation. The ARB helps to prevent rebounding or cocooning toward the back of the vehicle during a crash, similar in concept to the rear facing tethering capability of Britax convertibles. I haven't installed a True Fit in an L100, though, so I can't speak to its compatibility.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Oops, sorry for the texty abbreviation. IIRC = If I remember/recall correctly.

I was able to install the Marathon or its similar sibling, a Boulevard, rear facing (and forward facing, too :)) in the center or outboard behind the front passenger seat in the L100. LATCH installations were pretty much a breeze and having 3 full sets of lower LATCH anchors, with one set of lower anchors dedicated for center installations in the L100, is a nice perk in that car (and a big selling point for us when we bought ours). :D
 

ReynasMom

New member
i would get the premier but i live in canada and we dont have it yet, plus the regular one is on sale this week so thats how i talked my way into two seats!

i didnt have a baby when i got my car but now that i need to consider all these different factors with carseats i am so happy i have it. it does have very good baby friendly features, and the back seat i find is pretty generous!
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Ahh, I didn't realize you were in Canada, whoops. :) We should probably move your thread over to the Canadian and International section of the forum to help prevent any further confusion about available carseat models.
 

mommycat

Well-known member
(Are you planning to install the TF and the BV in the same vehicle? I get the feeling you are putting them in separate vehicles, and hopefully I'm right because I'm not sure you could get the TF and the MA in side by side. Although I don't know how big this car is.)

Keep in mind that RF tethering like Jeanum is describing would be a parental decision, as you would be attaching the tether to a moveable part, which is not recommended. This could potentially have unexpected results in a crash if either the tether attachment fails (making the tether a projectile), if the tether causes the front seat to fail on rebound (potentially having the front seat impact the back of the child restraint) or if the front seat moves forward on it's track and pulls the carseat along with it, over-rotating the seat. This is why Jeanum suggested the Australian method of tethering if you are not comfortable with this option and why she said they "made the parental decision to use it that way). Just wanted to make sure this was clear.
 

ReynasMom

New member
yes they are for separate cars :)
and i still have not made the decision yet but thank you for clarifying the choice that we have and the problems that could arise. i assume jeanum has also outweighed these issues and as a technician would make a good choice.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
It's ultimately your call. I made the parental choice to RF tether that way both before and after becoming a tech, and preferred doing it that way using the bar under the passenger seat over the Australian method or not tethering our RF Britax convertible at all in the L100. :twocents: Rear facing in and of itself provides a substantial safety benefit, and the rear facing tethering capability is extra icing on the cake IMHO.
 

ReynasMom

New member
thanks for all your help jeanum! i went to check the part of the car you are talking about and i think its a good spot, very secure. i picked up my car seat today and if i have anymore questions i'll be back!
 

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