Babies in CLKs

[FADEC]

Hi everyone, as the title suggests my Wife and I are about to have one. Just need some advice off any W208 owners or people in the know about car seats etc.

My car has both front pax and door airbags, can these be disabled? If so, what about turning them back on when the child seat is not in the front?
Is it an easy operation or a dealer only thing?

The car manual only mentions the special MB child seats, are these the only ones compatible?

Thanks

 

[Brett]

MB ones are fitted with a transponder that disables the airbags when the child seat is in situ. Expensive! Don't know whether you can disable them in any other way, but I suspect other than permanently, no.

 

[FADEC]

Thanks Brett, seems the MB option might be the only one eh?

 

[grpar]

The advice these days is that all stage 0 seats (for babies up to 9 months) should be fitted in the back seat, not the front. Do a google, or ask in Mothercare.

 

[FADEC]

Haha! I think I will send the Mrs into do that one! Good advice guys, will find a more appropriate forum.

Cheers

 

[stumpy]

The advice these days is that all stage 0 seats (for babies up to 9 months) should be fitted in the back seat, not the front. Do a google, or ask in Mothercare.

Agree with that. When my nipper was a baby he travelled in the back. Luckily we had a 5 door car so was not hard to insert / remove child. I felt he was better off there and reasoned that if he were on the front seat next to his mum it might be too distracting for her. Those convex mirrors which clip over the rear headrests are good for spying on junior when in a rear facing carry seat in the back.

Congrats by the way

 

[Brett]

Thanks Brett, seems the MB option might be the only one eh?

What we ended up doing was selling the coupe (getting baby in and out of the back was a nightmare) and buying a saloon with a big boot for a couple of years. When the wee man could get himself in and out the back, we got a coupe again...

 

[littlebrooklyn]

The advice these days is that all stage 0 seats (for babies up to 9 months) should be fitted in the back seat, not the front. Do a google, or ask in Mothercare.

I would recommend this

http://www.mothercare.com/gp/produc...f=sr_1_1/202-0858673-3168647?ie=UTF8&mcb=core

with this

http://www.mothercare.com/gp/product/B000ILDYRM/ref=ts_dp_3/202-0858673-3168647?ie=UTF8&mcb=core

It's a more expensive setup than just buying a babyseat but it's so easy to use

 

[A210AMG]

Hello.


With our little on arriving we had (wife MX5) and me (Convertible Bmw 330), towards the end my wife could hardly get in the MX5 so we sold that and got a A210 (loads of room)

I thought the BM would be fine, how wrong was I. Ok so I could have lived with it but it would drive you mad. Wife sits in the back and getting in and out a nightmare, getting the little one in a nightmare. Even with the base units with the maxi cosi seats that just click in (no need for the seatbelts) it was awkard.

Then there is all the stuff you need when you go on holiday (or even a trip local...) amazed me


So the BM was replaced with the ML, fits everything we can throw at it. Belive me I love my cars and have had a few convertibles but practicality comes into it. I asked BMW could they disable the front airbag and they would not, even if they did, wife in back still akward. When liitle sspod was 3 months we drove to france the ML swallowed all the stuff with easy and soooo much room in the thing, little un and wife in limo room in the back with the dvds and me up front cruising with the ipod...


I think you may try it and to be honest maybe looking for a 4 door sooner than you though, it IS so much easier. If you park and someone else gets near good luck getting into the car with a baby seat, or for that matter if its raining....


Hope everything goes well, if nothing else its an excuse to look for some other wheels...


I would recommend these if they fit saves a lot of hasle...seat just clicks in.

seat as tested by our little un in france

now she is 1 she has a big grown up seat again everything for ease..Maxi cosi Tobi the only one we saw with the harness that springs open making putting little one in or out much easier

 

[stumpy]

One of the things that I hate is the securing of baby seats using the car seat belts. A 'clunk click' device would make life easier for you. Still a royal pain in the bot on a 3 door car though and I don't give it long before you swap it for something more practical. Or do what I do and have more than one car. The wife could have the practical one allowing you still to have your fun.

 

[A210AMG]

Hence the above clunck click set up:


one in each car works a treat


I would think CLK days are numbered.............

 

[stumpy]

A nice E55 w210 estate would be a worthy successor

 

[FADEC]

Hi all. First of all thanks for all the replies and useful info and some lovely pics to boot! Just missed a beautiful ML320 by a couple of days from the dealer I picked my CLK up from, I was not interested at first and wish I had stuck my neck out and bought it now. I agree, the CLKs days seem numbered with the imminent sprog arrival. Went to the local BM shop and got quoted a trade in for the 430, I nearly fell off my chair it was that bad!

Cheers!

 

[littlebrooklyn]

I agree, the CLKs days seem numbered with the imminent sprog arrival.

Don't let your wife catch you calling your baby a sprog

 

[A210AMG]

Go on what did they offer you...


and more importantly what BM were you looking at...


I nearly went for a 330d Touring sport when swaped the 330 convertible but the ML way way bigger and wanted a change from bm

 

[FADEC]

It was too small an amount to repeat, but it had one 6 in it so I reckon you will work it out ! A ridiculous amount to be honest. The BM was a 325i touring, nice, but not a patch on the Benz. Actively seeking an ML for now.

Cheers

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Actively seeking an ML for now.

I hope your wife is quite tall if you are going to get an ML. I find them so high that I have trouble getting in and out of them. I doubt I would be able to manage a baby too

 

[A210AMG]

Hehehe....

My wife is 5ft... and she almost has to climb down. She sits in the back with the spod, load of room, big cup (bottle) holders, her own heating, power for her laptop or dvd etc.

No problem it just means I can buy some crome side steps and get away with it as we 'need' them.


We think our ml is great, slightly biased but there you go.

 

[FADEC]

Good point! My wife is quite small too, she has the drivers seat up in the air in my car now, she might be a bit petite for an ML?

What is the truth in this? Yesterday a friend advised me that the tax on an ML could go up to as much as £600 per year in the coming years, based on its 4x4 status.

 

[littlebrooklyn]

Good point! My wife is quite small too, she has the drivers seat up in the air in my car now, she might be a bit petite for an ML?

I'm only 5ft and I have enough trouble getting my granddaughter in and out of a normal car, never mind an ML. When I've been in an ML as a passenger I really have found it hard getting in and out and there is no way I could carry a baby and a carseat as together they are really heavy, especially once a baby gets to a few months old :-o

What is the truth in this? Yesterday a friend advised me that the tax on an ML could go up to as much as £600 per year in the coming years, based on its 4x4 status.

This is the link to check the VED http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/road-tax/

I think it's the newer cars that are going to be the most expensive, I haven't seen any that are as much as £600 though but perhaps I've not searched the site well enough