in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

[thepoppy]

i want to buy a smart badly, but have a 6 month baby. i already have a rear facing car seat with an isofix base, so my requirements would be a smart with isofix anchor points and the passenger airbag disabled. i am finding it impossible to find out any info, lots of garages ive rung will
NOT disable the airbag and i cant afford the mercedes car seat (£400!!) can anyone give me any advice. thank you

:newbie: :smile:

[lil.smartie]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

It's not isofix std, the brackets are too close, but Smart do a bracket to deactivate the airbag. You would need to use something to press the switch in the same way the Merc seat would but it is possible and the bracket is only £50! We keep them in stock too, easy to fit and just need activating by a STAR diagnostic, we can do this as can any Smart main dealer.

Kate

[Annie & Bertie]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

Can't help with your baby seat problems...but hello and to Maniacs!!

[thepoppy]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

is there no smart cars with isofix standard fitted? i would be buying second hand

[punkeyfunky]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

i want to buy a smart badly, but have a 6 month baby. i already have a rear facing car seat with an isofix base, so my requirements would be a smart with isofix anchor points and the passenger airbag disabled. i am finding it impossible to find out any info, lots of garages ive rung will
NOT disable the airbag and i cant afford the mercedes car seat (£400!!) can anyone give me any advice. thank you

:newbie: :smile:

Hey hey... I have a suggestion that may well be different to some others...

It is...


'wait'



Forgive me if you have other children and all of this is repeating stuff you know - from here on in, I'll assume your baby is your first.

At 9 months, roughly, you'll be able to switch to a front facing seat. I recall that baby needs to be able to sit unaided for a period of time (10-20 minutes) and weigh a certain amount (9 kg's, IIRC).

I did exactly that; my son hit 9months and we switched him to a reet tarty isofix seat; bloody expensive (200 quid) and one of the first of that design in the country. However, this was for him to ride in my (then new) Audi A3, before I purchased the Roadster. Within a relatively short period of time, I had the Roadster so I purchased another forward facing seat; not an isofix, rather a 'normal' seat thats secured by the seat belt (and baby is secured by a 5 point harness to the seat).

You'll obviously have read the reams of pages regarding babies and airbags.

Airbags and /rear/ facing seats don't mix, but, IMHO, thats the end of it.

I have zero concerns putting a /forward/ facing seat into an airbag equipped car, given that the baby is correctly strapped into the car seat, and the car seat is correctly fitted into the car (I'm sure I've posted this elsewhere on this very forum!)


So, back to you - your baby will soon hit 9 months old, likely be at the correct weight, and then you can go and buy a forward facing seat, the best you can afford. This seat can then fit into the car of your choice, including a Smart. A wait of three months isn't really long at all, and I'll bet it's far far easier than faffing about with dealers for the airbag to go off, followed by more of the same to get it switched on again!

If it helps, my boy is now three years old, and sits in the next 'group' up (seat where he's held in place directly by the seat belt), and he still *LOVES* the Roadster...

At 15 months:



He fell asleep with the roof down and all the noise:



Car seat doubles as a handy 'chair':




Sit tight, and get your Smart in a few months. You can pass the time here with the rest of us

-Lee

[Gavin]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

I agree with the above, or you could get a forfour. Some of those came with Isofix rear seats fitted. Not as standard though, it was an option.

[H Palmer]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

I agree with the above, or you could get a forfour. Some of those came with Isofix rear seats fitted. Not as standard though, it was an option.

Also the front passenger airbag can be disabled by a switch, but if you need iso mounts in the rear I think the rear bench has to be replaced.

[lil.smartie]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

The new Smart fortwo from sept 07 has an option of isofix but not the older one or the roadster.

Kate

[thepoppy]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

ok thanks for all the info, let me see then, if i get the smart isofix bracket it will disable the airbag and then i can use my isofix base with rear facing car seat? or wait 3 months get a forward facing car seat and attach it using the seat belt?? sorry if im being thick i dont wanna end up making a mistake!

[RichG]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

The switch is a resistance based unit. You need to get the system switched on first, but once that is done, a 200 Ohm resistor will imitate the presence of a depressed switch and can be bought for pennies, thus disabling the airbag.

The switch, when open, is a 400 Ohm resistance, and you'll need to have that in place if you have had the unit 'activated' and you wish the airbag to be enabled.

[thepoppy]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

thank you for your help but that didnt make muh sense to me!! do you mean a similar thing to the mercedes transponer thingys that are on ebay??

[Messerschmitt Owner]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

listen to punkeyfunky - wait till your kid is 9months/9kg and go for a forward facing seat - you can't get an isofix seat for the earlier (pre late-2007) smart fortwo or roadster and will need to make do with a forward facing seatr which is held on by the seatbelt only. I have carried my child like that, and now she sits in a booster seat.

You can do no more and there is no point wasting money on a seat that you will use for two or three months only, when you would be better waiting for the car! When your kid is ready to face forwards, then and only then do you want to buy a smart.

[Annie & Bertie]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

Well translated Mr Schmitt

[thepoppy]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

im not gunna waste money buying a seat, ive already got one. a REAR facing one, which i want my child to travel in NOW in a smart car. cheers for your 'advice' but i just wanted to know what the deal is with such items as the smart isofix bracket and the transponders etc. you are all very clever people and ill just bore off now.

[Gavin]

Re: in a pickle re car seats/ isofix/ airbag disabling

There's no such thing as a smart isofix bracket on the pre-2007 cars. It's called BasisFix, which only works with the smart brand seats. If you want to disable the passenger airbag, unplug the lead under the seat. You'll get an airbag light on, so you'll fail your MOT, and you'll have to get the airbag light reset when you plug the seat back in. You'll also probably invalidate your insurance if you disconnect the airbag lead under the seat because you're disabling a safety system in a way that's not recommended by the manufacturer.

So... You can either wait 3 months to get a fortwo and use a forward facing seat... or get a different car, those are your choices. The only car in the smart range that can have ISOFIX installed in it is the forfour. It didn't come as standard, so you'd have to find one that has an ISOFIX back seat. That is your only option if you want to stay safe and legal and own a smart car, and can't be bothered to wait 3 months.