Britax Marathon Car Seat Problem

[Vicki]

I'm hoping someone can help. We just recently bought a 2004 Outback
Wagon. Although we love driving the car, we were instantly upset
because we could not safely install our Graco Snug Ride car seat in
the center seat becasue of the seat belt buckles. But our son was
outgrowing it anyway so we went out and purchased the Britax Marathon.

My husband just spent over an hour trying to get it installed. In the
center, the seat would not sit securely becasue the shoulder belt
tilted it to the side. He did get it safely installed behind the
passenger seat using LATCH but it is VERY hard to get my son in and
out (little clearance) and it sits VERY upright.

I've called my police department to get a certified installer to take
a look, but I wanted to see if anyone else had resolved this. I
really want it in the center, as it is safest.

We bought this car because of safety -- the AWD, Onstar, side airbags,
etc. But if my child cannot be put in the safest location (center) I
think we'll end up selling it -- and therefore losing thousands of
dollars.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Top Sirloin]

My husband just spent over an hour trying to get it installed. In the
center, the seat would not sit securely becasue the shoulder belt
tilted it to the side. He did get it safely installed behind the
passenger seat using LATCH but it is VERY hard to get my son in and
out (little clearance) and it sits VERY upright.

If it's too upright you may need to place something under the front of
the seat to change the angle slightly.

Rearward facing car seats, in my experience, are always a pain in the
ass to get at the right angle and make ingress/egress of the child tough.

I've called my police department to get a certified installer to take
a look, but I wanted to see if anyone else had resolved this. I
really want it in the center, as it is safest.

We bought this car because of safety -- the AWD, Onstar, side airbags,
etc. But if my child cannot be put in the safest location (center) I
think we'll end up selling it -- and therefore losing thousands of
dollars.

You're worrying way too much about placing your child in the center of
the rear seat - they're much safer on the side in a seat secured with
LATCH than in the middle in a seat secured with the seatbelt.

What do you think people with two kids do, buy a minivan so both
children can be in the center of each rear seat?

Good luck, I went through 5 car seats for my daughter before I found one
that I thought fit "well" in the back of my 2k Legacy wagon, and
immediately bought another for my son who was about to outgrow his
rearward facing seat.