Isofix - can they be added?

[Picpan]

I have just purchased a 2004 (54) CLK 270 and as a new grandfather need to get the Grandson out with his Grandparents on some hopefully sunny days this summer. I have read that Isofix is the best option for fitting child car seats to the car.
Can anyone tell me if they can be fitted to my car and also will a child seat fit safely in the middle of the two rear seats ?
Thank you for any help you can give me with this.

(I have also read an earlier thread saying not to fit a seat in the front due to the force of the airbag even having a seat with the merc transponder which turns them off)

 

[roadhog]

My Merc doesn't have them but if they are anything like the ones in my other car then you would need to replace the rear seats for one with the cut outs and also add the actual fixings to the car's structure. They are also only fitted to the left and right rear seat, not the middle position.

Much better to buy a good quality conventional seat and make sure it fits your particular car.

As for the front seat, I did some research when my kids were little and I seem to remember that the rear seats are the safer place for them. A lot depends on what age group the child is and what type of restraint the car seat uses. Under no circumstances fit a rear facing child seat in the front with the airbag active.

That's the safe answer. Back when I were a lad and child seats hadn't been invented we used to climb all over the back seat during journeys and I'm still alive today.

 

[Myros]

if you want Merc spec, but not merc prices

then Britax -Romer are the ones to look for. they are the same as supplied to Merc for sale in their lovely shiny showroom, but about one third the price and in a slightly different trim fabric.
Recaro also do some lovely seats. and concorde, and storchenmuhle and dozens of others.
You can use a britax-romer vario seat on the lap belt/middle seat set up. These are for toddlers , not babies though.
Just look all the various names up on google and see what comes up.
Our money went on Britax early on, as they were the "merc" seat, and they also had isofix to fit the mem's skoda.
Now the kids ar a bit bigger we are on Britax boosters with adjustable head and side protection, and Recaros with the same (but way more comfortable according to the munchkins)

 

[SilverSaloon]

You may struggle to get a dealer to retrofit isofit mounts. I bought a 2nd hand BMW that didnt have them but were an option when new. the dealer didnt want to know (after checking with BMW h/q) due to the safety aspects of a retrofit. i suspect merc may be the same. a specialist seatbelt company may be more inclined....

we ended up getting the best seatbelt seat we could get which was almost as good as the isofix ones on the ratings. note we also got the best isofix one we could get for our citroen picasso (which does have the mounts) - but if used with a belt then its not as good as the belt only one.

aslong as you have standard 3 point belt in the centre then its fine for a car seat. probably safer infact.

i also noticed (at the time which was about 5 years ago now) that the Merc and BMW seats that have the transponder built into them were not as good on the safety ratings as the one we ended up buying.

 

[Picpan]

Many thanks for your replies. I have my eye on a Britax Eclipse which seems to be a good buy. Like I have said it is for use for my Grandson and will not be used daily but on the odd weekend when we are lucky enough to have him. Thank you all again.

 

[Uncle Benz]

Last time I had a request for this, I found that the parts are not available from MB to do the job. The answer I was given was unless it was originally specified when new, you can't have it.

The potential insurance implications from a car modified in this way may be hard to overcome as well.

 

[bjw1976]

I have an isofix kit for a W209 CLK Coupe (2003+)

I have an isofix kit for a W209 CLK Coupe (2003+). It is for both sides and complete with all bolts and fixes straight into the space behind the rear passenger seat.

These are original Mercedes parts!! (very difficult to obtain) - No welding is needed whatsoever, as all the holes and fixings are built into the Mercedes CLK floorpan as standard.. unless you specified that you wanted isofix as an option, when the car was ordered they will not have been installed.

They are simple to fit and take 10 mins to install and somebody wants to buy them from me, email me directly - if i have not responded to this thread below.. it means THEY ARE STILL FOR SALE.

 

[JJ]

Can this kit be fitted to a Cabrio?

And this will fit any UK CLK that doesn't have the factory prep? Is it a DIY job?

Thanks

 

[bjw1976]

i have an isofix kit for a w209 clk coupe (2003+). It is for both sides and complete with all bolts and fixes straight into the space behind the rear passenger seat.

These are original mercedes parts!! (very difficult to obtain) - no welding is needed whatsoever, as all the holes and fixings are built into the mercedes clk floorpan as standard.. Unless you specified that you wanted isofix as an option, when the car was ordered they will not have been installed.

They are simple to fit and take 10 mins to install and somebody wants to buy them from me, email me directly - if i have not responded to this thread below.. It means they are still for sale.

now sold!!!