Paul SLC

The airbag should disable if the weight sensing passenger seat senses a child or light adult in the seat. In addition, Porsche sells a deactivation unit which shuts off the bag via the car key.
Anyone here trust the weight sensors to drive their pre-teens around? Is the key deactivation stil necessary? Do the weight sensors work predictably in your experience?
Thanks-

Eggplant Cab

I saw the key deactivation device in Germany. It's on the side of the dash on the passenger side. If you use your car often with your young child and they must sit in front, get the switch and a bolster so their legs can hang over the edge. It's safer to put any child in the back seat of the P car. The short seat allows the lower leg to hang over the edge without bolsters. It also depends on the laws of your state/country.

Paul SLC

Agreed, the back seat is safer in most cars although without headrests back there I'm not so sure.
However, I'm talking about my soon-to-be 11 yo girl and 8 yo boy, not toddlers. I have purchased the key deactivation dealio, but haven't had it installed yet. Just wondering if it is necessary since the sensors should work automatically to disable the airbag. (kids don't weigh over 65 lbs)
They won't be in the front seat very often regardless.

Eggplant Cab

Well, I had switches installed for all my cars while my daughter grew up. We don't have it for this car because she will sit at the back only since we don't use this car with her in it much anyway.
But I'll say this, the switch is a back up safety. I've been told off by some mothers that any child under 80lbs should have some sort of child restraint system. I've been doing some research and they maaayyy be right.

jcnesq

I'm having the deactivation key installed today. But I thought only early models required it (I have a launch car), and that later models have it built in - or is that the seat sensor you are talking about and do some still install the key device also??

Remember in California you MUST have kids in the back seats unless its not possible (i.e. no back seats, too many kids, etc.). I never thought I could get both the little ones in the back, but discovered this past weekend that I can. But I already had the parts for the deactivation kit and decided to install it anyway.

gravedgr

How tough is it to get kids in and out of the back seat. We just found out we're expecting our first in January, and I have an '07 C2S on order. My wife's car is the primary family hauler, but I'm sure we'll have to use mine from time to time.

THPorsche

Man, congratulation!

THPorsche

I believe all 06 and beyond models have the automatic switch. Because of the awkward angle of the back of the rear seat in the Cab, I have my 5 years old sits in the front all the time. I know it is against the law in California but the law did say it’s okay if I cannot have the carseat "secure" installed in the rear.

dstrimbu

My '06 C4S has the auto-sensing switch in the passenger seat. When the passenger side bags are deactivated a light comes on, on the center console below and to the right of the shifter...

I haven't experimented as to the weight limits, but I would imagine that a child + a car seat might tip the balance back to activate the airbags... for safety's sake, I believe that I'd add the key deactivation switch.

I don't have this issue - both of my kids are in high school (and my son is bigger than me!). <g>

Congrats, Gravedgr! Be nice to the wife-unit, she'll appreciate your kindness...

-ds

gravedgr

Thanks for the congrats. We lost the baby early on our first attempt, and I know how common that is, but we're trying not to get to excited too soon this time. Went for an ultrasound and got to see the heartbeat @ 6.5 weeks yesterday. Probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

jcnesq

I take my 4 y/o daughter everywhere - no problem really to get her in the back seat behind the passenger (but a little tight if my wife is in front). My son turns 1 tomorrow and just got him in the forward facing car seat behind the passenger, and my 4 y/o behind me in a Britax Starriser.

With a rear facing infant seat, you will have to have the passenger seat fairly far forward, but it should work.

Yeh, its a little extra effort stooping to get them in, but well worth it. Amazing to have a sports car of this calibre and still have a "family car"!!

BTW, congratulations and hope all goes well throughout the pregnancy and delivery!

gravedgr

Jim - thanks! IIRC, there is no seat available for 0-12 months, only for 1+ years - do you know if this is correct?

BiggerTwin

My 6 year old, with or without his car seat, automatically deactivates the airbags in my 06 Cayman S. The bags go on and off with my 11 year old and we can't really figure out why. He obviously must be right at the cutoff weight.

I saw an accident last year in NYC where the mother's car was hit broadside and the child in the rear seat in a child seat was killed. If the child were in the front seat he or she would have survived. An editorial in Car and Driver a few years ago pointed out that of the 100 reported airbag fatalities all but a couple were not wearing seat belts. The editor reasoned that a child securely fastened in the front seat with the seat all the way back wasn't likely to get killed by an airbag. Last week I saw an adult lady sleeping in the front passenger seat of an Audi with her head on the widow sill. If the side airbag went off she would be a fatality. Years of experience have led me to believe that people are basically stupid and/or careless. I have highly educated friends who couldn’t securely fasten a child seat in the back of their car. If you use your head and secure your kids a safe distance from the dash and door, they should grow up just fine. I rode home from the hospital when I was born in my mothers arms, without seat belts, and with a hard metal dashboard in front of us. There were no bicycle helmets or 911 emergency responders. Russia had nuclear missiles in Cuba. We all made it to adulthood anyway.

Alan

jcnesq

Not sure if you mean Porsche brand seat or in general. Basically there is no reason to get the typically overpriced Porsche seats (but I vaguely recall that, at least in the past, they had an infant (<12 mos.) seat. The trick is to find something that fits in the back seat, i.e. with a narrow base. If you have a Babies R Us or similar baby superstore near you, the best idea is to go there and try out various seats before you buy.

BiggerTwin

I believe Britax makes most if not all of the Porsche seats. They don't have the cutoff buckle for the older Porsches but they are much cheaper at baby stores than at Porsche dealers.

Alan