Bongo Fury

Hi,
It's been many, many years since I've been on Bongo Fury, but I'm still happily a Bongo owner with my Bongo still serving the family very well.

However, I was at a 'childrens car seat specialist' today and she was beyond horrified that I have been wrapping the belt buckles (buckle stalks I think they are called?) around the bar under the seat and pushing them back up in order to shorten them and avoid buckle crunch.

She shot me down- then failed to find a single seat in her showroom that actually would fit with the stalks un-looped (they are really long)!

So just asking you knowledgable people- what could the disadvantages of wrapping these belt stalks be? Personally I feel that simply wrapping the material around the bar under the seat will not weaken anything and make it less safe in a crash. But that is just my view and wondered if anyone could tell me any different?

Thanks in advance.
MMH

I would tend to agree with your own assessment!
The training that these assistants receive is laughable, they are taught one method only, with no understanding of the principles involved - somewhat understandable given that they might be found culpable if they were to deviate from the prescribed method and it were to fail .... However it does mean that they suddenly become the exact opposite of being able to provide assistance in these situations!

Hi
I guess you mean part of the seat frame by "bar" under the seat?, as I haven't looked under the seat for a year...If that's the case, then I agree. Certainly I agree with Geoff that shop assistants aren't really educated beyond "how to sell", and I've never found a modern sales person who actually knows what they're selling. Gone are the old days when people REALLY knew exactly what they were selling and could answer questions on their products, and offer actual advice. Unfortunately, that's a sign of the times...people want cheap goods, so paying someone who's got knowledge costs more, and the cost is passed on to the customer!...
The best thing is to get your advice on the i'net!
Cheers
Helen

What age range seat are you using? We found the Britax First Class (plus or Si) work very well since they have two alternative belt routes, with one specifically designed to avoid 'buckle crunch'. For older kids, the Graco Nautilus also seems to be a good fit in the rear.