Child Seat anchor points in a T5 Crewvan ?

[BobRonk]

I recently bought a 2006 Transporter Crewvan, can anyone tell me if they have anchor points for Child Seats? I can't see any and the VW dealer wasn't much help. Nothing in Handbook, only information on the ISOFIX system which I don't think it has either. Maybe because it's a commercial vehicle? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I was hoping to avoid fitting a Crab Bar. Cheers BR

[Umai Naa!!]

Should be on the back of the seat.

[BobRonk]

thank you for the reply but can't see any thing on the back of the seat?

[Sunny43.5]

Whilst I am not familiar with the crewman their are some vehicles that are not required to have child restraints fitted , there are some strange regulations in regards to different cars etc and unless the manufacture puts them in then they are not in the car . I used to do a lot of child restraint fitting back 12 years ago and a lot of the commercial vehicles did not have them . There are quite a few specialists that can retro fit some for you , you should look behind the seat on the back wall or floor for some plugs that may conceal the threaded nuts for this purpose there has to be at least 3 if its a 3 seater back seat also check on the back of the seat backrest they can sometimes be in there as well . Whatever you do do not just think you can bolt a anchor point into the body behind the seat as the backrest would not have been built to withstand the forward loads in an accident , this could result in a serious accident . IF you look on the compliance plate there should be a vehicle code which would identify the cars category , if you then contact your local transport department they should be able to help , also have alook here iot might help as well http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roa...ry_M_Group.pdf

[Andrew123]

I have a 2006 Transporter Crewvan and have two child anchorage points.(factory seat) The anchorage points have been added after market. My Van was purchased by previous owner from Burwin(in Victoria) and I suspect anchorage points fitted by vehquip.
Very simple, normal anchorage bracket bolted to steel rail at bottom of seat. Pop rivet also in side to stop anchorage turning. Would require taping steel bar in seat.

[BobRonk]

Thanks for your help guys, really appreciate it.
My van was also originally purchase at Burwin by my neighbour, I'll give them and vehquip a call and see if they can recommend any one closer to Newcastle. Would be great if the seat can be fitted with anchor point rather than drilling and bolting to the inside pillars. Will also check with the local transport department. Thanks BR

[Skoda VW]

I was looking at getting a 2008 crewvan this year as a second car. When I looked for child seat points it didn't have any. Did some research and I would of had to get a CRAB (Child Restraint Anchorage Bar) fitted. Was going to cost around $300 - $400 to get fitted.

[Tornado T5]

I was looking at getting a 2008 crewvan this year as a second car. When I looked for child seat points it didn't have any. Did some research and I would of had to get a CRAB (Child Restraint Anchorage Bar) fitted. Was going to cost around $300 - $400 to get fitted.

Maybe an engineers report stating compliance to a fitted anchor point somewhere on to the factory 2nd row frame might get you out of trouble with needing to fit a CRAB bar although the overall cost might be the same. From memory the 2nd row Crewvan seats frames and particularly base frames are quite large tubular pieces of greater guage then the CRAB bar I fitted to my old T4.

[Sunny43.5]

Not wanting to put a dampener on that idea Tornado the main problem is that even though the frames are sometimes to the untrained eye quite large its the way the inertia G forces are applied is what counts . When seats are tested for ADR compliance they have to withstand ten times there own weight so if for instance a seat backrest that weighs say 25 kgs is separate from the cushion or is able to pivot has to withstand a load of 250kgs in a 56kmh collision .Some seats are only anchored at each end with no latches at the middle . Now if you just bolt a child anchor point onto the back of the seat or on the floor then the load of a child in each position say three could in theory add another 750 plus kgs of load at the very top of the seat this could result in the seat back lock or however its attached to fail the seat back and the children would then move forward with dire consequeneces . There are various methods to over come this problem the C.R.A.B bar was the most popular we used to fit, it bridges between the side walls just below the top and behind the back rest it will be able to have 3 anchor points fitted .Whats important here is "IT" has been load tested regardless of how it may look . There are also what are called dual cab devices for a single fitting but they don,.t work in some cars . Now engineers "could" ascertain if it was possible but unless they were able to test or get test information then I doubt they would risk their license . Unless VW put them in the backrest at factory then I would suggest that it is not an option . When we used to do this work many years ago I lost count of how many people would say I,m not paying $260 for a CRAB bar , it,s only for the kids . My retort was how much value do you place on your kids life hopefully it was a lot more than the dollar value of the CRAB bar .

[Tornado T5]

I did start by saying "an engineers report" thus certifying the installation.

[BobRonk]

Just to give you an update with this. I have spoken to a company that specialises in modification to 4x4 and vans, extra seats etc. They recently had a crewvan in and thought the rear seat was more than sufficient to use for the anchor points and it's very well built. Unfortunately, without the help of VW (that weren't interested) they were unable to get the anchor points engineered as they would need the seat specifications or test information as Sunny43.5 mentions above. SO the options are ether a CRAB bar, anchor points fitted above the boot lid with extra long straps or a new seat fitted with anchor points already installed.

Would have been easier and probably cheaper to buy a 2/3 seat transporter panelvan then adding side windows and a rear seat myself.
Oh well, still pleased I bought A T5 just should have done my research first I suppose. Thanks for everyones help
Cheers BR

[BobRonk]

After a few more phone calls and a visit to someone that installs additional seats, seat belts and anchor points. It now seems like there isn't a problem with fastening the anchor points directly to the seat. Something to do with the fact the seat has a 3 point retractable seat belt installed means it's more than sufficient to fit the anchor point to the base of the seat. Cheers BR

[Sunny43.5]

I did not realize that the rear seat of the crewman had retractable seatbelts fitted and then the information may well be all good , still it would pay to have certified person give you some paper work as insurance companies are the main issue if there was a claim or injury , good luck I hope it works out for you >

[Zaskar]

child seat in crewvan

I have a 2012 Crewvan, and also found it didn't have anchor points or retractable & locking seatbelts like our passenger car has. The dealer had completely no idea & was of utterly no help. On further investigation, the fixed D loops in the flor of the Van are bolted into the chassis and are suitable as anchor points for the top strap. I use a 'I' seatbelt adapter bracket available at Repco for about $10 to secure the child seat to the crewvan seat.

While I've not had it tested, it feels very solid, and works the same way as a child seat in an older model car. It's very solid. We're expecting another child next year, I'll be doing the same for a baby seat in due course.. unless I see evidence to the contrary.

After a few more phone calls and a visit to someone that installs additional seats, seat belts and anchor points. It now seems like there isn't a problem with fastening the anchor points directly to the seat. Something to do with the fact the seat has a 3 point retractable seat belt installed means it's more than sufficient to fit the anchor point to the base of the seat. Cheers BR

[Sunny43.5]

Just as a matter of interest you should use approved anchor points or fittings the "D" loops are normally fitted to vans etc for luggage and even though they are bolted through the chassis the loops are sometimes only pressed into the pivot part and the join is not welded so it could let go in an accident . Please guys I spent many years doing this work for a living and there is a lot more to the issue than just using the D loop etc . Your children's lives are more valuable than you think so please use due diligence .