Car seats - a few queries...

[mrspink27]

Had a small accident on Thursday, chap pulled out of a side road into my path, at point of impact had brakes on and was doing max 25. Insurance company have said that his insurers have accepted liability and that I ought to be claiming for new car seats as they are only meant to withstand one impact. The damage to the car is on the drivers side wing, bonnet and bumper and the impact was small, not enough to set air bags off so...

do I really need new car seats?

are isofix seats better than not?

TIA

well, if you can claim for a new one then you might as well claim.

You definitely should get a new car seat. Damage can be invisable and you don't want to find out after another accident that they were no longer up to the job.

I think I had come to that conclusion, just now which ones to go for.Are isofix better or should I just replace with the same as I had?

I'd be tempted to get new ones too, now you have had an impact with these.

The isofix seats for the first two stages (0-9 months and 9m-4y) are generally deemed to be the best options available, according to the Which reports. The booster seat isofix does not score as highly and other non-isofix rate better.

As to which car seat to get - what are the insurance company offering? Like for like, or can you get any seat within a price range? I'd get the Which reports and look at them.

Think I had the Which reports at one point, probably when we bought the new booster (rodi xp) after the last time I noticed a thread about car seats a year or so ago.We had a poor scoring britax trio! Cant find it saved on the pc anywhere!
Insurers will send cheque as interim payment of claim, so have had to give them make and model of car seats we have and a link to mothercare website! Will need a 9m - 4y and a 4y high backed booster.

The Britax Hi-liner (booster chair) is good. Normally rates quite highly.

The Which report resukts are posted on MN a few time, if you try a search on car seats/products.

I really like my isofix ones - no faffing around with seatbelts to put them in the car, and they're really firmly anchored down, so seem much safer. I have Britax duo for ds2, and something by Jane for ds1 who's nearly 5 - it's clipped onto the Isofix points, but he's restrained by the normal car seatbelt.

We have two Jane Indy Plus booster seats. However unfortuantely some non-isofix did a fair bet better than them in the Which tests. I am still a little puzzled how that can be, but the tests certainly found that.

If I was you I'd get another Rodi XP for the high backed booster. Ive tried lots of them and that was the best one imo.

We have the Rodi XP and it is great!!! The best one for the weight range.

Having both the Jane Indy Plus and the Rodi XP I'm flummoxed as to how the Rodi could do better in a test (unless the results for the Indy are from when you're using it without the Isofix, just with the seatbelt). When you Isofix the Indy it's completely firmly secured to the car - won't budge a millimetre - whereas the Rodi is just put on the seat, and the child and carseat are both secured by the seatbelt. I'd pick the Isofix one every time.

spabol - it was apparantly tested as an isofix seat. I am also baffled. It was something to do with it not being secured at the top as well, but no other isofix car seat is either, yet the others are rate very high.

spabol - it was apparantly tested as an isofix seat. I am also baffled. It was something to do with it not being secured at the top as well, but no other isofix car seat is either, yet the others are rate very high.