23 replies to this topic

[Dan]

I meant to say, but forgot with all that waffle, two points and no top tether or leg, and without a baby seat moulded to fit the car seat exactly with hard points in the seat, isn't safe. The seats will tip forward in a crash because the links act as a hinge and the car seat cushion will squash under the child seat.

[Carlos W]

I have a Maxi Cosi family fix base which has the leg and all sorts of warning lights to tell you the seat is properly fitted.

 

I'm currently trawling Ebay looking for another base (I would never buy a second hand seat)

 

This system means I can buy one seat and swap it between our 2 daily cars by using a base in each car and then just swapping the seat.

 

It was recommended to me by my sister who is on to her second child with it.

 

The next seat up which is the maxi cosi pearl is meant to be suitable for up to 4 years old and also fits the familyfix base.

 

The Ibiza is a 2012 car and I've never seen the anchor point (although I've never looked)

[Carlos W]

I meant to say, but forgot with all that waffle, two points and no top tether or leg, and without a baby seat moulded to fit the car seat exactly with hard points in the seat, isn't safe. The seats will tip forward in a crash because the links act as a hinge and the car seat cushion will squash under the child seat.

 

Cheers Dan, I didn't know about the top tether, it makes me even happier about the familyfix base.

[Dan]

Yes that'll be fine then. As long as the bigger seat uses the base and leg it'll work properly. by the way, the tether point will be in the boot in a hatch, on the seat back.

[Carlos W]

Yes that'll be fine then. As long as the bigger seat uses the base and leg it'll work properly. by the way, the tether point will be in the boot in a hatch, on the seat back.

 

Is that the thing I've been using to tie mini engines to when I put them in the back of the mazda to stop them rocking about? (Joking)

 

It may be that I never fit it, as I imagine progress on the mini will grind to a halt when the baby arrives, and I've kind of taken over this topic (sorry to the OP) but hopefully it's all relevant.

 

In answer to the OPs original question, it is possible, but it depends on the base you are going to use (thanks Dan) and it would have to be properly engineered. I suppose you would have to inform your insurance company too, but do people do this if they retro fit rear belts? They are (kind of) tested at MOT time if fitted at least

[tiger99]

Yes, you should tell your insurance company of anything that may affect risk, or their perception of risk, and I would expect them to ask for an engineers report to show that the installation is ok. But I don't think there are other legal issues, because you are fitting a new safety device into an old car, where it was not legally required, or ever available. Removing a device installed after the date when it became a legal requirement would be wrong, of course.

 

Please be aware that young children should be much less massive than the average adult (there seem to be a few sad exceptions these days!), so in a survivable accident the load on the Isofix mount will be much less than a standard seat belt, so fitting it as per a normal seat belt mount is strong enough, no need to re-invent the Forth Bridge! Approximately replicating a standard Mini rear lower mount, possibly in a different lateral position, arranged to feed the load into the lower edge of the seat back and adjacent floor, will be OK. The seat back and parcel shelf should be strong enough for the top tether, but if in doubt, add some seam weld.

 

Adding non-standars adult belts, or standard belts to a model of car which never had them, is another matter altogether. You may need to be able to hold a load of about 2 to 3 tonnes, depending on the angle that the belt makes with the mounting area. The limit of survivability involves a peak load of around 15kN in the chest strap, or at least it did when my work involved instrumenting crash test dummies a long time ago. If you are in that situation, you need to find yourself a real expert in the field, or copy accurately from an identical car that has been modified and passed some sort of inspection.

[chrisf]

Yes that'll be fine then. As long as the bigger seat uses the base and leg it'll work properly. by the way, the tether point will be in the boot in a hatch, on the seat back.

 
Is that the thing I've been using to tie mini engines to when I put them in the back of the mazda to stop them rocking about? (Joking)
 
It may be that I never fit it, as I imagine progress on the mini will grind to a halt when the baby arrives, and I've kind of taken over this topic (sorry to the OP) but hopefully it's all relevant.
 
In answer to the OPs original question, it is possible, but it depends on the base you are going to use (thanks Dan) and it would have to be properly engineered. I suppose you would have to inform your insurance company too, but do people do this if they retro fit rear belts? They are (kind of) tested at MOT time if fitted at least

No need to say sorry this thread had been billiant thanks to everyone who had posted everything you asked Carlos has been very relevant

[Carlos W]

I've actually bought a bar from another vehicle which has 2 isofix mounts on it.

I'll let you know how I get on

[klivins]

I had also looked into possibility to retrofit isofix mounts in my mini. But all isofix compatible seats I looked at are so massive they simply don't fit in the mini. With 2 kids and 3 cars, plus all grandparents, who often takes kids out in their cars our baby seat arrangement is too messy. The best for mini are small and cheap American version baby seats we purchased while spending 4 months in the USA. They utilise isofix like mounting points but using special belt supplied, and also are compatible to fix by normal seatbelt. So, when we got those, I abandoned idea of isofix in our mini.