Britax Maxway Plus - what am I doing wrong?

[LokiCokey]

My DD turned 4 a few months ago and I was keen to keep her rear facing so after reading lots of reviews we opted for the Britax Maxway Plus as it seemed very popular on the extended rear facing FB groups.

A few months in and I hate it! It's hard to install so a nightmare if it needs taking out. The tether straps constantly work lose and shifts sideways when I try and tighten her harness straps. Where am I going wrong?

We got her a Joie hb booster for my husbands car as she's not in it much, just the odd nursery pick up, and it makes me wish we'd just gone down that route now!

My DH will kill me (obviously not literally) if I change seats again, plus we can't afford to! Any advice?

Can you go back to your retailer for advice? You can only buy those from specialists, so they should offer support.

Are you getting the seatbelt part really tight ie putting weight into seat as you tighten the belt when installing?

I have the maxway. Something is very wrong. It's absolutely rock solid when installed right and it only takes a couple of minutes once you're used to it.

@BertieBotts bought online from a specialist who has given fitting advice via video call. I can try going back to them but they've previously checked the fit and said it's fine if the green part on the support leg lights up.

I couldn't tether it to the seat rails so had to tether round the front seat which doesn't help!

Something I've just seen on one of the groups is somebody said are you dropping the leg down last of all? That's key apparently as it tightens it all up.

I think in theory tethering round the seat shouldn't be a problem, as long as the seat isn't being moved back and forth? If it's being moved then you'll have to re-tighten the tethers.

These videos are always really good and detailed and include little bits that you might miss otherwise

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@BertieBotts no the seat isn't moved but in that video the woman says she thinks the angle of the tethers when round the seat as opposed to the rails makes it harder to tighten so I'm going to look again to see if there's any possibility of getting them under the rails.

Thanks the videos were great!

Car seat advice UK on Facebook is a fab group!

This might help with the tethers, and another tip I've seen more recently is to get a stiff but not too thick piece of card, like a greetings card or even the product tag if you're installing a brand new car seat, and slide that under the rail, then leave it in place while you slide the tether - as often, the fuzzy kind of material under the rail can cause friction with the fabric tether strap, whereas card slides easily over that and provides a nice smooth surface for the tether strap.

http://erfmission.com/tackle-rear-facing-tether-problem/

http://erfmission.com/you-cant-tether-in-my-car-debunking-myths-3/

I really struggled getting the tethers for this seat under the rails in DH’s car (Golf) but managed using the handle of a teaspoon - if you can kind of poke one edge of the loop through, you can then hook the spoon handle into/ through it and pull the rest through. Was awkward but once they’re in at least they never need to be removed!

I also struggled to tighten the tether straps enough, but I took a tip from a YouTube vid (possibly the one linked above) and did it while kneeling on the passenger seat and reaching round - it’s a much easier angle to pull them. We have 2 max ways in that car now and they are solid.

It's a brilliant seat when it's installed properly - although all the tethered seats aren't meant to be constantly removed, it's a pain in the arse, they advise fitting tethers in the cars that you might need it in instead.

We used a butterknife to get the tethers through the seat rails and that got it in pretty well. We were advised not to get it if it couldn't go through the seat rails, but that it would on most cars - ours was an absolute pain, there was barely any clearance on one side, and we've got a three-door car right now so I'm basically sitting in the glove box, but it works, just about - and my 16 month old is safe, and loves his carseat.

If she's only 4, she's infinitely, infinitely safer in the Maxway plus than in a HB booster. It might be far easier to get her into the booster, but god forbid, if you're ever in an accident, the difference in impact on her will be huge.

Ok thanks everyone, I think I am going to have to see if I can get it under the rail as this seems to be the issue!

Hello, do you have to constantly readjust? I when I install its very sturdy but as the days go by it’s so so loose and wobbling all over the place, so I have to undo the blue clips and tether clips and start again by wiggling the chair back into position and retightening. It’s a Ford focus I drive an old one. maybe that’s why? The floor rails aren’t the same length, so one tether gets tightened shorter than the other.

@LeaB8 I'd also suggest to go back to your retailer for support as a first port of call. Other than that the suggestions people have tried here may help :)

If it's the blue clip loosening I have heard you can put a piece of thin material between the seatbelt and the clip to increase tension there.

@LeaB8 constantly adjusting, I really didn't get on with the seat at all. It got me an extra year rear facing and I've now gone over to a hhb.

*hbb