1999 V70 Isofix

[lynturk92]

Does anybody know if its possible to retro fit Isofix to the above estate.
Tried local dealer who was not really helpful or interested to be honest.
I would like to keep the car as its lovely and safe, but with a baby, wife is only going to be happy if we've got Isofix for the car seat.

[volvo again]

I think Volvo first used Isofix in 2000.
While anything is possible I would think retro fitting isn't an option, I presume the Isofix latches, into which the child seat latches, should be fixed to the bodywork, much like seatbelts are...
Would you really want to risk your baby's safety ?

[duckhunt101]

Hi, having delved into this myself recently,

I bought the genuine isofix bracket for the P2 to see if I could ‘make it work’
Messed around for a few hours but without some modification of the car / bracket. There’s no way to do it safely.

Will be using a seatbelt extender from skandix to belt the car seat in. As the belts are quite short.

[DaveNP]

As a grandpa with an old V70 this thread tweaked my interest and I've had another dig around the internet, the question has been asked many times in different fora across many marques and even in this section of the Volvo forum but there doesn't seem to be a satisfying answer out there, there are retrofit options for the post 2000 V70 but not the early V70.
Thinking about it it is an area fraught with the difficulty of providing a solution for a relatively small and diminishing number of vehicles that must be absolutely dependable, if someone's baby were to be hurt because the solution failed the fallout would be catastrophic. At its simplest ISOFIX is just a couple of relatively thin rods welded into the car which the base of the child seat clips to, the retro fit options use some sort of plate held in with the seat belt bolts. Just as I've retrofitted seatbelts into pre seatbelt cars by drilling holes in the bodywork and fitting spreader plates some redneck engineering could fit something that an ISOFIX seat would lock to, but if the wife doesn't approve of belt retained seats would redneck engineering put her mind at rest?

It is probably very dependant on the seat used but it used to be possible to get a fixed strap system, that went on the seat belt bolts, to hold the car seat in, it had the advantage that the strap could be cinched up tightly to hold the seat more solidly than using a retractable seat belt, back in the 80's I fitted them in the back of my VW, to fit the seat I would end up kneeling in it to compress the car seat cushion while I tightened the straps. Again get a proper kit not redneck engineering.

It may be sacrilege to say it here but the safety standard of a 23 year old Volvo may not be that great compared to a more modern car that came with ISOFIX built in, the Volvo was 'safe' due to it being built like a brick outhouse and weighing twice as much, but modern cars have more sophisticated engineering with safety cells and crumple zones which do more to protect the occupants rather than just annihilating the opposition. From using my granddaughters ISOFIX car seat they are also more sophisticated than the older style seats and I feel she is as safe or safer in that seat in a small KIA. I appreciate with the arrival of a baby money may be tight but it may be time to consider a newer car

[lynturk92]

Thanks for the replies, its always good to hear others opinions I had done a bit of research before putting the question on the forum but theres always the benefit of someone else's experiences.
And David, thanks for your thoughts, pretty much what I had arrived at myself, I could do something that gave us isofix but it would be not worth thinking about if something went wrong in a crash. And the wife is, quite reasonably suspicious of seat belt extenders which are needed because of belt length.
So look out for a 1999 V70 for sale soon. I'll be keeping the 850 Tdi so still in the Volvo Club and looking for something more modern, economical and most importantly with a good safety rating, Along side a newer V70 D5 I'm looking at Honda CRVs or Accord Estates as a possible replacement, maybe I'm wrong but the reliability of Honda in the age and price bracket I'm in seem to be better.

[Turbodave]

I've got kids... eldest now 5 so I've been through various seats in various cars and like you, have had a P80 car on and off for the duration and looked into the subject when my was due and as he's grown.

First up, yes you could fabricate some brackets... after all they're only a couple of loops of steel attached to the floor and assuming the floor was suitably beefed up than really, where's the issues as looking at the OEM brackets for the likes of the P2 cars or the S40/V50, they're hardly the last word in over engineering. However, the huge factor is that any not OEM approved method won't be type approved and thus if it goes wrong, well... good luck.

Next... IsoFix is, in my opinion convenient but absolutely not the be all and end all and in many cases, can actually cause more issues depending on the seat / car combo and so there are as many badly fitted isofix seats out there as there are those utilising a three point belt. The biggest advantage is that with IsoFix, it's less likely to be fitted wrong, ie there's no comedy / scary attempts at routing the belts.

However, I've had the kids in the P80 using a couple of Maxi Cosi options. Started off with the base that goes in using the 3 point belt, 99% is was an EasyFix base and then the infant carrier just clips in and out of that. Simples. And said infant carrier (a Pebble I think) then fits other Maxi Cosi bases, even isofix ones in other cars so no issues swapping about. Rear facing once bigger is a bit trickier as yes, the P80 belts are rather short so either extenders or there are plenty seats out there that have short routing options though it's a faff if you're taking them in and out the car a lot. As in the seats, not the kids.

Now my 2 year old is in a bigger forward facing seat, again uses the three point belt to hold the seat frame in and it has a sort or lever that locks down, further tensioning the cars three point belt. I forget the name, I'll check once said car reappears however it's brilliant and I'd argue, far more secure than her other seat which is a Maxi Cosi Pearl on a FamilyFix isofix base in the XC70. Obviously I'm a bit of a Maxi Cosi fan boy but they're brilliant seats for the money and having a baby is certainly no need to get rid of the car... to be honest you're more likely to get rid of it for a lack or aircon and fear of the kids wrecking it when they get to toddler state, hence... XC70.

I think first step is to inform the wife that whilst yes, isofix is convenient it's certainly not the be all and end all and isn't statistically safer in an accident, it's just safer because there are so many dumb dumbs can't route a three point belt correctly or securely. If you're swapping the seats car to car, non iso to iso and so on then that's more of a challenge but for the infant carrier... EasyFix base and you can leave it in situ in the P80. I've still got mine in the garage somewhere, welcome to it if you're near Fife.