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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums General 5-Series Sedan and Wagon (F10 / F11) Forum Rear facing carseat in the F10 (middle)
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      08-07-2015, 11:03 AM   #1
wheresmy5
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Rear facing carseat in the F10 (middle)

Hi folks. Did a search for the particular brand/model I am looking at but got limited results. We have a chicco nextfit in the SUV but I need something slimmer for the F10. I plan on securing it in the middle back seat.

Looking at the Diono Rainier but would like to hear experiences from F10 owners. It is narrow enough for sure, but in rear facing config will it fit between the two front seats? I am 6ft. Also looking at the Graco 4ever.

TIA

Last edited by wheresmy5; 08-07-2015 at 11:34 AM..
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      08-07-2015, 12:07 PM   #2
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I have a pair of those in the back of my 535i. Initially, I had them forward facing on the outsides with a Chicco Keyfit 30 in the middle. Now that my youngest is older, one of the Rainier is backwards facing in the middle, with the other still forward facing on the outside and a booster on the other side. The rear facing Rainier leans pretty far back but does fit in between the two front seats because it is so narrow. I am 6', so the seat is fairly far back, but it is not a problem.
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      08-07-2015, 12:40 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mko9 View Post
I have a pair of those in the back of my 535i. Initially, I had them forward facing on the outsides with a Chicco Keyfit 30 in the middle. Now that my youngest is older, one of the Rainier is backwards facing in the middle, with the other still forward facing on the outside and a booster on the other side. The rear facing Rainier leans pretty far back but does fit in between the two front seats because it is so narrow. I am 6', so the seat is fairly far back, but it is not a problem.
Awesome, thanks. What about the height of the seat? Does it obstruct visiblity too much?
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      08-07-2015, 04:09 PM   #4
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Interesting that you could get one that fit the middle seat. The LATCH system only has connections for the out-board seats. I found that stretching the tethers to the LATCH hooks was difficult and resulted in an unstable seat (i.e. it moves around too much).
Glad you appear to have found something that fits.
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      08-08-2015, 01:36 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wheresmy5 View Post
Awesome, thanks. What about the height of the seat? Does it obstruct visiblity too much?
It does not block visibility for me

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilgorm View Post
Interesting that you could get one that fit the middle seat. The LATCH system only has connections for the out-board seats. I found that stretching the tethers to the LATCH hooks was difficult and resulted in an unstable seat (i.e. it moves around too much).
Glad you appear to have found something that fits.
We didn't use the LATCH points because we needed those for the other two seats. We buckled it in with the seatbelt.
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      08-10-2015, 09:33 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilgorm View Post
Interesting that you could get one that fit the middle seat. The LATCH system only has connections for the out-board seats. I found that stretching the tethers to the LATCH hooks was difficult and resulted in an unstable seat (i.e. it moves around too much).
Glad you appear to have found something that fits.
Check your manuals for both the car and the car seat, many (likely most) do not recommend using the LATCH in the middle. Has to do with the distance between the latch points you're using, to avoid exactly the situation you mentioned. But it may feel secure and still be out of the recommended distances. Again, both the car seat and the car itself should have guidelines on what distance is appropriate and safe to use the LATCH.

Same holds true for child weight, once the child plus car seat get beyond a certain weight, manual says to use the seatbelt instead of LATCH. My oldest outgrew the car seat itself (based on seated shoulder height) before he hit that weight limit for the LATCH, but he is tall and thin so I would imagine most children will hit that LATCH weight limit first and need to stop using the LATCH before stop using the car seat (and go to booster…).

Just a heads up in case anyone didn't know...

Last edited by chrisny; 08-10-2015 at 09:39 AM..
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      08-10-2015, 09:46 AM   #7
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Interesting points re latch for the middle position.

Still shopping for the right seat. The diono is ridiculously tall. I think my kid will turn 5yo before all the height is actually used. The graco feels very cheap. The seat we use in our other car (chicco nextfit) is great- the only issue is that it has very deep side walls and it's a pain getting him in and out. It also has an awesome latch harness sinching feature that seems to get the harnesses much tighter than on seats without this. Will probably end up with the same seat for the 5er if I don't find anything else.
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      08-10-2015, 11:01 AM   #8
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Britax has a great new install system that uses the seatbelt. They claim it is even more secure than the LATCH, and it is certainly much easier to install and remove.. they call it 'Click tight.' Not sure about fit but they have several seats with this mechanism and I would think it's a great option for installing car seats in that middle seat. We use their "harness to booster" for my son. Since he is so thin, I'm hesitant to put him in regular booster yet. That has ClickTight and it's very secure and so much easier to put in.
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      08-13-2015, 08:24 PM   #9
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Ended up getting yet another Chicco Nextfit. I tried a number of others (Diono, Graco, Peg Prego, and Maxi-Cosi) all in the $200-350 and kept coming back to the Chicco. It just feels more solid, better made, and the cinch latch straps just seemed to work better than the others. Did not put it in the center per information posted earlier that latch isn't meant for the middle seat. There is definatly limited leg room in the front passenger seat, but that's expected.

The only issue I'm having is that the seat pad I purchased (BRICA Seat Guardian) makes for a somewhat slippery surface with more left to right movement than I'd want. Any pads out there that grip but don't melt into the leather?
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      08-14-2015, 12:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wheresmy5 View Post
The only issue I'm having is that the seat pad I purchased (BRICA Seat Guardian) makes for a somewhat slippery surface with more left to right movement than I'd want. Any pads out there that grip but don't melt into the leather?
I use a type of foam used for shelf liners. I bought a roll and cut it to the size I needed. It is 'stickier' than the bare leather and provides some stability to the seat. It is not super sticky so if you want something stickier I have no further suggestions.
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      02-21-2016, 07:30 PM   #11
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Seat belt extender

Looking for a seat belt extender for the center seat belt. Now that my son is ready to go forward facing, I need to put the two Diono Malibu on the outsides so I can buckle the two littler ones in. My oldest will be in the middle in a booster, but there is really no way to get at the center seatbelt. Anyone seen one, or know a source? It is a different fitting than the outside belts.

Thanks
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      02-22-2016, 02:56 AM   #12
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If you using the Isofix to secure the seats you find they missing from the middle section, the F10 is disaster in this department, I am using BMW seat rear facing behind the passenger side my wife need less leg room, and not the worst for access.
We now always use my wife X3 for family trips due to the limited space with the F10, my other kids are on boosters and once you have 2 boosters added, the seat belts are impossible to use, the positioning of the seat belt hooks are ridiculous, the car is design of 2 passengers in the back, so make sure if you to use the seat belt access is possible.
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      02-23-2016, 12:01 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wheresmy5
Ended up getting yet another Chicco Nextfit. I tried a number of others (Diono, Graco, Peg Prego, and Maxi-Cosi) all in the $200-350 and kept coming back to the Chicco. It just feels more solid, better made, and the cinch latch straps just seemed to work better than the others. Did not put it in the center per information posted earlier that latch isn't meant for the middle seat. There is definatly limited leg room in the front passenger seat, but that's expected.

The only issue I'm having is that the seat pad I purchased (BRICA Seat Guardian) makes for a somewhat slippery surface with more left to right movement than I'd want. Any pads out there that grip but don't melt into the leather?
I have the prince lionheart with a Nextfit in my f10. Feels extremely solid especially with the seat cinched down.
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      04-05-2016, 12:39 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wheresmy5
Ended up getting yet another Chicco Nextfit. I tried a number of others (Diono, Graco, Peg Prego, and Maxi-Cosi) all in the $200-350 and kept coming back to the Chicco. It just feels more solid, better made, and the cinch latch straps just seemed to work better than the others. Did not put it in the center per information posted earlier that latch isn't meant for the middle seat. There is definatly limited leg room in the front passenger seat, but that's expected.

The only issue I'm having is that the seat pad I purchased (BRICA Seat Guardian) makes for a somewhat slippery surface with more left to right movement than I'd want. Any pads out there that grip but don't melt into the leather?
I have the prince lionheart with a Nextfit in my f10. Feels extremely solid especially with the seat cinched down.
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