Thank you for making this video. Constructive feedback: 2mins in, we're still talking about how hard it is to use the center-seat and latch, latch, latch, latch. 4 mins in, use seat-belt; leather is slippery, no to covers. 6mins in, we're talking about movement, challenges etc. This entire video could likely be condensed into 5-8 minutes without the repetitive fluff. 8mins in, I gave up. Slippery leather, car seat moves, narrow place. Over and over and over. The first 8 minutes could be one minute.
@carseatsite Hi Heather- Thanks so much for this helpful video! Do you have a recommendation for how to anchor the seat in either the left or right seating position? When I’ve tried it, the anchor strap just slips off the headrest.
@Kathy Chan Hi Kathy! I assume you're talking about the top tether for a forward-facing installation? This is the strap at the top back of the carseat. For outboard (outside) positions, this strap is routed around the outside of the headrest on the side closest to the door. I have some pics of forward-facing carseats on my website here: carseatsite.com/teslavehiclesandcarseats/#Model%203.
@@CarSeatSite Thanks so much for the fast response! Yes, the top tether for a forward facing installation. I’ve tried to route to the side but then the car seat seems to shift. Would you recommend the outboard position or center seat as being more secure in the model 3?
@@user-te9fj4ne1c Definitely the outboard for a more secure installation. If it's shifting, there may be a couple of things going on. How much is the seat moving when you tug on it at the belt path? Which carseat are you trying to install?
I've got two diono radians (forward facing for my 3 and 5 year olds) and an uppababy Mesa. I'm struggling going three across. I was thinking the Mesa behind the passenger, and then the Diono's in the middle and behind the driver. Any suggestions? The edges of the outside seats cushion up a bit so its hard to get the car seats to sit straight.
Hi Adam. This is a tough one! Sometimes 3-across works better when you stagger the seats FF-RF-FF. Definitely make sure you're installing all carseats with the seat belts since that gives you greater flexibility in moving them vs. LATCH, which fixes them in one position where the lower anchors are. And FWIW, I gave up trying to get my Radian installed in the center position because it was too difficult. It needs to move less than 1" when you give it a tug (handshake strength) at the belt path) and it's not a seat that someone with average weight and strength can install in the center. As a last resort, you could try a Graco SlimFit3 LX/True3Fit instead of one or both of the Dionos. Since it has a different shape, it may work better for you and it does fit in the car. You can see 3 of them when I installed them for my review here: carseatblog.com/52131/slimfit3lxreview.
@CarSeatSite - do you have any idea if the Klippan Triofix would fit in the passenger seat of a Model 3? It's supposed to be one of the smaller rear facing car seats... Or do you know in general if the passenger seat is particularly small or difficult to put a child seat on? Model 3 ordered but not delivered yet and hunting for a new rear and front facing seat for 3 year old who is 12 kg now (and needs to be with seat belt attachment).
Hi Glynis. I'm unfamiliar with Euro carseats, so I can't tell you if it would work or not. What I have found with American/Canadian seats is that on the passenger side, there tends to be a surprising amount of space for the front passenger when there's a carseat behind them. It's the center seat of the Model 3 that's really terrible for carseats because it's small width-wise and overlaps the driver side (left-hand drive) buckle.
What are your thoughts on using a locking clip for a rear facing middle seat installation? I was able to snug it up pretty good using your tips, but eventually the shoulder belt started pulling up on one side causing the seat to sit at a slight angle instead of being level.
Hi Kenneth. You certainly can use a locking clip if you know how to use one correctly. They are a more advanced and difficult thing to do in the carseating world but it’s a get-it-on-there-and-it’s-done thing.
I have the same issue. Car seat is very tight per your great instructions, but is sitting at a slight angle towards the driver back seat. Is the locking clip how to resolve this issue? Which one should I use or any links for suggestions?
@@xanth3459 A locking clip would eliminate the tipping problem. You can contact your carseat manufacturer for one. Some people prefer to keep reinstalling the carseat to not have to deal with a locking clip whereas others prefer the locking clip one-and-done solution. You *will* need help installing the locking clip should you go that route. I think that middle seating position takes 2 average people for that installation: one to get the pressure on the carseat and the other to install the clip.
We recently tried to add a third carseat in the back of our model 3 without luck. I know that others have done it, but I am not sure what carseats they were using. Which carseats would you recommend? We've got a 5 year old in a booster, 2 year old and will have an infant in a few months.
Hi Heidi. Indeed, the Model 3 backseat is horrendous for 3-across 😣. You will probably need 3 new carseats, unfortunately, unless you happen to have the skinniest of carseats, which most people don't shop for initially. Is your 5 yr old in a harness-to-booster seat or a true belt-positioning booster seat? That will make a huge difference in my recommendations. For your 2 yr old, I recommend the Graco SlimFit3 LX/True3Fit LX (amzn.to/3KAkYQ9). This isn't the SlimFit (ugh, Graco!) with the gray base. The SlimFit3 LX/True3Fit LX (True3Fit LX is at Walmart) is super narrow. It'll take some work to get it in the center, but that's where I'd put it personally. You could also try behind the driver since your 2 yr old can be more upright than a newborn. Most Model 3 owners think the end-all, be-all of narrow carseats is the Diono Radian, but it's a brand in general I steer parents away from for carseats. They take up a huge amount of space front-to-back when rear-facing, don't fit infants well, and have lots of rules you must remember to follow (lower this foot, use this strap, only use if there's a headrest behind the seat, etc.). And most people don't install them correctly. If you have one already, keep it! But make sure you're using it correctly (I have some pics here: carseatsite.com/teslavehiclesandcarseats/#Model%203). For your infant, the Clek Liing ( amzn.to/3OGnJmx) falls into the super skinny rear-facing only category. Unfortunately for this seat, skinny comes at a price. Another narrow infant seat is the Chicco KeyFit 30 (amzn.to/3LyI6jB), but it's not quite as narrow as the Liing. Once you let me know about your oldest, I can make a recommendation there. 😊
@@CarSeatSite Our 5 year old is in a chicco gofit backless booster. We've got a chicco keyfit 30 for baby and my 2 year old is currently in an evenflo tribute.
Heidi, the Tribute is usually a narrow carseat, but when we're talking millimeters that make a difference, it matters. Depending on when the new baby comes, you might be able to wait until Amazon has its Prime Day sale and see if the SlimFit3 LX goes on sale; it did last year. If your 5 yr old is over 50 lbs., the Graco Right Guide is the booster of choice. If not, the Cosco Rise is narrow too.
@CarSeatSite - can you recommend a rear facing (preferably convertible or one that lasts up to 20months of age) infant car seat for a Model 3 that has tall front seat passengers?
@K, are you starting out with a newborn or a child moving from an infant seat to a convertible? The Britax ClickTight convertibles-Boulevard or Marathon-would be a good choice for fitting in the center of the back seat. I do find you can fit a lot of carseats RF behind the passenger seat because there's so much legroom up front there. The Nuna Rava is expensive but easy to install and compact front-to-back. The Graco 4Ever DLX SnugLock is another that should work well. I have a list of carseats with some features listed as well to help you. I've tried most of them in our Model 3. carseatsite.com/recommendedcarseats/
@@CarSeatSite thank you! We are staring out with a newborn but would like to keep rear facing for two years as that's our local safety recommendation. We will have a6ft person fitting in the driver and front passenger seat so it could be tricky!
