[ericsi]

Got my car back from bmw battersea / park lane.

Firstly, all i can say is that the service is absolutely first class. Beyond Aston, Porsche and any other brands.

My after sales rep Rui is one of the best guys i ever met in the car industry.

He was off today but still came into work to deliver my car.

They loaned me a brand spanking new fully loaded (including laser lights) 740Li for two weeks.

They did a number of upgrades and fixes like fuel sensors, door hinges etc. Without me asking.

I had full carbon fibre interior package fitted. Cost £1600 all in although i had a little discount. It is very raw carbon but beautiful and very worth it for the price!!
Ferrari would have charged £5-6k for the same thing... well, well worth it.

They packaged my old parts neatly in a box. May get those painted piano black for the day i get bored.

They quoted me under £1300 to change headlining from black to beige which i may do sometimes to lighten up the interior. I have dark brown seats and wanted light headlining from new but factory refused to make it for me.

Lastly... baby seats, i wanted to buy isofix base + 1-3 year old front facing seat for my daughter. Forget it, it does not work! My wife could not seat in the seat in front of it. Must buy smthg more compact!!

Voila my day with my i8! ��

[Aye-eight]

Thanks for sharing a positive experience. Refreshing to read among all the complaining posts here.

As for kids, we have a 1.5-year-old sitting in a baby seat behind my wife, and a 7.5-year-old sitting behind me - crossed-legged. ;-) I'm 1.88m, seat almost all the way back. My wife is 1.80m. Not a setting for long trips, but it works for short runs.

[ericsi]

Thanks for feedback. I have been on 911 forums to see what people recommend for car seats.

The bmw one with isofix base will fit but is a nightmare for the front passenger due to the isofix base. We decided to pass. Apparently the besafe izi comfort x3 is the way to go.

Our daughter is 9 months old. So far we took her in her maxicosi rear facing but once again my wife is squashed fwd. Baby will soon outgrow the seat so new solution needed!

[Aye-eight]

What we use for the little one in the i8 is an almost-antique Porsche child seat. It's blue and has colorful cars all over it. Butt-ugly. But it's super light-weight and very low profile. No Isofix, though. This thing is from the 80s ...

But even something more substantial and modern works (picture). We just don't use that one because it stays in the family car.

[Nivarox]

Great to see you had a very top notch service provided by your dealer and thanks for sharing your experience

[JasH]

Originally Posted by ericsi

I had full carbon fibre interior package fitted. Cost £1600 all in although i had a little discount. It is very raw carbon but beautiful and very worth it for the price!!

Pics pls

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by Aye-eight

What we use for the little one in the i8 is an almost-antique Porsche child seat. It's blue and has colorful cars all over it. Butt-ugly. But it's super light-weight and very low profile. No Isofix, though. This thing is from the 80s ...

But even something more substantial and modern works (picture). We just don't use that one because it stays in the family car.

Thanks for the car seat info! I'm 6ft, small 18mth old baby girl, wife 5"3ish. Hoping we will be able to fit in.

Glad to hear of the great service you got. I wish we had more positive reviews from american dealerships.

[ericsi]

I just ordered the Besafe izi comfort x3 baby seat. Found a promo on the net for £139. Got great reviews for safety.

The overly big bmw version plus isofix base would have been £390 and does not even fit right.

All the guys on porsche 911 forums use it and say it is great. Will let you know how it goes. Daughter is 10mths old in 2 days and weighs about 9kg.

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by ericsi

I just ordered the Besafe izi comfort x3 baby seat. Found a promo on the net for £139. Got great reviews for safety.

The overly big bmw version plus isofix base would have been £390 and does not even fit right.

All the guys on porsche 911 forums use it and say it is great. Will let you know how it goes. Daughter is 10mths old in 2 days and weighs about 9kg.

Thanks. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

I can't remember what we got, I'll have to dig around to find the info.

[ericsi]

Well, not great news, the besafe izi comfort x3 is marginally too tall for the i8 and rather than risking to damage the headlining, i decided not to force it.

Great shame as the base is very narrow and can see why 911 owners love it.

Need to find something similar but less tall. It looks to me unecessarily tall.

I kept the seat and fitted it in my classic merc 560 sec and it's great for that...

Back to the drawing board.

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Well, not great news, the besafe izi comfort x3 is marginally too tall for the i8 and rather than risking to damage the headlining, i decided not to force it.

Great shame as the base is very narrow and can see why 911 owners love it.

Need to find something similar but less tall. It looks to me unecessarily tall.

I kept the seat and fitted it in my classic merc 560 sec and it's great for that...

Back to the drawing board.

Dang sorry to hear that. I see it's going to be a difficult issue.
We got the Maxi Cosi Pria, using it in an x3. I did some research and it's supposed to be one of the smaller ones, but I really have my doubts it will fit. Have you considered the Recaro Performance Sport? Read some reviews for that, but it looks tall.

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by rastaman777

Dang sorry to hear that. I see it's going to be a difficult issue.
We got the Maxi Cosi Pria, using it in an x3. I did some research and it's supposed to be one of the smaller ones, but I really have my doubts it will fit. Have you considered the Recaro Performance Sport? Read some reviews for that, but it looks tall.

Apparently the old Porsche Prince is small but no longer made. Must look on ebay.

I see the baby seat used in bmw mini's look similar and is quite small. May give that a shot.

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Apparently the old Porsche Prince is small but no longer made. Must look on ebay.

I see the baby seat used in bmw mini's look similar and is quite small. May give that a shot.

I think Amazon (USA) might have them for $249.

[ericsi]

Originally Posted by rastaman777

I think Amazon (USA) might have them for $249.

Can't find it. Linky?

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by ericsi

Can't find it. Linky?

https://www.amazon.com/RECARO-Perfor...470955011&th=1

[ericsi]

I see. No avail in uk.

I think my next trial will britax evolva 123. Less tall than any of the other seats.

Roof line of the i8 is lower than 996-997.

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by ericsi

I see. No avail in uk.

I think my next trial will britax evolva 123. Less tall than any of the other seats.

Roof line of the i8 is lower than 996-997.

Are your baby car seats front or rear facing?

[ericsi]

So far we used rear facing, but now looking for front facing since little one is quickly going towards 11 months. Also i am not dreaming, rear facing in this car with the hope the front passenger can squeeze in would be like asking for the moon,

[rastaman777]

Originally Posted by ericsi

So far we used rear facing, but now looking for front facing since little one is quickly going towards 11 months. Also i am not dreaming, rear facing in this car with the hope the front passenger can squeeze in would be like asking for the moon,

Lucky you to switch to front facing. Yes it seems rear facing is really going to be an issue. My wife is petite, so I'm hoping somehow we can swing something.
Baby is 17 months but here they recommend rear facing for around 2 years or even more depending on seat and height/weight of baby.
Not that I'm negligent....but I've been pushing to go front facing, but my wife is sticking to the script for rear facing.

[SteveB_UK]

Originally Posted by rastaman777

Lucky you to switch to front facing. Yes it seems rear facing is really going to be an issue. My wife is petite, so I'm hoping somehow we can swing something.
Baby is 17 months but here they recommend rear facing for around 2 years or even more depending on seat and height/weight of baby.
Not that I'm negligent....but I've been pushing to go front facing, but my wife is sticking to the script for rear facing.

Ask your wife what happens if you get hit from behind. Rear facing not so smart then.

The only accident I've had with our son in the car was when an idiot 17 year old drove into the back of us fast enough to trigger her airbag.

Fortunately our son (6 month's at the time) was ok even though in a rear facing seat then.

Go for a seat that allows harnesses until they are 25kg in weight and have them wear a neck support. Then you don't have to worry about 2-4 year olds slumping badly in the seat when using the three point belt.

We bought the Britax Advansafix so we could use the harnesses until our son was too tall for them:

http://www.britax.co.uk/car-seats/advansafix/

He's now five (115cm, 21kg) and sits well in this seat using the three point seat belt in the back of the i8. He has enough room and I can still sit ok in the pass seat (I'm 5'10.5", 33" inside leg) on the rare occasions when my wife drives.

[ericsi]

So................ I finally found a baby seat that fits really well. Halfords essentials. For the pricely sum of £40!. Smallest seat in size i could find and would work really well in a 911 too. Nothing else would fit.

My daughter is 10 month old and probably just above 9kg. I would not use such a seat on a regular basis. But as an occasional weekender solution it works a treat and she loved it so much she felt asleep in it!.

Now her little head was hanging when asleep which i did not really like. My wife jumped in the back to hold her head up when she was sleeping. Will have to find something to secure her little neck.

And then i took some pics of the carbon fiber interior!

[rastaman777]

Nice pics!
Congrats on finding a car seat.
It seems I might have some difficulty finding that seat here in the USA.
Not sure if it would meet our specs for car seats, but I hope I can find one and try it out.