Car seat expiry dates - FUD or not?

[Bagnaj97]

So I'm going to be joining this part of the forum in ~6 months , as a result I've started acquiring a few bits and pieces.
I've got a 2nd hand car seat (Primo Viaggio), I'm happy it's not been in any accidents etc so I don't want to get into that side of things, but it's "out of date."

Both the seat and base say they shouldn't be used after 5 years from the date of manufacture (late 2008). From what I can tell this seems to be more a US thing, where medical insurance won't cover costs in event of an accident if the seat's out of date. I've found various reasons given; from materials degrading over time to the seat potentially no longer meeting any new standards that have come out.

Is this just the manufacturers covering their backsides and trying to increase sales through planned obsolescence and FUD, or is there any truth to it? Hopefully the knowledgeable people of Hexus (We must have some materials scientists and engineers on here!) can give a more balanced opinion than certain other parts of the web...

[ik9000]

plastics do age, but I wouldn't expect ABS and similar heavy duty plastics to suffer in just 5 years. Tesco carrier bags OTOH barely last the journey home so it does depend on the spec and grade of plastic.

Abuse, plastic fatigue, crazing and fracture build-up might be a factor. Say the seat had never been in a crash but daddy liked to play race the lights and out-break the next man on the speed bumps... it's possible a seat could get a lot of dynamic loading on the retension brackets over time without needing an actual crash. Forces will be lower, but fatigue is not just about size of load, but number of repeats and cumulative duration... A sensibly designed seat should be designed to mitigate against crappy brackets being the weak point, but I can't say categorically a particular seat will be fine after 5 years.

At the very least check the thing with a magnifying glass for signs of tear, striations, crippling, buckling and shearing (eg nicks, scratches and similar - you know how plastic turns white before it breaks). The 5 year thing is interesting, and IMO will be due to arse covering. But to give a definite answer I'd need the seat, a materials lab, and some fun stuff I haven't had access to since university.

Bare in mind a lot of stuff in your car is plastic, some of it safety stuff. You don't scrap your car on 5 years do you? Change every seat belt clip every 5 years? It's interesting they can stick that note on the product. Very handy way of keeping revenue stream by killing off the 2nd hand market!

BTW my little sister used the same car seat I had when I was little. At 9 years younger age gap. It was fine. Went through 2 crashes with her in it. She's fine. But then old school mothercare always was pretty decent.

[Zak33]

I'm using car seats a lot older than that for my most precious cargo

you, as a chap with a brain, can take the covers off and the padding and inspect the seat and look for any plastic fatigue (you know.. white lines where it's creased) or cracks, or belt wear and tear.

I do

Mammoth market for used car seats on ebay too

I've even added extra foam under my lads seat cover as its more comfy that way.

YES if we have a car fire, it's not the same flame retardancy as the car spec .... but then car seat covers have a diff spec to sofa's and guess which is nearer an open fire every day.

[TeePee]

I would think that you would do a better job of inspecting a seat than parents in the US. Of course, having seen the results of unrestrained children ejected from vehicles driven by drunk parents I am biased. Here many local fire and police departments will give new replacement seats in exchange for expired ones at no cost. Honestly I think they'd give them to any parents who showed up, if only they would.

Personally, I'd get the newest, shiniest and safest seat possible.

[Bagnaj97]

Personally, I'd get the newest, shiniest and safest seat possible.

That's the thing, in terms of meeting safety standards this seat is still sold and, from the price, is in the higher end of the market.

I'd pretty much already made up my mind to use it, I was more posting here in case someone with relevant experience said that the warning was there for a definite reason. Eventually, yes, seats will become less safe due to fatigue etc, and this will be accelerated by the environment in a car (extreme heat/cold cycles, acceleration/deceleration forces etc), but this seat isn't all that old and the plastics appear immaculate.

[Zak33]

It's more important to fit it right chap.

What sort is it?

[Bagnaj97]

It's more important to fit it right chap.

What sort is it?

http://www.mamasandpapas.com/product.../isofix_pv.php One o' those. Step by step guide on that page, my car has Isofix and it all looks very simple - I don't think fitting it's going to be a problem thankfully, and I've still got 6 months to figure it out!

[Zak33]

superb seat

OK... ISO Fix is a doddle BUT it clamps in pace HARD

soo... you need one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hauck-Sit-De...+for+baby+seat

the problem you see is that with both that baby seat/carry cot with ISO fix base... .. and the front facer you'll be using later...they destroy the foam in the back seat of your car.. AND the upholstery gets stretched and never comes back to normal. The clamp in SO HARD.. and for SO LONG... it's a car seat killer.

ISO Fix rocks.. but you need to spread the load by putting the car seat protector on the seat first.

My lad is 7, uses a front facing seat with head proetector etc with just the seat belt.... and we STILL use the car seat protector.

It also stops mess and little feet hanging off the car seat messing your upholstery.

And is grippier than leather so helps side movement restriction

look round.. and buy one

[Metalheadkicks]

never knew car seats have expiry date. Need to check ours.

[Carmine]

We have to change the car seat also and are looking for one that is suited for age of 4+...didn't even know that there is an expiry date, and I thought I am responsible

[LiverpoolsNo9]

Its a safety standards thing, but obviously always check them over first.