ISOFIX- retrofit?

[Toffeenose]

Hi all,

Anybody know if the ISOFIX option for W203 coupe is available as a retrofit?

Sprog on the way!

Thanks

 

[Friz]

No idea but congrats and it says alot about you that you're going to investigate that. Guy a few doors down from me with a growing family just traded his W203 for a Citroen C4.

Talk about the neighbourhood going to hell in a handbasket.

 

[Dieselman]

I'm not sure but normally ISOfix restraints are welded in at production, so wouldn't expect ehm to be a retrofit option.

 

[tmienterprises]

I tried to do the same and sorry to say, its not available as retrofit for the reasons that Dieselman has mentioned. From personal experience, the Mothercare own brand baby basket was the best fit of all the ones that I tried out.

 

[BTB 500]

AFAIK ISOFIX isn't any safer than a properly fitted seatbelt seat (the issue being that many people don't fit them correctly). Probably quicker to fit/remove an ISOFIX one, if this important. But you pay a lot for the extra convenience.

We've got to decide what to get for baby BTB shortly (the Vito does have ISOFIX in the back).

 

[Toffeenose]

Cheers Guys.. looks like it will have to be the best non-isofix alternative then.

 

[A210AMG]

Hello

My car has Isofix but the wifes hasn't so for easy of use we got these, work brilliantly, no phaffing with seatbelts etc. Seat just clips in. Done. One in each car makes it very handy.

(these show the isofix fitting (yellow) but the none isofix ones just the same the way it works).


Little one has none just out grown baby seat so has this now..

Gets the best reports in Which (Maxi Cosi Tobi with the harness that spring open) again one in each car...wifes is pink.... (£170 each though....)


Good luck and enjoy your sleep now

 

[SilverSaloon]

i tried to get it retrofitted into my bmw 7 series but BMW said they dont do it for safety reasons..... merc will probably be the same.

congrats though!

get the best seat-belt fitting one instead.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Yep these guys are right ^^^

Vauxhall offered a Vauxhall specific equivalent that could be retrofitted (Vauxhall-fit IIRC) which we had fitted to our Omega. Pricey, but I felt it was worth it.

We still have the Vauxhall-fit seat but not the car. We changed to the ML (with standard ISO-fix) within a month or two, and sadley Vauxhall-fit and ISO-fix are not interchangable of compatible.

 

[DansSlk]

I've heard of places doing it, technically it's not that difficult (no different to any other sort of chassis work that gets done) but because of what it is i guess most places wont want to take it on.

Get yourself a good non-isofix seat and it will be just as safe.

 

[wemorgan]

Sorry, but it is not true to say that a non-ISOFix seat is as safe as an ISOFix seat.
An ISOFix seat has a direct attachment to the vehicle’s body. This offers greater stiffness and therefore stability in a car crash.
Independent crash tests have shown this to be the case. www.trl.co.uk would be a good starting point if you need to read some reports.

Though I appreciate that it would be rather expensive to change your car purely for an ISOFix seat. So financially a well fitted non-ISOFix seat is looking to be the way forward for you.
Good luck.

 

[BTB 500]

An ISOFix seat has a direct attachment to the vehicle’s body.

Not necessarily. The rear seats on my Vito (with ISOFIX) are flip/fold ones that can be removed completely. So the ISOFIX mount definitely isn't directly attached to the body.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Maybe the ISO-fix fixing point would be best described as being a rigid mounting then, rather attached to the chassis?

Baby D has an ISO-fix and non-ISO-fix seat, but I prefer the ISO-fix one as I believe it would offer her the best protection. Sadly she will grow out of it soon, but as she grows then the suitability of the belt restrained seats will be more appropriate.

 

[BTB 500]

Baby BTB is still (just) in a rear-facing carrier, we've been given a top notch seatbelt one virtually unused (sad story) so will probably use that. Our Audi doesn't have ISOFIX anyway.

 

[Dieselman]

Not necessarily. The rear seats on my Vito (with ISOFIX) are flip/fold ones that can be removed completely. So the ISOFIX mount definitely isn't directly attached to the body.

But it is directly linked to the body via a non flexing metal attachment as opposed to a flexible belt.
That was the point webmorgan was making.