Question rfing MA65 install questions...tether etc.

[robinl65]

I just have a few of questions for the install of our new MA65, here goes:

1.I have used the seat track on the drivers side of my 99 malibu as the anchor for my top tether, does it matter that the strap is on tiny bit of an angle so it pulls the seat a little bit to the drivers side? Its really not much but I just want to be sure that its done correctly.

2.With the top tether tight it pulls the seat into a bit of the wrong angle vertically (again, not much but I would hate to compromise the safety of a safety seat), any ideas on how to fix this problem? We had a towel rolled under our infant seat to get the correct angle as the vehicle seat dips down quite a bit at the back. I have tried this with the MA but I am having a hard time getting the correct angle.

3.Do I have to use the lock off all the time? I have the seat installed in the middle, lap belt only, old fashioned kind that you manually tighten and loosen, it stays pretty tight on the MA but didnt on the infant seat.

Sorry if any of these questions have obvious answers or I havent given the right info to tell whats wrong, I have done a bunch of reading online, read the manual a few times and watched some videos about rfing tethering and install, sometimes it just isnt clear to me, I might be carseat challenged!

Thanks for any help!

 

[Judi]

I have a 2002 Malibu. Same body.

The tether can be off center, but should not be tight enough to change the angle of the seat. Just take the slack out.

You don't need to use the lock offs.

 

[mommycat]

What Judi said. The tether should not be slack but should not be tight - this as you know changes your install and could also potentially damage the recline mechanism of the seat if it was tight enough. No, you don't need to use the lockoffs if your seatbelt is locked in some other way.

A note on why your infant seat may have been loosening - for that type of latch plate, the belt has to come out of the latchplate at a certain angle in order for it to stay locked, since the way to loosen the belt is to lift up on the latchplate. If the install makes the latchplate sit on too much of an angle away from the belt, it will loosen (as designed) when you don't want it to. The solution is to tigthen the install, unbuckle and flip the latchplate over half a turn and buckle back in upside-down. This also applies to cinching-type latchplates on lap/shoulder belts which are not staying tight on a seat.

You said you were having issues with the angle - is this related just to the tether issue or is it a separate question? If you would like, you can post a picture of your install and we can see if anything is obviously off wrt the angle or anything else.