Baby seat don't laugh - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

99Boxster · 06-09-2006, 10:05 AM

...to buy the f ing deactivation kit but 10 weeks after I ordered it, after repeatedly asking the dealership when it would be delivered, I was told that "Porsche has decided to get out of the car seat business." The dealership then went on to tell me that there are no more seats available and that I'm basically screwed. I've even resorted to threatening the dealership with litigation to get the darned airbags deactivated. Thanks to Jim, however, I have now applied for an on/off switch through the NHTSB.

By the way, the NHTSB has NOT definitively found that deactivating the airbags is necessary for children between the ages of 1 and 12. It has basically found that it might be a good idea.

So, the bottom line is that I'm not trying to save a few bucks! The safety of my children is priceless, but Porsche's monopoly on the deactivation kit, and its unavailability, has made me a bit desperate.

mach schnell · 06-09-2006, 10:25 AM

sorry if it sounded like i went off on you - i got visions of the parents who tell me their kids don't need to get vaccinated because we don't have those diseases anymore or because vaccines cause autism!!!

i haven't thoroughly read the nhtsb thing, but assuming that they didn't take 100 kids betw the ages of 1 and 12 and place them in the front seat of a car traveling over 50mphs involved in a collision to see what type of facial/head and neck trauma they suffered - the suggestion that it is a good idea sounds like CYA.

you must have 986 model - the ones that require the whole locking connector thing, eh? if you have 987 then you just need to turn the airbag off (key device in the 05 models, weight sensor in the 06+) and then any car seat will work.

at any rate, good luck. once you can put your child in the boxster, its a fun experience for him/her.

99Boxster · 06-09-2006, 02:17 PM

I know as a doctor you see first hand what trauma kids suffer, so I understand your point. I just think it's interesting that Porsche has led 986 owners to believe that the Porsche seat is the only option to deactivate the airbags. Theoretically, Porsche should have to provide the deactivation kit without the seat. Porsche, however, does not share that opinion.

Interesting medical story for you - my wife's friend was driving his 4 year old son in a Civic when he was rear-ended by an SUV. His son was in the back and was injured very severely and was going to die before an ambulance could arrive. Unbelievably, a guy on a Harley pulled up and said "everybody back I'm a cardiothoracic surgeon". The kid lived and is now fine. The doctors at the hospital said that there were only a handful of people capable of saving the kid's life in Kansas City and he was lucky enough to have one show up on his Harley. It'd be almost as cool if the doctor had been driving a Porsche. Good luck with residency.