I managed to get a second hand MB child seat for my SLK R171 - seeing as it's a 2 seater I have to get a MB seat because of the transponder that turns off the front airbags.
Now, as many of you with children will know, MB child seats are exactly the same as standard britax child seats, but much much more expensive - frankly, a complete rip off - purely down to the transponder.
The child seat I have bought works fine and will be in use for the next 9 months or so at which time I will have to buy the next child seat up for my baby son. My possible intention is to remove the transponder from the existing seat and use it within a non MB and therefore cheaper child seat.
Of course, my primary concern is to absolutely NOT jepoardise my son in any way, but if possible, I would much prefer to use the existing transponder in a (possibly cheaper) and better quality child seat from another manufacturer. The MB child seats conform to UK standards, but aren't anything special and for an equivalent price there are much much better seats out there.
So, first question - has anyone done this before, and if so where is it in the seat? Second question, what does the transponder look like? Third question - is it safe to remove?
In the end I bought the bigger car seat (MB version with transponders) from ebay. It may be second hand, but it has been looked after well, and it works and it was only £51 - which is about a fifth of the price that a new one costs!
If anything ever goes wrong with it though, at least I will now have the directions to add the transponders into another seat.
Thanks!
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SLK200 Obsidian Black 2005 - UK - Aberdeen.
No extras (apart from heated seats and the tyre pressure loss system) - simple, elegant, fab to drive.
C200, silver (and rust) 1999 - UK - Aberdeen
Loveable tank of a car that gives me grief.
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