Child seat in your Mercedes question..

[BauhnBuster]

I bought my 500E because I needed a family car but I was not going to sacrifice power and performance. I need to get a car seat in the back but I cannot find a place to put the bolt that the strap attaches to. In Canada, it is law to have the bolt for the strap. Anyone have any input about my predicament? I personally feel the seatbelt and seatbelt lock is enough but I never want to compromise my son's safety. TIA.

Shaun

[sixto]

Have you asked the dealer? I'm sure they get this question all the time.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

[Limited Edition]

It sounds like you are talking about the LATCH system. The L.A.T.C.H. system was not required until 1997 so your 500E may not have it.

[JCE]

With a 500E rear buckets you will need a hole for bolt attachment located on either side of the car center line. If I look inside the trunk and under the rear shelf area, my w124 body has several small holes viewable from inside the trunk that are near the rear seat headrest area, midway between the rear speaker and first aid kit. I can see the bottom of the felt-like fabric wehich covers the shelf through these holes. I imagine one of these could be enlarged to accept a child seat anchor bolt. But I share your skepticism about how much additional safety this strap will afford in most real life accidents, short of a complete car rollover.

[BauhnBuster]

JCE, my car has an amp behind the drivers side rear seat and the CD stacker behind the passenger. I was looking pretty hard for a place to put the hole but I also don't want to butcher the car.

Have you asked the dealer?

I have enquired to the dealer and they will look at it when I pick up my CD changer (getting fixed).

[sixto]

Can you use the rear headrest posts as a tether point?

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

[BauhnBuster]

Hey Sixto. I was thinking that too. Those headrests are pretty solid so you think they would be OK, eh? I am going to look at those today. Cheers!

Shaun

[Benzwood]

Eek, I wouldn't attach it to the head rests. They aren't designed for that, and who knows what might happen in a crash.

If you have just one car seat (NOT booster seat) I would put it in the center and attach it with the lap belt. That belt works better with car seats and your kid will be also be well-protected from side impact intrusions.

I think he'd be very safe there in your 500E compared to a lot of other cars with an attachment point. Assuming you're not testing the limits of that power/performance at the same time, of course, hehe.

By the way, keep your car safe too... get a mat to go under the car seat, especially if it is one with metal bars underneath. Otherwise it will dent your leather and/or lift the finish. Not to mention the inevitable gooey spill. Hmm... now that I think about it, if it was my 500E I'd put a tarp over the entire back seat!

The Mighty-Tite Super Mat is nice... I bought one mail order a couple years back for something like $20 I think.

Mighty-Tite Stuff

[blackmercedes]

DON'T USE THE HEADREST!

For $40 or so, your local dealer will install the proper child seat tether anchor. Required by ALL makes and models from 1988 on. There are special mounting spots in the parcel shelf of your car.

[BauhnBuster]

If you have just one car seat (NOT booster seat) I would put it in the center and attach it with the lap belt. That belt works better with car seats and your kid will be also be well-protected from side impact intrusions.

I have the center console with the beautiful wood compartment. I am out of luck there

"DON'T USE THE HEADREST!

For $40 or so, your local dealer will install the proper child seat tether anchor. Required by ALL makes and models from 1988 on. There are special mounting spots in the parcel shelf of your car."


blackmercedes, that is what I am going to do. Thanks again everybody.

Shaun

[erubin]

MB has some TSBs for installing a child seat anchor for some of their pre tether capable models. I have the TSB for my car (82 300D)

Check Alldata.com, go to "Recall and Technical Service Bulletins" and plug in your year and model. Scroll through the TSB list and if there is one and you're interested you can jot down the TSB number and title and beg your dealer to print it for you.

[blackmercedes]

That's good news, as the tether certainly increases the safety of a toddler sized car seat. In Canada, we mandated that all cars have tether mounting locations beginning in 1988, but many cars had them prior to that.

In 2000, all cars had to have the tether mounts pre-installed and the LATCH system in place.

For true MB nuts, MB Canada offers infant and booster seats (no toddler seat) that have the BabySmart system. I was forced one day to have my daughter in the front thanks to an odd load that had to go in the back seat. The BabySmart worked like a charm.

[BauhnBuster]

Hey guys. I had the job done at MB and the part was $30.00 and half an hour labour. Worth every penny because the job is done right (and looks good) and you can't put a price on the safety of our children Thanks for all your help

Shaun