Anyone used an Australian Child Seat in France, Europe Car?

Peter 14.7

Peter 14.7

Hello Travelled SStians.

Off to Europe in a few days and we are seriously considering taking our child seat with us for use in taxi and hire car. So does anyone know if the clips are the same? The hire car is VW Golf.

In case you wondering why bother:confused:, it is because websites seem to only have booster cushons not seats and no overhand straps which we feel is essential for 4 year old weighing 20kg. We are also told taxi/chaffeur services can refuse a child if they dont have the gear, or say they dont:mad:, we have even experienced this is Sydney.

Any comments urgently welcome, we go Monday.:eek:

Peter 14.7
 
Why not call a VW dealer and find out?

Unless the car is different here to there, not sure. But it can't hurt to try?

You don't have to explain to them why you want to know, perhaps you have just bought a new beaut one and don't want to have to get another because you need a new car. :D
 
Thanks Little Skater.

Thinking of that one. Trouble is Aust has very high standards for child restraint, so unless I can ask a German if could be difficult. I could always call France. Aust chaffuer are happy to let you use your own seat.

Peter
 
Can't you just hire one with the car?

That's what we do when we hire a car (in Australia). You usually need to adjust straps & stuff, or get the bloke to fix it, but at least you know it fits.
 
My limited understanding is that the fixation points are different in Europe. They don't use the overhead strap to the roof. But the system they do use, at least in Scandinavia and Germany is supposed to be much safer than our system, again in my limited understanding. Actually, its a bit of a fallacy that our restraint laws are stricter... I think they keep kids in tethered booster seats longer than we do in Australia, so you may find that the booster seat is slightly different to what we have here as well.
the staff in Europcar in Germany can usually speak good English, so you could try calling them directly.
If you can't get any info, let me know and I'll see if I can track down one of my German colleagues and get some info from them,
cheers
Pen
 
You can hire for about $50 AUD but that not the issue so much:

1. as when we surf we get to types of seat for child her age.

Booster Seat (as in Aus) and Booster Base only. We dont want Base only as all that does is raise the chld and provide no serious protection in a roll over.

2. Also seat vary in quality/design. You can legally use a extrided foam shape even in Aus with no overhead straps, simply the lap sash at 4. Flip a car and that is useless. We have moulded plastic seat with sidecushions, head restraints, and harness over to make it a four point harness.

3. We are going business class so we get complimentary limo transfers but seats are not guaranteed. Limo may have one, it may not? No way to tell before. But if not, limo gone and we pay $$$ EU for taxi or rail it.

So I assume all clips are the same in France so Limo would be same as VW Golf. Who knows, limo could be VW Golf:D Times being tough in Europe:p

thanks Peter
 
Thanks Penny.

Europecar France sounds like a good idea. Will call now. My comment on safety was friend went to France, bought seats there, brought them back and no allowed in AUS?

We could of course, leave dear daughter home, :cool:the ship has sailed:rolleyes:

Peter
 
Europe uses isofix/latch systems. Australia doesn't as far as I know. Isofix systems are universal and makes it idiot proof. They do have tether straps but it's usually attached to the back of the seat.

Alot of international carseats give option of using a normal seatbelt not sure about Aust.
 
A little off topic, but this reminds me of a trip we took to Malta a few years back. Our daughter was only 7 months old at the time so we requested a child seat in the hire car. When we got the car4, the child seat was occy strapped to the back seat!!:eek: They do things different in Malta!:p

Boods
 
It's a huge fallacy that the Australia system is the best. The Isofix system is far better than our Australian system. It's more secure, with no risk of dodgy fittings. While in Queensland you need to get the fittings professionally installed, I believe that in the rest of the country you can do it yourself.

Of course all new cars in Australia have the fittings factory-fitted, but older cars often don't, so it's making a risky situation even worse.

The true benefit of the Australian standard is that it's one standard, at a reasonably high level. (notwithstanding the issue with older cars)

As a parent of two young boys, I really wish I could use Isofix seats, but they can't be sold here.

Incidentally, whereas European seats (when using Isofix) are better, it's a lot worse in the US, where they just use the seatbelt with no tether.

Cheers
Jonathon
 
Oh, getting back to the original question, I don't believe that European cars will have the tether fittings installed.

Perhaps buy yourself a seat online and have it delivered to your hotel, so you have it from day one?
 
Bonjour All from Marseille France.

Ok, we chose to take with us. It obviously clipped AOK into the Aussie Statesman Limo. On arrival in Paris Charles de Gaulle it also clipped AOK in to the new, one week old E Class Merc. Very nice and glad we have the limo service as the trip took 1 hr from airport to Paris Central and we have 7 bags. 3 on hold plus seat and 3 carry on. FYI we plastic wrapped seat in Aus and it arrived not a scratch, in fact bloody hard to undo that stuff with only keys.

Paris we staying in hotel in the centre so we walked, metro and short cabbed. Despite rules of child seats required, no cabbie pulled seat out or refused us entry. We only cabbed twice.

We had a 5 day metro pass and that is lot easier except the stairs. Paris is lovely but if disabled you are in the wrong city. Stairs are everywhere, and often three sets to get to the train level.

Marseille is, well, err, crap. Thus we escaped to Cassis, an authentic village on the Mediterranean, between cliffs and castles and stayed a night there. Now back in Hotel in Marseille and get the car tomorrow for Provence.

So notes to those interested, traveling France ( I suppose anywhere) with 4 year was/is/still is a really dumb idea.

She is very good but simply exhausted from being up from 9am to 9pm every day and walking literally kilometers, except when daddy carries her, which is 30% of the time. So despite gorging on hot chocolates, truffles, croissants and bread I am sure I have lost 5kg with the walking. No kidding.

Thanks to all for the feedback and if I get the chance will report success of otherwise with VW Golf Hire car.

Peter
 
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