XJ-S and childseats

[T16s]

I'm thinking of getting a facelift XJ-S to replace my TVR, due to the imminent arrival of a baby girl. I was just wondering if anybody had experience of using childseats in these cars, and what the cars a like to live with on a day to day basis as a means of family transport?

Many Thanks

[x200sxy]

I had to sell my beloved immaculate Celebration when my daughter was born just over 3 years ago as I could not get a rear facing seat to fit it. You're OK if you get one without a passenger airbag as the sprog can go in the front.

[a8hex]

As they grow older it doesn't really get much easier until they reach about 135cm. The law now insists that they sit in type approved child seats. The small seats in the back of coupes don't count. Unless you can fit a child seat into the back they aren't allowed there, until they reach the required height. I couldn't find a way to get them into the back of an XK8 convertible and still get someone into the front.
The law is even worse with my XK150, I have a letter from the minister of transport stating that due to safety legislation I am allowed to carry my children in the rear of my car if I have the seat belts removed (it's a 1958 model, so not legally obliged to have belt fitted) but I may not carry my children in the rear of the car if I do have seat belts fitted. Even if I did have the car special equipped by the company the DOT recommend as being "the" specialist in fitting child safety systems to unusual cars.

[T16s]

That's not sounding too hopeful. I suppose there is no chance of getting a child seat that fits onto the back seats. I know they're not massive, but I thought any car that has a three-point seatbelt can accomdate a child seat.

Ah well

[a8hex]

T16s said:

That's not sounding too hopeful. I suppose there is no chance of getting a child seat that fits onto the back seats. I know they're not massive, but I thought any car that has a three-point seatbelt can accomdate a child seat.

Ah well

The difficulty is finding ones that fit.
If you can get one in, you can secure it OK.

I've not tried in an XJS, it's probably easiest to see if you can borrow a car seat from a friend and then go to a independent Jag specialist who's got some XJS's and see if you can fit one it.

I didn't try an XJS,
I wanted a convertible GT or Sports car.
I tried an XK8, could even our seats into the back.
A MB SL, well I could just get the seat into the car, but it meant the front seat was touching the windscreen.
I tried an Aston Martin Virage Volante. It fits, I'd always lusted after one then I test drove on. It wasn't for me.

With the change in the law than came in last year there may now be more choice. You could try talking to the bloke at your local Halfords who fits car seats, they may have found one that fits.

The department for transport official I exchanged emails with suggested two companies

Quickfit Safetybelt Services in Stanmore, North London (020 8204 0200)
and
the In-car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes (01908 220909)

The people I spoke too at both companies were pulling their hair out about the situation. They may now have found a solution.

[x200sxy]

The problem with the XJS and rear facing seats is tehfact hat hey have very short rear seatbelts.

I fitted a forward facing one in the back of my XK8 a year or two later without any problem. The problem with that fater 18 months was my daughter was growing so I kept having to move my partner's chaor forward and then she has no room.

So I now have an old XJ6 and an Alpina B3.

[nickinkent]

Hi
I have an xj6 convertible with the factory rear seats, i.e the nearly full height with the sculpted bottoms. The only place I could fit a forward facing seat was in the passenger seat, I have no passenger airbag. Once Jack was old enough to use a forward facing seat the best fit was the Recaro, I also preferred this seat because of its built in safety frame. The passenger seat did need to be moved forward to let his legs drop down so its a squeeze but the seat is more upright than most child seats. The other advantage is that it is very supportive and comfortable, they dont complain so much on long journeys. He is now 6 years old and still wants to use it.

Good luck

Nick

[GavinPearson]

nickinkent said:

Hi
I have an xj6 convertible with the factory rear seats, i.e the nearly full height with the sculpted bottoms. The only place I could fit a forward facing seat was in the passenger seat, I have no passenger airbag. Once Jack was old enough to use a forward facing seat the best fit was the Recaro, I also preferred this seat because of its built in safety frame. The passenger seat did need to be moved forward to let his legs drop down so its a squeeze but the seat is more upright than most child seats. The other advantage is that it is very supportive and comfortable, they dont complain so much on long journeys. He is now 6 years old and still wants to use it.

Good luck

Nick

Please can you let us know what the model number of that seat is.

Thanks.

[nickinkent]

This is the link to the seat at Halfords. Its still a very tight squeeze and can only be used by 9 months and over. Part of the reason I got it was the build in safety frame, you'll see what I mean when you go to pick it up compared to a Britax! If you have a coupe (cant remember), I think your seats are more sculted so you check it fits first!

Let me know how you got on

Nick

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

[a8hex]

That looks like the Reccaro start we used to use with our boys. The rear frame consists of serious great pieces of Ali. I couldn't get it into the back of the 150 sadly, but it was the only child seat we came across that could be made safe for use in the car. The rear seats in the XK150 (and many other coupes) have a short back. Putting the child on a booster seat can raise their shoulders above the seatbelt mounting height, which means that in the event of an accident the energy of the child being thrown forward in an accident is partly transferred vertically downwards through the child's spine! Where the childseat back is a light weight, non stress bearing structure there is no protection for the child. The sides of this seat however could probably be used to jack up tanks. I would rather have seen the arm that holds the seat belt retainer bottom mounted rather than top mounted, but I couldn't get the belt to slip down when the cam action of the retained grips the belt. That mounting arm is a bloody great piece of steel.