Okay...4 seats...2 vehicles...what goes where?

[MsFacetious]

If those will fit that's fine, but this car is an 1986. That is for 1987 and up. We are also talking about a 325e not a 325i...I will have to make sure the bolts are the same. Also, we would be installing them. BMW charges $300 to install a tether anchor. We do 99% of the work on these cars ourselves.

I will have my brother look and see if those will fit. I'm not thrilled about only lap belts, since in a year other passengers will be riding in that car... but at least my kids will be safe.

You don't need to play devil's advocate. I've been sitting here in tears almost all day trying to figure out how to keep my kids safe. I can't work. My worthless in laws won't help. If my Dad isn't willing to do it, then I have no choice aside from never leaving the house. Which would then be medically neglecting my children not to mention never letting them play outside.

I only have so many options, I appreciate the help. Today has just been a very bad emotional day I guess. I will go ask my brother about that seatbelt right now.

I wouldn't think it would be terribly pricey to replace just the two rear outboard seatbelts. And, definately trust your gut on the retrofitted LATCH, eek.

On the same token, I want to play devil's advocate a bit. Using a 20 year old seatbelt for just a year would be like using an expired seat for just a year, imo. Fine if you don't get in a crash, but who knows what would happen if you did. Especially with how much stress is put on the belts when you install the carseats, I'd be especially concerned about replacing the two belts the girls will use.

ETA: I looked it up. Lap belt only seat belts are less than $28 a piece to order and then whatever it costs to have them installed. http://www.car-stuff.com/carparts/bmw325i19872006replacementus-sbelt-21.html

 

[BW1426]

If those will fit that's fine, but this car is an 1986. That is for 1987 and up. We are also talking about a 325e not a 325i...I will have to make sure the bolts are the same. Also, we would be installing them. BMW charges $300 to install a tether anchor. We do 99% of the work on these cars ourselves.

I will have my brother look and see if those will fit. I'm not thrilled about only lap belts, since in a year other passengers will be riding in that car... but at least my kids will be safe.

You don't need to play devil's advocate. I've been sitting here in tears almost all day trying to figure out how to keep my kids safe. I can't work. My worthless in laws won't help. If my Dad isn't willing to do it, then I have no choice aside from never leaving the house. Which would then be medically neglecting my children not to mention never letting them play outside.

I only have so many options, I appreciate the help. Today has just been a very bad emotional day I guess. I will go ask my brother about that seatbelt right now.

Sorry, it said 1988 in your first post. Sorry this is turning into such a nightmare for you.

 

[MsFacetious]

Sorry, it said 1988 in your first post. Sorry this is turning into such a nightmare for you.

The 1988 is the one that I'm "experimenting" with installing the seats in. (They have identical backseats so hopefully identical seatbelts too.) The 1986 is the one I will actually be driving (it's still up on jack stands and I'm not that brave.)

My brother says that he's pretty sure that those are the same, but they are going to look into it more. There isn't many differences between the 1987 and 1986 3 series, so we may just have to order it to see if the bolts are the same.

It looks a bit more promising though...so I feel a little better. I will go out later to make sure I can get a good install with the lapbelt as well.

Thanks again.

 

[MsFacetious]

I just asked my Dad about the seatbelts...this was our conversation.

Me: "Is there a way to tell without ordering it and trying, if a lap belt for a 1987 325i would fit wobbles?(the 1986 325e)"

Dad: "I can look it up at the office to see, why?"

Me: "Well I was just looking at the lap only belts for $30. I know better than to look at the $160 lap shoulder belts. I figured we can just go ahead and put in two lap belts and that would hopefully fix the installation issues, as well as put my mind at ease since seatbelts are supposed to be replaced every 10 years."

Dad: "Well if the lap belt in the 1991 3 series would fit we could always put that in there."

Me: "That's more than 10 years old...and that car was crashed full of teenagers..."

Dad: (getting annoyed now) "I know that Chelsae."

Me: "I was just thinking that it would be worth the $60 for my peace of mind. I'm already freaking out about driving the car... knowing that if I ever get t boned my kids are dead regardless of what they are in. It would just make me feel a little better to have new seatbelts at least."

Dad: "Chelsae you just don't get t boned."

Me: "I don't plan to, but if I knew for sure I could never been in an accident then seatbelts wouldn't be an issue in the first place."

Dad: "Well Chelsae you can't plan your life around that accident."

*sigh*

That's his favorite line. He uses it frequently...

 

[TerisBoys]

Just remind him that they're called "accidents" - not "on purposes". Nobody PLANS to be in an accident. Surely my little brother didn't PLAN to wrap his pickup around a tree 15 years ago - but luckily he had the sense to wear his seatbelt daily just in case. A shattered leg and a permanent rod in his leg later he's one of my biggest advocates when people start poo-pooing my carseat obsession.

Tell him if he's going to go to the trouble of retrofitting LATCH, he may as well get 5 point racing harnesses for the girls and install them instead. (JOKING)

 

[MsFacetious]

Tell him if he's going to go to the trouble of retrofitting LATCH, he may as well get 5 point racing harnesses for the girls and install them instead. (JOKING)

Guess what's going in the front seat?

 

[Judi]

Oh, for reals?

 

[MsFacetious]

My brother fully intends to put them in the 1988. I doubt they will go in the 1986 until I'm done with it, I have a feeling I couldn't handle wearing one.

My brother said something about them before Teri did... It's too bad we can't install car seats with harnesses. lol