# Car Seat ? - Marathon tether



## NWmt_mama (Jul 22, 2005)

How important is the Britax Marathon tether for rear facing installation? Our car (Honda Element) doesn't have anywhere for the tether to attach! The manual says "installation can be improved by the use of the Versa-Tether"

Thanks in advance!


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## sheilajolene (Oct 11, 2006)

I can't tell you what the safety rating is or the statistics on this. I can tell you that I was in a bad car accident with ds a while back. It was a couple of days after we'd installed the marathon. I was very lucky that it was tethered. It was a fairly high-speed collision (45 mph for me, higher for the other driver) and I was struck head on by a driver who'd fallen asleep. The force of the accident caused the car seat to move about 12 inches. It did spin slightly in the crash, but the tether kept it from really rotating all the way around. One of the fireman at the scene told me that the car seat would have most likely spun entirely around and who knows what after, had it not been tethered. I don't like to think about it, but I know that having it tethered is what probably really saved ds.

Do you have safety inspectors in your area? There must be *some* way to do this. If not, at least the inspector can make it as safe as possible without the tether.


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## mom2anangel (May 17, 2007)

Check under both of the front seats, there should be a bar of some sort that runs along the bottom of the seat. If your teather hook won't fit around it check out Britax's web site they seel a tearther atachement loop thing. Our car seat came with the loop thing. Good luck!


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

I'm sure there's a place









You simply need to find an immovable part of the car in front of the seat, loop the D ring around it, and attach the top tether to that. The rearfacing tether is not required, but is a huge safety factor. I would definitely use it.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

It's optional, but I always use it.

As mentioned, it's easy to find a place once you know what you're looking for.

In some SUVs and vans I've tethered to an immovable bar under the seat the carseat is on.

-Angela


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## midwestmeg (Jul 10, 2005)

Find a tech and ask for help! The stability of the carseats is improved so much by the tether. Once you know what to look for, you'll always be able to find something.

My best tether spot has been where my dad bolted/welded D rings onto the frame of his Trooper for his dogs. Worked great for my carseat!









sheilajolene; SO glad you and babe were okay!







: wow.


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## iot (Aug 1, 2006)

I'm glad to find this thread because I've been wondering about tether straps too. What about carseats that are front-facing? do they require or benefit significantly from having the tether strap? I'm asking because my car does not have a place to attach the tether on the back (i.e. for front-facing car seat), and there's nothing else I could attach it too. When I mentioned this to my pediatrician, she said I may be able to contact the car manufacturer (Toyota, in my case) to have a hook for the tether installed in the car. Anybody has heard of this, or has any experience with this? any thoughts?

Also, the seat belt I use for the car seat is not lap-only, but rather the type that runs across the shoulders. Does this make a difference? I think the manual of the carseat indicates that the tether is only required if there is a lap-belt only.

Thanks in advance!


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## NWmt_mama (Jul 22, 2005)

Thank you so much for all of your responses. We'll do some more searching in the car! I never thought about looking under the seat it's attached to. I'm sure we can find something. I thought it had to be under the front seat area. Thank you!!

sheilajolene, wow.







Thanks for sharing your experience. It seems the tether is more important than I thought.

I'll contact our local car tech (not my fav person in the world), as a last resort!

I had no idea this forum (Family Safety) existed, either. Cool!


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## Synchro246 (Aug 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *iot* 
I'm glad to find this thread because I've been wondering about tether straps too. What about carseats that are front-facing? do they require or benefit significantly from having the tether strap? I'm asking because my car does not have a place to attach the tether on the back (i.e. for front-facing car seat), and there's nothing else I could attach it too. When I mentioned this to my pediatrician, she said I may be able to contact the car manufacturer (Toyota, in my case) to have a hook for the tether installed in the car. Anybody has heard of this, or has any experience with this? any thoughts?

Also, the seat belt I use for the car seat is not lap-only, but rather the type that runs across the shoulders. Does this make a difference? I think the manual of the carseat indicates that the tether is only required if there is a lap-belt only.

Thanks in advance!

Lots of people have the dealer install them, it's no biggie & it's well worth it


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## J-Max (Sep 25, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *midwestmeg* 

My best tether spot has been where my dad bolted/welded D rings onto the frame of his Trooper for his dogs. Worked great for my carseat!










Just had to comment on this - you should NEVER NEVER NEVER weld on a car frame! Frames are tempered after they are built and when you weld on them (unless done in a car shop and with very special equipment and technique) it actually weakens the frame in that spot and makes if much more likely to tweak or break if you were in an accident. Just an FYI from a car and welding dork


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## NWmt_mama (Jul 22, 2005)

Just wanted to update! We were able to attach the tether under the seat the carseat is sitting on.

THANKS for the help!!


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NWmt_mama* 
Just wanted to update! We were able to attach the tether under the seat the carseat is sitting on.

THANKS for the help!!

Britax doesn't allow this form of RF tethering. You need to attach to an immovable object in the car that is NOT the seat the carseat is on.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
Britax doesn't allow this form of RF tethering. You need to attach to an immovable object in the car that is NOT the seat the carseat is on.

Is that specified in the manual? (I believe you, just don't remember it...)

thanks!

-Angela


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Just re-read the manual and can find NOTHING that says it has to be on a different seat. In fact it shows an "Australian" tether (weird way to do it, never tried it myself) that goes to a tether on the back of the seat it's in.

In my dad's Pilot, the only place to tether is the same seat.... Perhaps I'll email britax.

-Angela


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Is that specified in the manual? (I believe you, just don't remember it...)

thanks!

-Angela

I don't remember









I just remember reading an advisory from Britax about it. They do specify the two types of 'acceptable' tethering...either behind the seat to an immovable object (Swedish) or over the seats head towards the back of the car (Australian). (The second one is a real PITA, makes it difficult to adjust the RF angle, and I don't recommend it)


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
I don't remember









I just remember reading an advisory from Britax about it. They do specify the two types of 'acceptable' tethering...either behind the seat to an immovable object (Swedish) or over the seats head towards the back of the car (Australian). (The second one is a real PITA, makes it difficult to adjust the RF angle, and I don't recommend it)

Yeah, the overhead one is a PITA... BUT in one of the boulevard manuals (there are two for after they changed the tether...) it specifically shows the overhead tethering going to a tether point on the back of the seat the carseat is installed in.

If you find any link to where that isn't allowed I'd be interested







We've used that a couple of times now, as there is NOWHERE else to tether to in the Pilot (nothing under the seat in front and I'm GOOD at finding anchor points)

(just to clarify, I'm tethering towards the front of the car, just using the overhead as an example of them saying using the same seat is okay.)

-Angela


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I'd be interested to know as well if you e-mailed Britax Angela, I tether DD2's MA to a bar under her seat. I read the manual front and back and didn't see anything about it not tethering it that way, and the only places on the front seats are major PIA, like I have to pry plastic off the seat and dig around.







:


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I haven't yet.... might try to tonight.

-Angela


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

I'll see what I can dig up. I swear I am not losing my mind


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
I'll see what I can dig up. I swear I am not losing my mind









Oh, I believe you! I just hate issues like this where the manual isn't clear.

-Angela


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Oh, I believe you! I just hate issues like this where the manual isn't clear.

-Angela

Clear manual writing, unfortunately, is not Britax' forte


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
Clear manual writing, unfortunately, is not Britax' forte

















Yeah. Don't I know it.... and they're still better than many.

-Angela


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## alaskaberry (Dec 29, 2006)

I haven't tethered mine either, I have an 85 Subaru. I need to do it before winter though, the roads out here aren't the greatest. Of course, my lo is 23 lbs so I *could* put him frontal-facing, but I just don't feel comfy with that. But where the f* I'm supposed to tether it, I have no clue! Sorry to piggyback (I think that's the right word for it?) your thread.


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## midwestmeg (Jul 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alaskaberry* 
I haven't tethered mine either, I have an 85 Subaru. I need to do it before winter though, the roads out here aren't the greatest. Of course, my lo is 23 lbs so I *could* put him frontal-facing, but I just don't feel comfy with that. But where the f* I'm supposed to tether it, I have no clue! Sorry to piggyback (I think that's the right word for it?) your thread.

I think that you could tether RF by going to one of the places where the front seat attaches.... that's where I have mine in the Subaru and it was checked out and okay'd by my car seat tech. Look at the carseat manual; it might help.

(Jessmcg; my father is a professional mechanic with a shop and appropriate tools, FWIW. Now, did he intend that I would fasten a carseat to the d-ring? Probably not, but I took 'something' over 'nothing' as far as a place to fasten my seat.







Stuff like that just happens IRL.







)


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## MichelleAnnette (Aug 20, 2006)

Thank you all for this thread. Our Boulevard was not tethered and I felt like it was not secure every time I got in the car. We had it installed by a car seat tech before ds was born, and I assumed they knew what they were doing. I just had my husband go tether it. It's in the middle and tethered to the bottom of the drivers seat, but I suppose that's better than nothing.


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## NWmt_mama (Jul 22, 2005)

Just to add . . . the tether is not technically attached to the seat, but a ring below it where the seat attaches to the floor.

I would be curious to see what Britax says. I know we can do some of the other tethering techniques behind the seat, if absolutely necessary.

Thanks again, everyone!


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## niki_73 (Oct 6, 2004)

Our Marathon came with a strap that has a ring on it that you can loop around things (like the bars that are under the seat of many new cars) but in my old durango we couldn't find anything to loop it around so we took it to the dealer and go them to unbolt one of the seat bolts and put a tether mount in and he bolt it. it worked great. Fortunatly my new nitro has those bars under the seat.


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