Robert Collins - 96 993TT

and no I'm not talking about me being the child up front!!

O.K., first off, I have done a search and I'm not finding any answers. I know my two options are as follows:

1) Get the letter of approval from the NHTSA and have a non-Porsche air bag on-off switch installed in my car. I already have the letter and my mechanic said he would install it for me.

2) Purchase the Porsche child seat with the system that plugs intot eh seat belt and bypasses the airbag.

Here are my problems:

1) I can use the non-Porsche system, but I want to make sure it is installed right. My mechanic said you don't have to hook it up to the actual airbag since you can hook the switch up in the same way the factory system is set up. Is this correct or not?

2) The dealer said they do not make a seat with a bypass system for the 993 anymore. If there is one out there that fits our cars, what is the name of it and where is the best place to get one?

Anyone got any ideas which seat works for the 993 airbag bypass (even if it is a 996 design)? or should I just go with the other type of bypass switch?

Thanks
Robert

Felix

Have a look at https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...irbag+resistor

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

HA HA HA!!!! LOL! THat's my post from the first time I researched this!!! I was going to get one in the Cabriolet and actually got the approval letter, but sold the car before I gpot it installed. Then I got the TT, but the VIN# didn't match on the leeter, so I had to go through the whole process again.

Thanks.

Felix

Now I'm laughing as well; I never looked to see who started the thread!

pstoppani

I went with option 2. I found a used 993 child seat to get the buckle and got the Porsche airbag disabler from the dealer (this was last year so I'd expect them to still offer them; it is the seats that you can't get from the dealer anymore and you need the buckle from the seat to disable the airbag).

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

Well, Felix, you just never know who might start a great thread!!

Pete, I went ahead and ordered the part from www.airbagonoff.com because it sounds like it is more concealed and easier to use. Although, if I had thoght I could find the Porsche factory parts, I may have dealt with inconvenience to keep it all-Porsche.

Regardless, the switch is on its way to be installed on Friday!!! I am sure it will be fine as many others on Rennlist have the switch. I can tell you one thing, the kids are going to be happy!! My six year old has known about this switch since I was going to put one in my 1996 993 C2 cab two years ago, and he STILL asks me about it every time we go for a ride.

911/Q45

I thought the air bag/child seat deal applied to rear facing infant seats, not booster seats for older kids. It seems like the older kids would benefit from an airbag in a crash.

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

I am no physicist, but I think it has to do with the weight ratio of the human to the pounds of pressure at which the airbag deploys. A five foot woman weighing 100 pounds will still have more inertia carrying her forward than a five year old weighing 45 pounds.

Again, I am guessing that the reasoning is because the force of the impact is too much for a small child to handle. Not to mention the fact that the bag is supposed to hit you in the face and chest together. A small child would probably be getting a direct shot to the head.

Just my completely uneducated guess.

Robert Collins - 96 993TT

Well guys, I installled the airbag switch with no problems. My Porsche mechanic was able to install it in about 1.5 hours with no glitches. He said to make the install top notch, he needed to use some of his own supplies, as he felt the connectors that come with the switch are kind of cheap.

We installed it in the glove box, so it is a stealth install like many others on the board have done. I will try and post pictures of it this weekend when I have to get out and take some pics.

For those near Nashville (Greg), my mechanic said he would do the install for $150 total (That's less than 2 hours labor, including his own connectors and pieces).

Thanks for everyone's input and help. This was by far the cheapest, most flexible and best way to go