litespd

I'm hoping maybe someone here has come across this same problem. Shortly after I bought my '10 MDX, my daughter and son in law borrowed it to take a short, weekend trip in. They have 3 year old twin daughters, so they put their car seats in the back (second row) seats. After 3 days of having the seats anchored down, it left small stretch marks in the leather where the car seats actually contacted the seat. Has anyone else had this problem, and figured out a way to keep the car seats from marring the leather X seats...a blanket under the car seats, or some other answer? I'd appreciate hearing about it...the kids are wanting to borrow my X again in a month or two.

cu2wagon

Over time, and perhaps with some conditioning, the marks should relax out.

That said, I've got a folded up bath towel underneath the car seat in the back of my car. It helps a little, but there are still some indentions. That's to be expected with as tight as a properly installed safety seat needs to be.

Carpayment4life

Those stretch marks will go away after a while, if people use the seats.
If nobody uses the middle row, then the leather won't stretch, relax, and reshape to the padding.

DJROD

I had the same issue. I use the "Brica Car Seat Guardian Plus" (that I got from BabiesRus) in both my TL and my MDX. The seat protector is sturdy and I get no "stretch marks" or scratches on my leather seats. Hopefully this helps.


Good Luck and happy new year!

NJ06RL

I have a 10 MDX and we have had car seats in there for years. I use the Prince Lionheart car seat protector - pretty durable rubber/polyurethane/plastic type material that protects the leather. Still some indentations but much less than without.

TLtrigirl

iTrader: (1)

The indentations may or may not go away. The previous owners of my MDX had kid seats in the second row. They left indentations... they are still there. I don't ride back there so it doesn't really bother me much. I have read of tricks to get the leather to shrink back up but haven't tried them.

As others have responded, they do make seat protectors for the seats. Some people also use a thick folded towel.

stxnpx

Putting any type of padding - folded up towels or blankets, etc. - under a car seat creates a safety issue. During a crash, the padding will compress upon impact, which will cause the seat to become loose due to the gap between the top of the seat and the seatbelt/straps. When the car seat rebounds, it can go farther since it's no longer tightly secured to the vehicle. A typical seatbelt with a properly installed car seat will stretch enough to allow the car seat to rotate forward 32", which helps absorb the impact. Anything that lengthens that distance is a problem. Most car seat accessories (padded shoulder straps, etc.) have not been tested in actual crash conditions and safety seat installers strongly recommend against using them for this reason.

Having said that, I have the same problem with indentations in the leather and am looking for a solution.

cu2wagon

I'm not sure I believe that.

So you're saying the car seat is free to move almost 3 feet in an accident, but a 1/2 inch of folded towel underneath will be a problem?

To me, that sounds like it is improperly installed. According to the NHTSA FAQ on the LATCH system, which has been required on nearly every car and carseat since 2002, "In general, a secure installation
means that the child safety seat will not shift more than one inch from side-to-side or front-to-back
when pulled at or near the vehicle belt path or path designated for the lower anchor straps."

So, regardless of what is installed *under* the car seat, as long as it is installed correctly and tightened correctly you should be able to protect your leather seats *and* keep your little meatsack safe. There will not be appreciable margin for compression left in the underlying layer if the seat is properly stationary when installed.

If the seat moves more than 1 inch when installed, it needs to be tightened more - with or without (and regardless of) something between the car seat and seat.

Eh, I'm probably over thinking it.

It's be easier to change my opinion to "can't be done, live with the leather creases", so I think that's what I'll go with from now on.

Sorry OP, it can't be done. You just need to live with the leather creases. Anything you try to do to minimize the creases will instantly kill your kid the moment they sit in the seat. Don't take that risk, man.

stxnpx

Sorry, I should have clarified that padding shouldn't be added under a car seat that is NOT using the LATCH system (which, unfortunately, is still not used with a lot of seats due to various reasons including some car seats being too wide to fit beside each other in some vehicles, even when it's available). Yes, without LATCH, a car seat is free to pivot forward 32" in an accident. I understand your skepticism; I was shocked when I first heard that statistic and, as a parent, it made car seat installation much more of a pain for me, pre-LATCH. Seatbelts stretch, which helps to distribute the force in a crash. The advice to not place any padding beneath a car seat (this doesn't refer to a rolled-up towel or swim noodle filling the gap where the seat cushions meet) or between the child and the car seat restraints has been standard for years. The goal is to have the car seat remain as integrated with the vehicle as possible; any extra padding will allow for extra seat compression upon impact, allowing the car seat to move even more freely.

I learned this as a paramedic and have been through the child safety seat technician course. Whether or not to take the advice is an individual choice, but anyone responsible for a child passenger should be aware of it in order to make an informed decision based on their particular situation.

karlmax

I put a towel under a car seat before and had no problems. Just make make sure that you secure the seat tightly enough so it won't move.

SlimTL

This is what I use in my X.
Brica Car Seat Guardian Plus - Tan - Brica - Babies "R" Us



Can also be found cheaper at Target:

Brica Seat Guardian? Car Seat Protector -Gray : Target

sktn77a

I have it on good authority (my wife and mother of my three children) that the stretch marks will eventually go away.........................

WNY PAT

We had the seats and bases in our 2013 MDX and over time, with some conditioner, they've gone away.