Kids seat installation - 996.2

Just joined the club, and going straight to kids seat installation. Managed to install the seat yesterday, Cut the carpet to expose the top tether's which wasn't easy, as there were no perforations in mine. Has anyone here removed the back rest as mentioned in other forums? Is there anything illegal or dangerous about doing this? Interesting thing is i found my car has installed in the front passenger seat, airbag deactivation bar, but i'm unsure if using that is legal here.  I believe kids under 6 need to be in the back seat.

I am part of that undeniably envied kiddie seat club. I removed the rear passenger back seat (velcro bottom and unbolted the backrest) and the rear drivers seat is in tact for the 10years old. As long as the seat is securely tethered on the hook, it is compliant to my understanding.  The booster i have is a narrow based "babylove ? i think " and fits well without the backrest and base etc.

I didn't need to remove any part of the seat to fit either the toddlers seat or the booster seat. Not sure why you would need to?

A child can be in the front seat providing that there are no other available seats. Installing kids seats securely should be the priority so if that means removing the rear backrest for a better fit then so be it. I've just recently set up an older 911 for my twin boys (4 yo) in a car that had previously had a rear seat "delete". I decided not to bother with the bum cushion (not sure of its proper name!) or the backrest as they don't benefit the install of the child seat. There a few guys with 996 that have child seats installed, @TrevMcRev @Simonk maybe able to assist?

I believe that because your car is registered as a 4 seater, the kids must be in the back, unless you have 3 kids, then you're allowed one in the front I also made the executive decision to not run the booster for Tara when she was 6 years old. A couple times I had to brake hard and she hit her face on the front seat because the booster has them too close. The belt still sits nicely across her shoulder with nothing. She obviously doesn't benefit from the side protection that a booster seat offers. The 4 yo, nearly 5, now sits on a booster cushion  rather than a full booster seat for the same reason as above. It provides much more forward room between their head and front seat while still allowing the seat belt to sit properly across his shoulder.

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I had a pair of Recaro ProBoosters in the back of the 996.2. The narrow fit at the base allowed them to fit perfect within the existing 996 rear seats. But most importantly the embroidered Recaro logo on the sides of the headrest showing through the rear quarter windows looked pimp. Oh, and they were supposed to be one of the safest kids seats available, but not available in Australia.  I imported them from the US. Edited 1May, 2017 by TrevMcRev

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so it sits snugly in the mold of the rear seat and your kids will not hit the seat infront of them if you brake hard. The booster cushions are illegal to sell now but legal to use (?)  for the reason that it will side out on impact or hard braking.

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if you remove the rear part of the seat, there's no support for the rear of the booster seat. I don't think removing the base would provide any extra room for the base of the booster/car seat. No matter what type of current style booster seat, there is not enough room in front  to avoid them hitting the front seat when braking hard. A toddler seat is ok because the harness holds them in tighter. The reality is, once your kids are out of a harness, they cannot sit still and the chance of them sitting up straight with the belt sitting correctly on their shoulder is small. Correct, booster cushion is legal to use but don't meet current standards so cannot be bought new.

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A narrow booster fits in the mold of the rear seat. The booster is almost reclined and with ample distance to the front seat. The base fits in the tub, it is basically a mini seat. The larger boosters with armrests will not work, they will hit the gearbox and rear side trim and the majority of boosters have a raised base. I wanted to get a cushion but no one sold them other than o.s ebay, so I went for a hunt of the smallest /narrow booster and it fits very well. Entertained the idea of a recaro but didn't want to have some legal crap/ on top of the trauma if ever in an accident. (touch wood) A small narrow booster works very well (no seat belt clip extension etc) and a booster cushion is ideal. Edited 1May, 2017 by Macca

my kid is 3, so still in a full forward facing seat with 5 points harness. It has full "structure" to the seat so i believe the back will still provide enough support in the event of a rear ending without the backrest. (however i am not sure hence the question). i think some boosters may not have full "back" support/structure. The seat fits fine (an older goSafe seat) without the backrest removed but it's in the full upright position to "match" the backrest but does feel nice and secure this way.  Leaning it back more decreases legroom plus leaves a little hole in the bottom, and just doesn't feel as secure. With the backrest removed i think i could get it slightly more comfortable/secure, and add more space for them, however it'll leave the top part of the seat "exposed" i guess. Yeah i wont bother with the front seat. Edited 1May, 2017 by quasio

I'd leave the back of the seat in and the child seat in the upright position. That's how I had mine when the kids were younger. I left them in it for as long as possible as this was definitely the safest option for them. I had it on the passenger side with the front seat as far forward as comfortably possible for the front passenger.

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This is what I did as well. Oldest just turned seven, so out of the booster now, but the 4yo's safensound fits in well on the other side.

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That's awesome I felt the need to google this and found that particular one looks to have been discontinued but here is a similar looking one: https://www.amazon.com/RECARO-Performance-Combination-Harness-Booster/dp/B00B507DN6/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1493691353&sr=1-1&keywords=recaro&th=1 Yet to cross this bridge but when I do i'll definitely be getting a recaro one! Edited 2May, 2017 by dan_189

Pic of the "Matty Mac" throne.

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Looks like it has less impact on rear window visibility than my 5 year old's booster that sits on the rear seats. PS - love the hot wheels sticker

I finally found a seat for my 996 c4s it's a britax one and it fits perfect and it suitable for six months old to 8 years old. My 2 year old fits good and the wife doesn't have to sit so far forward anymore. https://www.britax.com.au/car-seats/britax-safe-n-sound-maxi-guard-pro/

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You can get a separate harness that is pretty much like a toddler seat harness which can be used in conjunction with a booster seat (or just the normal back seat), I have one but have never used it as my son does sit still and not move around (plus plenty of room in the ML). I bought a toddler seat that was designed to suit kids up to 7 (Safe n Sound Maxi Rider AHR), my son who is now 6 1/2 has been in this since he was 6 months old - it sort of grows with him - he just fits in it now and I can hopefully put him straight in the back seat of the 928 with said harness above when he finally out grows it .

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Odd that an Aussie car has this (assume yours is Aussie?) as I do believe that any car imported into Aus had this feature disabled (a euro feature). I also think that it is illegal to disable in Aus, and if you cannot disable a passenger airbag there is no way I would put a child in the front seat, the airbag could seriously harm them!

It's a UK car. I'm still not that happy with the installation of my seat. It's not as tight as i'd like it to be, mainly because the top thether has to come down around the back rest to not have the seat super upright, which means a little more room for it to move. might need to do the roll of towel trick to firm it all up.

I use a couple of towels to both protect the leather and to make it more snug (I know it's a 928 but....) I also push the seat forward a bit.

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Do you still have them?

Thanks for all the replies here peeps, much appreciated.

Has anyone found a rear facing kid seat that fits in a 996 with a useable front seat still? My girl is six months but would ideally like to keep her rear facing for another couple years.

Hi all, sharing my rear facing child/baby seat experience here since there is a lack of information about this anywhere. I have a 5 month old daughter and took her for her first ride in our C4S over the weekend. Car: 2004 996.2 Carrera 4S coupe Child/Baby Seat: Cybex Cloud Q with base Installation: (rear passenger side seat) 1. remove rear seat base 2. I had a spare maxi-cosi deluxe seat protector which I folded in half and placed under the Cybex seat base 3. install seat base on top of protector according to cybex instructions including the tether hooked onto anchor points on the rear shelf behind rear seats. Notes: 1. getting the capsule in and out was as easy as any other vehicle (best winding your window all the way down for narrow parking spots for extra clearance) 2. placing the baby into the capsule already in place is best done from the drivers side of the car 3. there is little to no leg room for anyone to sit in the front passenger seat once the rear facing capsule is in place (yet to mess around with the seat further to see if I can fit an adult there) 4. Frunk does not fit my travel stroller; Joolz aer+, so it sat in the passenger seat instead. I suspect if I remove the false floor, tools and spare wheel from the frunk for the added depth the stroller will fit.

Thanks for the post - certainly hard finding info online for our market given the additional safety standards compared to the US and Europe. FYI I have the Nuna LX travel stroller and it just fits in my 997.2’s frunk without needing to remove anything (not sure if it’s the same size as 996). Once you’re ready for forward facing I found the Maxi Cosi Pria LX is the only available option that meets AUS standards in the 12m - 4 yrs range. It’s the narrowest on the market and also has a V shaped profile so should also fit the 996. Doesn’t leave your front passenger with a lot of leg room though.

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Amazing, did you go forward facing right away? Lots of mixed opinions about going forward facing before 2YO