Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 11:50:01 -0900
Reply-To: Mark Tuovinen <aksyncronaut@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Tuovinen <aksyncronaut@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Problem installing a baby seat - caution, long
In-Reply-To: <05bc01caadbf$aaa3f0f0$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
At least one automobile manufacturer(Nissan) offers a seatbelt extension for
those that require it. It will work in some other brands of
vehicles because seatbelts like many auto parts are made by a third party
vendor and there is some level of uniformity between buckles. The Honda
seatbelt issue in the `90's was triggered by faulty buckles made by a
company named Takata whom supplies seatbelts for a number of automobile
manufacturers and they all had recalls because of it. To this day we still
replace these under warranty when they show up. But then again Honda
warranty covers their seatbelts for the useful life of the vehicle if you
can show that the belt is not functioning as designed they will probably
cover it. The gummed up buckles and belts is a real problem and comes from
people living in their cars not just using them for transportation. By
living I mean we spend so much time in them that people eat, groom
themselves, etc, while driving. Honda has a bulletin out for belts that
retract slowly calling for the belt to be fully extended then cleaned with a
mild soap and water or isopropyl alcohol. The power seatbelts attached to
the door frames were a bad idea and I have only seen them on cars produced
around `1989 - `91 after that they seem to have gone the way of the DoDo
bird, Pinto, Chevette, etc, etc, etc.
Mark in AK
On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 12:50 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <
scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> You are absolutely right David,
> no question.
> Absolutely ........any modifications to safety equipment ...technically' we
> never should. For sure, anything done, has to be done very, very well and
> carefully.
> I do think there is some leeway for a rear seat belt that has to be
> designed to keep a 200 pound, or heavier person in place during severe
> decelerations
> ..........since the most a baby seat and baby might weight would be maybe
> 50lbs.
>
> I'd say the chances of using the equipment incorrectly is far, far more
> likely than the parts failing.
>
> Honda had a stink about seat belt failures in their cars.........in the
> 90's possibly, in the U.S.. They did a bunch of research and what they
> concluded basically, is that many Americans are slobs in their cars and the
> seat belt mechanism where getting fouled by food....... bits of hamburgers
> and french fries, or hair or chewing gum. and indeed, I have had to clean
> out horribly impacted hair/goo/chewing/gum who knows what out of a Volvo 240
> seat belt, to get it to function again.
>
>
> and sure, if someone is going to hand sew belt webbing with dental flos,
> and only 8 stiches total... that's not going to work when it counts !
>
> On one of my vans someone made a seat belt extension. If you've ever had a
> really big person in your vanagon passenger's front seat, the seat belt
> won't reach around some really large people. Someone had cleveraly taken a
> seat belt, and made a one foot long male-female seat belt extension.
> the sewing on it looks professional grade. It 'probably' is safe
> ..........probably. In Germany, that likely would not pass an anual
> inspection. I doubt they have big dogs loose in their cars whilte driving
> there either, or diogs sitting on the dash of RV's like we do here. There is
> a TON of lack of safety awareness and consicousness in our culture.
>
> Thanks for pointing out the need to be extremely careful modifyng safety
> equipment.
> As I said ...........officially you should not modify any safety equipment
> on your car.
>
> And using it Intelliigently .........that is by far the bigger challenge.
> Those belts that run on the front window frame, so that the upper part is
> automatically belted when you start the car. those things are a major
> hazzard ! For one, there is no incentive to manually buckle the lower part,
> since 'it looks to cops like you have your seat belt on' and
> Surely.....having only the cross-torso upper part on and not the lap part
> bucked .... has got to be seriously unsafe in any crash. And ........those
> 'mouse track' things ........they've been known to rip off visors.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dave Mcneely" <mcneely4@COX.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2010 1:01 PM
> Subject: Re: Problem installing a baby seat
>
>
> It's taking me a bit of thought to know how exactly to say something that I
>> think is very important regarding this matter of the seat belt and the child
>> seat. Several modifications have been suggested, some of them involving
>> altering the anchor, some of them altering the belt. Scott's is the latest.
>>
>> The seat belt has been engineered and tested for stresses and strains that
>> result from a crash. Which of these modifications have done so? I would
>> be very leery, for example, about resewing a seat belt and expecting it to
>> be as strong as the original. I am sure there are modifications, including
>> some along the lines suggested. I would just want to be absolutely sure the
>> belt as changed is as strong as the original. I guess that goes without
>> saying, and maybe you are all confident that it will be.
>>
>> Sincerely, David McNeely
>>
>> ---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> It wouldn't be impossible to remove that 'too long' female seat belt
>>> end, and shorten it. take it to a place that sews canvas ...... if you cut
>>> open the loop on the end where it joins the metal thing where it bolts to
>>> the body of the van ...and shorten that part. it's just a 30 second job to
>>> re-sew that new end. Nylon thread would be strongest and 'most original.' I
>>> believe. better yet, get a spare to modify .........and have them both on
>>> one seat belt anchoring bolt. the short one for the kid seat, the stock
>>> length one for adults etc.
>>>
>>> I have spare one I can sell, most likely.
>>> Scott
>>> www.turobvans.com
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Markus Benne" <mbenne@M-BASS.COM>
>>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2010 10:42 AM
>>> Subject: Problem installing a baby seat
>>>
>>>
>>> > Hi,
>>> >
>>> > I'm having a problem installing the baby seat. The buckle is at a very
>>> awkward location relative to the baby seat. The problem (really my poor
>>> choice of seat, I guess) is that the Vanagon buckle is about 10" long and
>>> extends past the seat a long way. By buckle I mean the female part of the
>>> seat belt with the push button clasp. I guess I could look at a generic.
>>> >
>>> > Does anyone know where I can get a shorter buckle (6" or 8") that
>>> would work with the vw parts?
>>> >
>>> > Any other ideas?
>>> >
>>> > I'm using the gowesty tether which appears to be pretty good.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Thanks,
>>> > ...Markus
>>>
>>
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