Putting a baby seat in e34

**Eggs Denison** · 10-17-2007, 09:44 PM

Anyone know how to do this? Is it possible. I have seen people who are like "gettin rid of the e34 because of the baby"
Is it because it doesn't accomodate baby seats?
How will I raise a little bimmerfreak if the bimmer rejects her when she is so small and vulnerable?

**Gregs///M** · 10-17-2007, 09:48 PM

How can you NOT figure this out?

**Elekta** · 10-17-2007, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by gmannino

How can you NOT figure this out?

maybe he starts his car and goes in to take a shit and lets it run down the street.

You can get three kid seats in the back

**Eggs Denison** · 10-17-2007, 10:03 PM

I know theres room. I don't have any anchor holes up on the rear deck.

I bet you two have found anchor holes on each others rear decks.

Anyway the seat belt makes it really vulnerable to tipping.

Now help a brother out don't kick him when he's newbie

**atl530i** · 10-17-2007, 10:14 PM

I installed my rear-facing car seat in the middle. If it is too big then it will hit the seats, so take size into your decision. The front facing seat went behind me though. My wife is always in the car with me so she can get to my boy a lot easier. Make sure you use a towel or something to protect the seats from punctures. Also use the seat belt tensioner that comes with the car seat so the seat is tight.

**TouringDan** · 10-17-2007, 10:15 PM

I have a car-seat in the back. I've had 2 at once with room for another passenger. No problems... You can't use the 'latch' on the newer seats or the rear-tether, but it works out fine. The key is to install the seats correctly and to use the locking-plates that come with most car seats. These will lock the seat-belt in place and not allow it to loosen or slip. The best way I've found to install them is to route the belt through the proper holes in the seat, then wiggle around and plant yourself in the car-seat - squish the car-seat as far down into the seat as possible, then tighten the belt and click it into place.

It'll amaze you how solid that car seat is using this method.

If all else fails, you can go to a fire-station and they'll install it for you.

**sfgearhead** · 10-17-2007, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by shrike071

I have a car-seat in the back. I've had 2 at once with room for another passenger. No problems... You can't use the 'latch' on the newer seats or the rear-tether, but it works out fine. The key is to install the seats correctly and to use the locking-plates that come with most car seats. These will lock the seat-belt in place and not allow it to loosen or slip. The best way I've found to install them is to route the belt through the proper holes in the seat, then wiggle around and plant yourself in the car-seat - squish the car-seat as far down into the seat as possible, then tighten the belt and click it into place.

It'll amaze you how solid that car seat is using this method.

If all else fails, you can go to a fire-station and they'll install it for you.

+1, the sit on the seat base works great for me. we have a rear facing seat that locks into a base mounted in the middle seat. it does limit front seat travel slightly, but you can get two adults in next to the seat.

on our wagon there are three anchor mounts in the cargo area, right behind the seat. i bet yours has them somewhere, and BMW will sell you the proper bolts etc. if you go in and ask the parts guys.

from what i've seen using the seat belt is safer than the "latch" system, but do what you think is best, it's your kid. certainly no need to sell the new e34.

**attack eagle** · 10-17-2007, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by 3eggwagon

Anyone know how to do this? Is it possible. I have seen people who are like "gettin rid of the e34 because of the baby"
Is it because it doesn't accomodate baby seats?
How will I raise a little bimmerfreak if the bimmer rejects her when she is so small and vulnerable?

It is super easy... actually this is exactly WHY I bought my e34T last year.
I needed room for a baby carrier style seat and a "big boy" seat.

(congrats to me BTW, my younger son was born exactly 1 year and 3 minutes ago)

Unless you play for the chicago bulls, you should have no problems fitting even a carrier style rear seat behind the front seat.

As indicated, tightness makes or breaks an install. I use the base/seat combo for my littlest, and if you put the base in and don't have to put a knee into the base to buckle the belt in, it simply isn't tight enough. Nice thing about using the base, is that once you have the belt length adjusted with the lockplate thingy... you can unbuckle and remove the base in just a few seconds when you want to clean, access the battery, or carry adults (or cargo in my case), and it only takes 30 seconds or so to reinstall. I used folded towels at first to protect the seat, but after a few months I took them out. It was simply easier to reinstall and get it right without them, and the seat was formfitted to the base by then.

**Eggs Denison** · 10-17-2007, 10:48 PM

Looks good. thank you. What is that thing on your head rest posts. My drivers electric headrest adjuster is broken. Is that a difficult fix? i think I am going to go to the fire dept.

Don't worry I won't go in to take a shit and let it run down the street.

**acepilot** · 10-17-2007, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by 3eggwagon

Looks good. thank you. What is that thing on your head rest posts. My drivers electric headrest adjuster is broken. Is that a difficult fix? i think I am going to go to the fire dept.

Don't worry I won't go in to take a shit and let it run down the street.

It's a macvision LCD display unit from a deal way back with a 7"LCD screen. I have the same thing and it works great!

**Eggs Denison** · 10-17-2007, 10:57 PM

ok i see. it just plugs in to that? dang better not let my kid see that. ahhhh i guess i could rock a little pingu while driving

**Eggs Denison** · 10-17-2007, 11:00 PM

I am lucky to have a really clean int, but i have to say the black inside looks great!! And I also love that new hazelnut or what ever color.

IMG_1316.JPG

**E34N** · 10-17-2007, 11:08 PM

You don't need baby seats... just drive with the baby in your lap like Britney Spears..

WHAT? is that wrong?

It's pretty easy. Great suggestions above. Pics should help you see it too. There's also seat protectors that I think work a little better than towels. They are a little stiffer and allow you to really cinch down on the belts to secure the seats. They're like $15 at Babies R Us. I'll take some pics of mine in the morning.

**attack eagle** · 10-17-2007, 11:10 PM

Originally Posted by 3eggwagon

Looks good. thank you. What is that thing on your head rest posts. My drivers electric headrest adjuster is broken. Is that a difficult fix? i think I am going to go to the fire dept.

Don't worry I won't go in to take a shit and let it run down the street.

it is the bracket for a portable 7" dvd player I picked up at Target... that plus headphones and rear power outlet were my first "mods" to the touring. It also has A/v inputs so i can plug in my 12v modded PS2 on long trips...

**Blutarsky** · 11-14-2007, 12:30 AM

Originally Posted by attack eagle

your interior is awesome

**attack eagle** · 11-14-2007, 12:34 AM

no, it was filthy in those pics...

**Blutarsky** · 11-14-2007, 12:42 AM

i know. still badass, though.

**attack eagle** · 11-14-2007, 12:46 AM

thanks you, the compliment is much appreciated.

**Mr 535i** · 11-14-2007, 09:00 AM

http://www.munchkin.com/products/det...=10008&pID=228

I got this at Wal-Mart is great much better using a towel.

**dave pa** · 11-14-2007, 09:43 AM

there are these carriage lock things that go on the lap part of the seatbelt which i can't think of the name of. the are blue w/a yellow handle. they almost work like a 'come a long' or when you are strapping something down. you can get that sucker in there so well that i couldn't move if a gorilla was yanking on it.

once they grow out of the baby carrier seats check out britax for the next car seat. they really are the recaro's of baby seats. you pay for it, but man do you get it!!!

going to the fire station is a good idea and exactly what i did which was what they told us in or lamaze/baby class, but the reality of it is that you will take that seat in and out of there more than you realize. so if you do take it up there, have them show you how to do it too.

kids will enjoy what you want them to. if you want them to watch barney they'll like barney. if you show them how to change wheels they'll like doing that. i hook up my 2.5 year old into the back of the 2002 all of the time and he LOVES it!!

all the best to you man
Dave

**puppypilgrim** · 11-14-2007, 01:03 PM

(MODERATORS: feel free to make this a sticky).

As a parent of a 4 year old child, I have been through this whole scenario. I have included video links at the bottom of this post.

First, I wish to emphasize that only very few people know how to mount a car seat correctly. Many parents do not do an adequate job not because they don't want to, but because they don't know to. Since we brought our kids into the world, we owe it to them to make the best safety choices for them until they are old enough to make their own.

Second, Don't buy the cheapest one or the one that happens to be on sale. Certain makes are safer than others. Buy the safest one you can afford. How do you find out which are safe? Research and google the topic. DO NOT BUY garage sale car seats and cheap out on safety. You never know if the seats have been recalled and should no longer be on the market. You want a 5-point harness.

Do NOT buy a car seats based on looks, fabric color (Oh, but it matches our interior..) based on cuteness (It's the Eddie Bauer version...). Buy it based on its performance, quality of construction and safety features. Nothing else matters.

Third, if you only have one car seat, the best and safest position is rear-facing in the centre of the rear bench. The E34 has a tether strap anchor in the rear parcel shelf. I got my parts from my dealer when I installed mine. I tried looking it up on realoem.com but cannot find the diagrams. Your dealer will have it. (I am at work and my receipts are at home).

The attached pictures show what the tether strap anchors look like from inside the trunk. You can push a thin wire from inside the trunk. You will also need to penetrate the parcel shelf to mount it properly. See this thread for a possible parts list and DIY. Its cheap, not more than $12 per mount.

Fourth, a tether strap anchor is NOT AN OPTION for forward facing car seats. Your child will suffer injury even in a mild fender bender due to the forces involved.

Fifth, a properly mounted car seat will have zero flex when you grasp it on the sides with both hands and exert 90% to 95% of your available force. It should be rock solid and zero, absolute zero side to side or forward motion when grasping the seat on its side and trying to move it. To achieve this level of security, you need to learn how to properly mount a car seat. Over 95% of car seats are improperly mounted or improperly fastened with a child in it. Your local fire station or traffic agencies will have info. and brochures on how to properly mount a car seat. Learn how to properly mount a car seat. It goes beyond attaching a tether strap.

Sixth, when you strap your child in the car seat, you must pull the harness until it is tight across their sternum (chest bone). If the harness is loose an wiggles, your child is vulnerable to injury from crash forces. It needs to be tight with only enough space for one finger to be inserted between harness and sternum. You need to communicate the correct way to tighten the harness to all caregivers (anyone who drives your child in a vehicle). My mother did not tighten the harness correctly even though I emphasized it many times. One day, she had to slam on her brakes and my daughter flew forward several inches until she was restrained by the harness and was frightened but not injured from the incident. My mother conveniently "forgot" to mention the incident to us but my daughter recounted it to us. So we confront my mom and re-emphasized the importance of pulling the harness tight. My daughter will now tell anyone who straps her in if the harness is not tight enough and will remind them to tighten it.

Seventh, do NOT move your child to a booster seat prematurely. I bought a car seat which is rated for up to 80 lbs. and will continue using it until my daughter exceeds its rating. Many car seats are only rated to 40 lbs. So when the child reaches 41 lbs., the parents ditched the car seats and move to booster seats. Boosters are cheaper, much easier to use, require less effort from an adult, less complicated and don't require much training right? The kid just gets on and puts on their seat belt right? WRONG.

Parents have lost their child due to premature use of booster seats because the young child's body weight is unable to trigger the inertia reel engagement and\or the child submarines under the seat belt and/or because the seat belt simply unlatches during a rollover. You think I am exaggerating? Watch the videos.

Video - NHSTA Parent holding unrestrained child

Video - Is your car seat installed correctly?

Video of the Kyle David incident (using a booster too early)

Video of the Isabelle incident (using a booster too early)

Short video - Forward facing crash

Short video - Rear facing crash

Short video - 5 point harness vs. booster

**Qsilver7** · 11-14-2007, 03:36 PM

Hmmm, I'm interjecting some info here...and I don't know if its useful or correct. Being that I have no need for baby anchoring equipment etc...but I remember being curious about something in the cargo area of my 95 Touring.

All Touring owners should know that they have 2 removable panels on the floor of the cargo area, right? There's the one closest to the tailgate/hatch that houses the spare and extra storage crap. Then there's the one further back that butts up against the upper rear seats that houses the car jack and wheel chock etc.

Well, I was curious as to what the black oval shaped thingies were on the cover that butts up agains the rear seat...and when I pulled that panel up/out...I saw a white threaded thing that sits below it... (see pic of the left one below).

I then turned the (floor) cover over and exposed the under side of the black oval thing and noticed that it looks like it can slide out of the floor cover...so I slid it out and turned the floor cover back over and slid the cover back into place which revealed that it leaves an opening over the white threaded thing in the floor of the car (see pics below):

Is the white threaded thing in the floor for anchoring or tethering something for a child seat?

For a better perspective of the location of the white threaded things below the floor cover & removable oval thingies...follow green arrows in pic below:

**attack eagle** · 11-14-2007, 04:07 PM

That is where my rear facing seat's belts are attached.

**sfgearhead** · 11-14-2007, 07:34 PM

yup, those inserts are for a child seat tether. BMW even stocks the bolts needed to bolt in the tether. i picked up the hardware thinking it would work with the "latch" system, but it's really just a tether mount. so i'm holding onto the hardware until our daughter graduates to a front facing seat.

attackeagle, which belts did you attach there? the "latch" belts, or a tether?