Britax Marathon car seats are popular among parents to provide security and safety to kids. Car seats with appropriate seat belts offer greater security to kids. Regarding this, Britax marathon seats with their convertible facility ensure improved security. You can easily convert the seat to front or rear facing and adjust the seat belt and harness as your kids grow up.
However, you can’t use the marathon seats from Britax forever. Yes, these seats have a definite expiry date. So, what is the Britax marathon car seat expiration period?
The marathon car seats from Britax have 10 years of service life. After it, these seats will expire, and you need to replace them. As Britax says, their seats built before 2010 have 5 to 8 years of longevity. On the contrary, seats built after 2010 have an average of 8 to 10 years of lifespan.
However, what does the expiry refers to in a car seat? Also, what to do with an expired Britax marathon car seat? We will answer all these questions along with the ways to find the seat’s expiry date in today’s article. It will be useful for the safety of your kids.
So, let’s jump into the main discussion.
Does Car Seat Have Expiry At All?
When we drive a car for years, we usually see the same car seat inside the car. It enforces us to think that car seats are forever. We think that car seats will never need replacement and will last as long as we use the vehicle.
However, it is not true. Like the car engine, wheel, rim, or exhaust system has a definite lifespan, so is the car seat. A car seat usually expires after 5 to 7 years of continuous use. The car seat expires because of its material damage, wear and tear, and loss of its safety features such as harness and seat belts.
Nonetheless, a car seat for an adult will last longer than an infant and kid car seat. In fact, when we talk about expired car seats, we usually refer to infant and kid car seats. These seats come with a harness, seat belt, and other safety features to protect kids from shocks and impact during accidents. As the harness and seat belts lose their protective ability due to wear and tear, the car seat no longer remains usable.
That’s where it expires and needs replacement. You need to look at the car seat user manual to find its expiry date.
Britax Marathon Car Seat Expiration Date
You now know that every infant car seat will become unusable as it reaches its expiry period. A similar is true for Britax marathon car seats. The marathon series from Britax is popular among parents to offer maximum security and comfort to their kids.
On top of it, the seats from the marathon series are quickly convertible. You may convert it to a front-facing or rear-facing seat, keeping pace with your child’s growth. So, you don’t need to buy a second infant seat as your kids grow older and reach the weight and height limit for the car seat.
Nonetheless, you can keep using the same Britax marathon seat for years. These marathon seats will usually expire after 10 years of their manufacturing date. Thus, you should safely keep a record of its manufacturing date when you buy it.
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Also, seats made before 2010 have a lesser lifespan than seats made after 2010 due to technological advancement. So, you must find the exact manufacturing date for the Britax seats to know when to replace them.
Expiry Time of Britax Car Seats Built After June 2010
Britax is one of the most prominent infant and kid car seat and accessories manufacturers worldwide. Following it, they use superior technology and materials for their car seats. Yet, after a few years of use, these materials used in the car seat start wearing out and reduce the comfort and safety features. As a result, these seats remain no longer usable.
At this point, these seats expire, and you must replace them. Plus, Britax has used the newest technology to make car seats since June 2010. So, seats built after June 2010 have a fixed expiry period that won’t match those built before.
Britax’s official statement states that their car seats made after 2010 have the following expiry system.
- You will get 6 years of service life for all infant seats, including the marathon series.
- The convertible marathon car seats will expire after 7 years of use.
- You can expect 10 years of lifespan for the ClickTight convertible car seat series.
- The Harness2 Booster car seats for infants will serve you for 9 years before replacement.
- Lastly, you will get 6 years of uninterrupted service life for the car seats with the Belt-Positioning Booster facility.
As you see, the usual expiry period of the Britax car seats varies from 6 to 10 years.
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Expiry Time of Britax Car Seats Built Before June 2010
In June 2010, Britax largely improved their technology to make infant and kid car seats. As a result, the company offered more comfort and safety to the kids. Following it, the Company also claimed that these seats have a longer lifespan. It means Britax car seats built after June 2010 will usually expire later than you anticipate.
However, this is not the case with the seats built before 2010. These seats have a shorter lifespan. According to their official website, we found the following car seat expiration information. It includes the following facts:
- Most Britax car seats for infants have an expiry period of 6 years. It includes belt-positioning, booster, and older and regular youth seats.
- The frontier booster car seats for infants have 8 years of ordinary service life.
As you see, Britax offers different expiry periods for their car seats, including the marathon series. Hence, we suggest you safely store the user manual and the car seat’s manufacturing date. It will help you know when the car seat requires replacement and is no longer safe for kids.
Expiration Date of A Few Britax Car Seats Along with Their Models:
In the previous section, we have discussed the usual lifespan of the Britax convertible marathon car seats in a general manner. So, we will take the discussion deeper and see how different Britax car seat models perform regarding their lifespan.
| Britax Car Seat Model | Usual Expiration Period |
| B-Safe 35 | Normally lasts for 6 years from its manufacturing date. |
| B-Safe 35 Elite | A regular 6 years of service life |
| Endeavours | Expires after 6 years of the manufacturing period |
| B-Safe Ultra | It will last for 6 years from the date it was made. |
| Marathon ClickTight ARB Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after its manufacturing date |
| Marathon ClickTight Convertible Car Seat | Will last for 10 years from its making date |
| Britax® Essentials™ Emblem | It too has 10 years expiry period |
| Pioneer Harness-2-Booster Seat | This series of harness-booster seats will last for 9 years. |
| Britax® Essentials™ Skyline Belt-Positioning Booster | You need to replace these seats after 10 years from their manufacturing date |
| Dualit Harness-2-Booster | It has 9 years of service life |
As you see, the marathon series, with its quick convertibility, lasts the longest among all Britax can seats for infants and kids. Thus, for your kid, you won’t require to buy another Britax marathon seat. It is because, after 10 years, your kid may sit on the regular seats in your vehicle. So, it should be a great help for you as it will save you money on buying a second car seat.
Why Car Seats Have An Expiry Date: Why Do Car Seats Expire?
We are used to seeing car seats in our vehicles for years. Consequently, we hardly think that the car seats will expire. However, car seats, especially infant ones, will expire after a few years of use. But why does the car seat expires despite making it with high-quality material?
A car seat will expire because of its wear and tear, damage to the material, and loss of useful safety features.
Degradation of the Material:
Car seat manufacturers, including Britax, use petroleum-based plastics as the primary material for the seats. Of course, the material offers long-lasting and reliable comfort and safety. The material is also responsible for child restraint ability.
However, with time, petroleum-based plastic starts degrading. It happens because we use the infant car seats nearly in all weather throughout the year. For instance, we use the seat in freezing winter and scorching sun. As a result, the material gets damaged over the years due to natural elements and weather.
Slowly, it loses its comfort and child restraint ability. So, the material no longer remains usable, and the car seat expires. And when the car seat reaches its recommended lifespan, you must replace it. Or the plastic may cause discomfort and lack proper safety.
UV-Rays and Sunrays:
Natural sunlight and UV-rays are the arch-rivals of any plastic material. It is no exception for the petroleum-based plastics used in car seats. According to research in Science Daily, sunlight and UV rays will degrade polystyrene and other plastic materials faster than we expect.
Naturally, we are exposed daily to sunlight and UV rays the car seats are affected. So, these plastic-made car seats start wearing out and expire. Henceforth, car seat manufacturers provide a fixed expiration date for their products. It helps the vehicle owner know when the plastic has degraded and needs replacement.
Furthermore, experts say plastic may cause health problems after its recommended use period. So, stopping using the car seat once it reaches its suggested lifespan is always better.
Loss of Safety Feature:
A car seat for an infant comes with different safety features. It may include a harness, booster, seat belt, and cushioning around the shoulder and neck. When you keep using the same car seat for years, its comfort, cushioning, and safety features will decrease.
The seat belt may become too loose. On the other side, the harness and booster might stop working. As a result, your kid won’t be as safe as they should be on the seat. It happens when the seat reaches its usual lifespan. The seat expires now, and you should no longer use it.
Why Is The Expiry Date Important For Britax Car Seats?
Without any doubt, Britax is a leading infant and kid car seat and accessories manufacturer worldwide. They have reached the top by using the best materials for manufacturing their seats, including the easily convertible marathon car seats.
Nonetheless, even the best materials for the car seat can’t last for thousands of years. After six to eight years, the petroleum-based plastic becomes too stiff. So, kids won’t find it comfortable. On top of it, the seat loses its convertibility due to jamming in its different parts. You will also see the harness, booster, and seat belt losing their safety ability.
Therefore, Britax uses a recommended lifespan for their seats to warn you about its best application. As you look at the Britax marathon car seat expiration date, you will know when the seat requires replacement. So it improves the comfort and safety of the car seat.
Tips on Removing an Expired Britax Marathon Seat
When the marathon convertible seat expires, you must remove it from your vehicle. But how do you remove an expired car seat? Well, it doesn’t ask you to be a rocket scientist. All you need is to follow our suggestions.
- At first, cut off and remove the cover of the car seat. If the seat cover is in good condition, you may use it with the new seat.
- Look for all the webbing around the seat. Then, scissors cut off the webbing and opened the Britax car seat.
- After cutting off the webbing of the seat, detach it from its position. You need to look at the bottom of the seat and find the attachment points.
- Carefully unfasten the attachment points and remove the seat from the car.
- Finally, remove the expiry level from the seat and use a pen to write “expired” on the seat.
Removing the car seat from the vehicle will only take a few minutes.
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What to Do With an Expired Car Seat?
It is an important consideration as most car owners won’t understand what they should do with an expired car seat. Should they dump it or recycle it? Well, we researched the expired car seat usability and found the following results.
Dump it:
When the car seat is too damaged, you can dump it. Break the car seat into many parts so that it becomes entirely unusable. It will ensure that no desperate family starts using the car seat to put their kid at stake.
After disassembling the seat properly, you can dump it.
Donate the Seat:
You may even consider donating the seat once it expires. However, you shouldn’t donate the seat to any desperate parents looking for an infant car seat. Instead, you may contact organizations that work to increase awareness about car and passenger safety.
They may use the expired car in their demonstration program. So, they can inform people what type of infant car seat they shouldn’t use. You can increase parents’ awareness about car and infant safety.
Recycle the Car Seat:
One of the finest uses of an expired car seat is to reuse or recycle it. For instance, you may turn it into a seat at home for your babies. Even you may use the expired car seat for pets at home. Pets like cats will love scratching the seat, which offers them a nice playtime.
If you can’t reuse the car, look for any recycling organization. Moreover, many local organizations or automobile shops will take older seats to reuse their different parts to fix new seats. So, you may look for recycling options for Britax marathon car seats once they expire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hopefully, you get all the answers to the queries about the Britax marathon car seat expiration on the above write-up; then again, if any question still remains in your mind, check the FAQ section below. Here you’ll find most of the answers to your queries.
How Do I Know When My Britax Marathon Expires?
You should find the expiry date on the back part of the shoulder of the seat. Usually, a car seat expires after 6 to 10 years and is written on its back.
Does the Britax Marathon Turn Into a Booster?
The Britax marathon seat is convertible to a front or rear-facing booster. Thus, the seat will be usable for your child’s entire toddlerhood and infancy.
Does the Britax Marathon Recline?
You can position the Britax marathon seat in seven positions, including a preferable reclining position. So, yes, the marathon seat will recline to offer maximum comfort to kids.
Conclusion
Britax marathon car seat expiration period is 10 years. You can easily calculate the expiration period by looking at the manufacturing date of the marathon seat. The expiration date will be marked at the back of the Britax car seat.
When the seat expires, you shouldn’t continue using it. You can remove it from the car by removing the webbing and disconnecting its fasteners. Finally, you may trash the seat or recycle its different parts in your home.
