Booster seat anchor bolts already fitted in car - problems?

**quirkymum** · 09-01-2011 14:05

Hi. We have a 2008 Toyota Aurion. It's fitted with 3 anchor bolts across the back shelf. The shelf is designed so that the plastic overhangs the bolts a bit, making them impossible to remove. I have a new, 4-star-safety-rated booster seat which goes up to 26kg, and comes with its own anchor bolts, which are angled to 45 degrees, and obviously tested up to the weight of the seat plus 26kg child.
The anchors that come with the car are at a 90 degree angle and I have no idea what weight they have been safety tested to (all car manual says is don't use for harness on adult). ALSO, it is damned near impossible to unhook the clip from these anchors because of the angle.
So, the issues are: a) can't remove the bolts if we wanted to.
b) don't know if the anchors are safe enough for what we want to use them for c) we want to remove them so we can replace them with the bolts that are supplied (and therefore tested to Australian standards with) with the seat.
Does anyone have any information that may help?
Saz (Quirkymum)

**Seacretsquirrel** · 09-01-2011 14:47

would think that not to be used for an adult would mean not to be used for those racing type harness thingos - that race car drivers use not for using the anchor points for a child restraint! - we are talking about a restraint to hold up to 32 kgs not an adult who could weigh up to 100kg plus.

O am not 100% but I doubt you would have much luck getting the built in ones out (someone else might know more) - though the plastic over hangy bits can come off (I accidentally pulled one of my mums mazda and it cliped back in no worries). I can see the ones in cars being tested for less than the max weight for child restraints.
Most car seats come with the anchor point these days (hence why we have 3 or 4 or the things floating around the place) it doesn't mean that they are better (or worse) than the ones that are fitted to the car its just that not all cars come with the bolts so the car seat manufacturers include them with the seat so people can use them straight away rather than having to go out and buy a separate bolt!
HTH

**TripleTime** · 09-01-2011 14:57

The points that are in the car don't come out, they are part of the car itself. The points that came with the seats are for if the car doesn't have any points.

For any car to be sold in oz it needs to pass aust standards. There for the points in the car have passed the standards.

If you are unsure about installing the seat yourself, pay someone to do it.

**Pina Colada** · 09-01-2011 15:00

The anchor points that come with the car are fine. The ones that come with the car seats are only if they are needed.

I sympathise though, because our car has 90deg angle ones, and they are a b!tch!!

**quirkymum** · 10-01-2011 20:33

I asked NRMA, they said bolts are supposed to be accessible (to get ours out, you have to take out the parcel shelf, or break off bits of it - I wasn't talking about the little clips that open up so you can attach the strap - you can see the bolts, but there is a little strip of plastic which runs over the top of them). They told me to ask a designated child seat installer - the one I asked said he'd never seen anchors like that before. So I went to Toyota, and they couldn't find out what the load-bearing capacity is. They looked in a 2010 car, and it had the same anchors, so we came to the conclusion that they probably are tested to the maximum weight of 32kgs or whatever. Hope so!
Saz.

**mrsdj1234** · 11-01-2011 08:41

For a car produced post 1995, to meet Australian Safety standards to actually be registered, it must contain anchor bolts. The ADRs state that they must be able to withstand loads imposed by correctly fitted child restraints, and under no circumstances should they be used for adult seatbelts.

Link to relevant ADR

**mrsdj1234** · 11-01-2011 08:43

Originally Posted by quirkymum

I asked NRMA, they said bolts are supposed to be accessible

By this they would mean that you should be able to access the ring part of the bolt in order to attach the child restraint.

**Nay82** · 01-02-2011 17:58

Hi all,

I have a Holden astra 2001 Hatchback that I love to bits. I am having my first baby in July.

I was wondering if it was possible to put a car seat in the back behind the passenger seat, without the straps going through the back of the boot and preventing me from been able to put a pram in the back.

Hopefully someone can help as I really dont want to have to sell it.

appreciate any feedback!

**TripleTime** · 01-02-2011 18:58

Nay- no there isn't sorry, but with the seat being on the passengers side you can slide the pram from the right hand side of the car toward the left or get an extension strap (high chance you will need to anyways) & unclip it when the pram goes in & out of the car. If you look at a maclaren pram, you'll be able to put it in the car with ease, not undo the strap & still have heaps of boot space left.

**myhusbandswife** · 01-02-2011 19:47

I sold my astra for that reason. I had no worries with it with 1 car seat. Just slid it under the anchor strap but now im expecting my second and i thought it would be a pain in the butt to have 2 straps across the boot.

I called Holden and also spoke to 2 authorised restraint fitters and they said theres no where else the bolts can go. The Holden guy even told me to upgrade to a newer astra lol