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Service and Repair for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and/or Accessible Ramp/Lift?

Are you having trouble with your wheelchair van, ramp van, braun ability van, vantage mobility van, eldorado, amerivan, ricon lift, braun lift, grey market van, ams Legend, Edge, Edge II, Freedom, FR ?

No Worries We Can Fix It!

Even if you have had other Toyota dealer, Dodge dealer, Ford dealer, Honda dealer or a different adaptive mobility equipment dealer try and fix it. Call us, we can help.

Almost all wheelchair van and lift problems can be attributed to three main things. I would like to talk a little about each one and what you can do to be proactive in preventing problems that could stop your lift from operating.?

Reason Number 1: Operator Error. It may not be P.C. to bring it up, but many issues are caused by the user hurrying, not taking the proper precautions, or simply attempting to operate the van or lift in a situation it is not designed for. Let me expand on this a little.

We all know the obvious things an operator can do wrong. Lowering a lift on to extremely uneven ground or folding a platform into a van door that is not fully opened, if you have manual doors. The things that you need to think about are the issues that aren’t so obvious, but can still cause damage. Things like making sure you fully fold the platform when you are putting it in the stowed position. A lot of times people tend to release the fold switch too soon because the lift makes excessive noise when it cinches tight. Far from being a problem, that noise is a good thing What you’re hearing is the electric actuator “ratcheting,” which tells you that the lift is fully stowed and will not rattle as much while you’re driving. A tightly stowed platform will prevent certain lift components from wearing out prematurely, so be sure to keep the fold button pressed!

Another not-so-obvious issue is to make sure the outer roll stop deploys fully before you exit the platform. Think about it. If you are in a hurry and the roll stop is not completely down on the ground, your weight when rolling off of it is going to put excessive stress on those parts and you could cause problems that are easily avoidable. Even if the tip of the roll stop is up just a little bit, take the time to lower it completely before you exit the platform.?

Reason Number 2: Lack of Maintenance. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance – I can’t say those words enough! Your dealer should set up a maintenance program for you and your lift should be in their shop for a regular check up at least twice a year. Every lift built after 2005 has a cycle counter on it that will tell us the total number of times you’ve used your lift, and all lifts should be maintained every 750 cycles. This is a short point. All you need to know is that if you don’t maintain your lift, something will eventually stop working!

Reason Number 3: Broken Parts. No matter what the product, we’ve all encountered that unexpected broken part that seems to go bad for no apparent reason. This actually represents a small percentage of wheelchair lift failures, and it can usually be avoided if the van or lift is maintained on a regular basis (see reason #2 above!). A typical situation might be a wiring harness that gets cut by component. This type of issue rarely happens out-of-the-blue, and with routine maintenance your dealer should be able to see the problem starting to occur and fix it before it gets worse.

That about sums it up The bottom line is that a properly operated and maintained wheelchair van or lift should give you years of reliable service. Read your manual and work closely with Automotive Innovations to make sure your lift is ready to go whenever you are. If you have any questions or are having an issue with your wheelchair van or lift feel free to call us at 508-697-6006.

Service and Repair for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and/or Accessible Ramp/Lift?

Service and Repair for wheelchair accessible vehicles, ramps and lifts
Are you having trouble with your wheelchair van, ramp van, braun ability van, vantage mobility van, eldorado, amerivan, ricon lift, braun lift, grey market van, ams Legend, Edge, Edge II, Freedom, FR ?

No Worries We Can Fix It!

Even if you have had other Toyota dealer, Dodge dealer, Ford dealer, Honda dealer or a different adaptive mobility equipment dealer try and fix it. Call us, we can help.

Almost all wheelchair van and lift problems can be attributed to three main things. I would like to talk a little about each one and what you can do to be proactive in preventing problems that could stop your lift from operating.?

Reason Number 1: Operator Error. It may not be P.C. to bring it up, but many issues are caused by the user hurrying, not taking the proper precautions, or simply attempting to operate the van or lift in a situation it is not designed for. Let me expand on this a little.

We all know the obvious things an operator can do wrong. Lowering a lift on to extremely uneven ground or folding a platform into a van door that is not fully opened, if you have manual doors. The things that you need to think about are the issues that aren’t so obvious, but can still cause damage. Things like making sure you fully fold the platform when you are putting it in the stowed position. A lot of times people tend to release the fold switch too soon because the lift makes excessive noise when it cinches tight. Far from being a problem, that noise is a good thing What you’re hearing is the electric actuator “ratcheting,” which tells you that the lift is fully stowed and will not rattle as much while you’re driving. A tightly stowed platform will prevent certain lift components from wearing out prematurely, so be sure to keep the fold button pressed!

Another not-so-obvious issue is to make sure the outer roll stop deploys fully before you exit the platform. Think about it. If you are in a hurry and the roll stop is not completely down on the ground, your weight when rolling off of it is going to put excessive stress on those parts and you could cause problems that are easily avoidable. Even if the tip of the roll stop is up just a little bit, take the time to lower it completely before you exit the platform.?

Reason Number 2: Lack of Maintenance. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance – I can’t say those words enough! Your dealer should set up a maintenance program for you and your lift should be in their shop for a regular check up at least twice a year. Every lift built after 2005 has a cycle counter on it that will tell us the total number of times you’ve used your lift, and all lifts should be maintained every 750 cycles. This is a short point. All you need to know is that if you don’t maintain your lift, something will eventually stop working!

Reason Number 3: Broken Parts. No matter what the product, we’ve all encountered that unexpected broken part that seems to go bad for no apparent reason. This actually represents a small percentage of wheelchair lift failures, and it can usually be avoided if the van or lift is maintained on a regular basis (see reason #2 above!). A typical situation might be a wiring harness that gets cut by component. This type of issue rarely happens out-of-the-blue, and with routine maintenance your dealer should be able to see the problem starting to occur and fix it before it gets worse.

That about sums it up The bottom line is that a properly operated and maintained wheelchair van or lift should give you years of reliable service. Read your manual and work closely with Automotive Innovations to make sure your lift is ready to go whenever you are. If you have any questions or are having an issue with your wheelchair van or lift feel free to call us at 508-697-6006.

2011 Toyota Sienna SE vs. 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L vs. 2010 Dodge Caravan SXT

toyota wheelchair van newenglandwheelchairvan.com HONDA wheelchair van newenglandwheelchairvan.comdodge wheelchair van newenglandwheelchairvan.com

2011 Toyota Sienna SE vs. 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L vs. 2010 Dodge Caravan SXT

Three Minivans Square Off in a Contest Almost too Close to Call

Building a minivan, on the other hand, especially for us American types and our super-precious children, is a most difficult feat. Think about it. After more than two decades of trying, both Ford and General Motors threw in the towel.They simply couldn’t compete with Chrysler and its Grand Caravan. Which, when you stop and think about it, is crazy, especially considering how very competitive GM and Ford are with every other niche Chrysler occupies. Speaking of niches…Hyundai, the new king of inserting itself into every single segment but cannot build a competitive minivan for the North American market. Sure, Kia makes the Sedona, but when’s the last time you saw one of those? What about Volkswagen? Nope, it can’t sell minivans in the U.S. either, so it rebadged a Caravan as a Routan. Go figure.
There are two companies, however, that can go toe-to-toe with what’s arguably Chrysler’s best-engineered product. Toyota and Honda, the once-upstart Japanese brands, are now almost as American as apple pie. Honda’s Odyssey is now in its fourth generation, while the Toyota Sienna enters its third. Purists will insist Toyota’s minivan heritage continues farther back than that.
The Dodge’s 4.0-liter V-6 is noticeably the slowest motor here, and it also returns by far the worst gas mileage, 17.4 mpg by our mixed freeway/backroad yardstick. Still, most of us thought its transmission shifted very well, and appreciated the ability to manually shift any of its six gear ratios. That’s quite unlike the Honda, which offers no shift-it-yourself ability (there is an overdrive-off button that locks you into direct drive, aka third gear), with its standard five-speed automatic. You can get an Odyssey with a six-speed, but you still can’t choose your own gears, and it’s available only in the Odyssey Touring, which starts at $41,535.
Here’s why: The Odyssey’s high-tech, VVT 3.5-liter V-6 with cylinder deactivation managed 21.1 mpg over 11 laps of our roughly 30-mile mixed driving loop. The Toyota Sienna, meanwhile, with its comparatively low-tech (i.e., no cylinder deactivation), 3.5-liter V-6, managed 21.3 mpg. And the Toyota makes 17 more horsepower than the Honda, 265 compared with 248. Equipped with the six-speed and cylinder deactivation, the Odyssey would have likely added 1 mpg (as the Touring does in city and highway EPA ratings).The point is that fuel economy matters to minivan buyers: Why not try and stand out? Also, we imagine the take rate will be quite low, but you can get the Sienna with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder. Even that motor comes with a six-speed.
This point-counterpoint could go on forever, as this market segment really is that cutthroat. 

2010 Dodge Caravan SXT 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L 2011 Toyota Sienna SE
POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front engine, FWD Front engine, FWD Front engine, FWD
ENGINE TYPE 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads
VALVETRAIN SOHC, 4 valves/cyl SOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT 241.2 cu in/3952 cc 211.8 cu in/3471 cc 210.9 cu in/3456 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO 10.3:1 10.5:1 10.8:1
POWER (SAE NET) 251 hp @ 6000 rpm 248 hp @ 5700 rpm 265 hp @ 6200 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET) 259 lb-ft @ 4100 rpm 250 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm 245 lb-ft @ 4700 rpm
REDLINE 6000 rpm 6200 rpm 6500 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER 18.2 lb/hp 18.1 lb/hp 16.7 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION 6-speed automatic 5-speed automatic 6-speed automatic
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIOS 3.16:1/2.07:1 4.31:1/2.64:1 3.94:1/2.39:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; torsion beam, coil springs Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; torsion beam, coil springs,anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO 16.9:1 16.4:1 15.5:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 3.1 3.5 3.4
BRAKES, F;R 11.9-in vented disc; 12.0-in disc, ABS 12.6-in vented disc; 13.1-in disc, ABS 12.9-in vented disc; 12.2-in disc, ABS
WHEELS 6.5 x 17 in, cast aluminum 7.0 x 17 in, cast aluminum 7.0 x 19 in, cast aluminum
TIRES 225/65R17 100T M+S
Bridgestone Turanza EL400
235/65R17 103T M+S
Continental ContiProContact
235/50R19 99V M+S
Dunlop SP Sport 7000 AVS
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE 121.2 in 118.1 in 119.3 in
TRACK, F/R 65.5/64.8 in 68.1/68.2 in 67.7/67.7 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 202.5 x 76.9 x 68.9 in 202.9 x 79.2 x 68.4 in 200.2 x 78.2 x 68.9 in
TURNING CIRCLE 39.1 ft 36.7 ft 36.9 ft
CURB WEIGHT 4580 lb 4478 lb 4417 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R 56/44% 59/41% 56/44%
SEATING CAPACITY 7 8 8
HEADROOM, F/M/R 39.8/39.2/37.9 in 38.3/38.3*-39.4/38.0 in 41.0/39.7/38.3 in
LEGROOM, F/M/R 40.6/36.3/31.8 in 40.9/40.9/42.4 in 40.5/37.6/36.3
SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R 63.0/64.7/62.0 in 64.4/63.5/60.9 in 65.0/64.6/61.1 in
CARGO VOLUME BEHIND, F/M/R 140.1/83.7/32.3 cu ft 148.5/93.1/38.4 in 150.0/87.1/39.1 cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30 2.6 sec 3.1 sec 2.6 sec
0-40 3.9 4.3 3.8
0-50 5.5 6.1 5.5
0-60 7.6 7.9 7.1
0-70 10.1 10.1 9.1
0-80 13.5 13.2 11.5
0-90 17.3 16.5 14.4
0-100 22.4 20.3 18.4
PASSING, 45-65 MPH 4.1 3.8 3.4
QUARTER MILE 15.9 sec @ 86.5 mph 16.1 sec @ 89.1 mph 15.4 sec @ 92.6 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 128 ft 125 ft 121 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.67 g (avg) 0.73 g (avg) 0.74 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT 30.5 sec @ 0.52 g (avg) 29.4 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) 28.6 sec @ 0.59 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1500 rpm 2400 rpm 1800 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE $29,195 $35,230 $31,575
PRICE AS TESTED $32,575 $35,230 $34,418
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/yes Yes/yes Yes/yes
AIRBAGS Dual front, f/m/r curtain Dual front, front side, f/m/r curtain Dual front, front side, driver knee, f/m/r curtain
BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/100,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 3 yrs/36,000 miles N/A N/A
FUEL CAPACITY 20.0 gal 21.0 gal 20.0 gal
EPA CITY/HWY ECON 17/25 mpg 18/27 mpg 18/24 mpg
CO2 EMISSIONS 0.98 lb/mile 0.92 lb/mile 0.96 lb/mile
RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded regular Unleaded regular Unleaded regular
*SAE certified

Call us with any of your mobility  van needs at 508-697-6006

Honda Odyssey vs Toyota Sienna – Which Is Better For Families?

Honda Odyssey vs Toyota Sienna

honda odyssey vs toyota sienna which is better for families wheelchair van newenglandwheelchairvan.com

When you’ve got a family and an active lifestyle, minivans just make sense. Sliding doors and plenty of doors and plenty of room
you and your family can get where you’re going with all the soccer equipment, science fair projects, and car seats that need to come along. Assuming that you’ve already figured out your budget and determined that your family really needs a minivan, the next step is to start comparing models.

The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are two popular models that many families carefully consider – here’s a look at the pros and cons of each model and how they compare to one another.

The Basics

Seating: Both models offer standard seven passenger seating, which is a 2-2-3 arrangement (two seats up front, two in the second row, and three in the third). Eight passenger seating is available in both models, only you must upgrade to get it.

Safety: According to federal crash test data, the Honda Odyssey is a bit safer than the Sienna, with a 5-star overall crash test rating instead of the Sienna’s 4-star rating. The IIHS, which also evaluates crashworthiness, rates the Sienna and the Odyseey the same, stating that they are both “Top Picks.”

Fuel Economy: The Odyssey has a slight advantage here as well, with EPA fuel economy ratings of 18mpg city, 27mpg highway on the EX and LX, and 18mpg city, 29mpg highway on the Touring models. The Sienna is rated at 18mpg city, 25mpg highway across the board.

Powertrain: Both vans come standard with powerful 3.5L V6 engines and front-wheel-drive. However, the Sienna offers optional (and class-exclusive) all-wheel-drive that consumers in cold-weather climates may find useful.

Pricing: When similarly equipped, the Sienna is a little less expensive than the Honda. However, it’s hard to do a direct price comparison as many options are offered in expensive packages. It’s also important to remember that incentives (such as cash back or low interest rate financing) can change the equation. SO, be sure to compare the total cost of both vans before you buy.

Still, the Sienna is likely to be less expensive than the Odyssey when it’s all said and done.

Warranty:
Both 3-years/36,000 mile Basic, 5-year/60,000 mile Powertrain, and 5-years/Unlimited mile Corrosion/Rust Thru. The difference really comes down to the features and safety ratings.

2013 Honda Odyssey Pros and Cons
The biggest benefit to owning and driving the Odyssey is it’s agile, almost sporty driving feel. Minivan buyers who don’t want to feel like they’re driving a big old van will surely appreciate this feature.

Additionally, the Odyssey’s excellent fuel economy rating (up to 29mpg on the highway) can be a nice benefit if your regular commute includes a good portion of highway use. Finally, many people like the Odyysey’s third-row seating design a bit better than the Sienna’s.

The biggest con of the 2013 Honda Odyssey is the higher price – you’ll pay a little more for the Odyssey compared to a similar Sienna. Additionally, some people find that Honda’s option packages come with a lot of features they don’t want or need. SO, if you’re looking at the Odyssey, it’s a good idea to make sure you understand what features come with the numerous packages available.

2013 Toyota Sienna Pros and Cons
Many minivan buyers appreciate that the Toyota Sienna is a good-looking vehicle that doesn’t scream “minivan.” The Sienna’s optional all-wheel-drive system (not available on a side entry wheelchair converted van) is a big benefit to folks that live in climates where snow and ice are a common occurrence. Finally, Toyota’s standard 2-year/25,000 mile roadside assistance and complimentary maintenance program is a nice benefit as well.

The cons of the 2013 Toyota Sienna focus more on driving characteristics than anything else. Reviewers often dislike the Sienna’s milk-toast steering response, indecisive transmission, and generally mushy feel. The Sienna also missed the mark a bit in federal crash tests, earning only a 4 star rating. However, the IIHS – which is a non-profit that also tests vehicle safety – rated the Sienna a “Top Pick,” so it’s not wise to ding the Sienna too heavily for their lower score.

The Winner Is . . .
Call us to help you pick out the ideal wheelchair minivan for your family. 508-697-6006

Drivers looking for safety, fuel economy, lots of space, and a good price. Considering how close the Odyssey and Sienna are in all of these respects, a case can be made for either vehicle.

Give us a call or come the Mobility Center to give both of them a try first hand

is there a problem with your wheelchair van or vehicle lift?

are you having trouble with your wheelchair van, ramp van, braun ability van, vantage mobility van, eldorado, amerivan, ricon lift, braun lift, grey market van, ams Legend, Edge, Edge II, Freedom, FR ?

No Worries We Can Fix It!

VMi New England Service Department Massachusetts

even if you have had other toyota dealer, dodge dealer, ford dealer, honda dealer or a different adaptive mobility equipment dealer try and fix it. call us we can help.

Almost all wheelchair van and lift problems can be attributed to three main things. I would like to talk a little about each one and what you can do to be proactive in preventing problems that could stop your lift from operating.?

Reason Number 1: Operator Error. It may not be P.C. to bring it up, but many issues are caused by the user hurrying, not taking the proper precautions, or simply attempting to operate the van or lift in a situation it is not designed for. Let me expand on this a little.

We all know the obvious things an operator can do wrong. Lowering a lift on to extremely uneven ground or folding a platform into a van door that is not fully opened, if you have manual doors. The things that you need to think about are the issues that aren’t so obvious, but can still cause damage. Things like making sure you fully fold the platform when you are putting it in the stowed position. A lot of times people tend to release the fold switch too soon because the lift makes excessive noise when it cinches tight. Far from being a problem, that noise is a good thing What you’re hearing is the electric actuator “ratcheting,” which tells you that the lift is fully stowed and will not rattle as much while you’re driving. A tightly stowed platform will prevent certain lift components from wearing out prematurely, so be sure to keep the fold button pressed!

Another not-so-obvious issue is to make sure the outer roll stop deploys fully before you exit the platform. Think about it. If you are in a hurry and the roll stop is not completely down on the ground, your weight when rolling off of it is going to put excessive stress on those parts and you could cause problems that are easily avoidable. Even if the tip of the roll stop is up just a little bit, take the time to lower it completely before you exit the platform.?

Reason Number 2: Lack of Maintenance. Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance – I can’t say those words enough! Your dealer should set up a maintenance program for you and your lift should be in their shop for a regular check up at least twice a year. Every lift built after 2005 has a cycle counter on it that will tell us the total number of times you’ve used your lift, and all lifts should be maintained every 750 cycles. This is a short point. All you need to know is that if you don’t maintain your lift, something will eventually stop working!

Reason Number 3: Broken Parts. No matter what the product, we’ve all encountered that unexpected broken part that seems to go bad for no apparent reason. This actually represents a small percentage of wheelchair lift failures, and it can usually be avoided if the van or lift is maintained on a regular basis (see reason #2 above!). A typical situation might be a wiring harness that gets cut by component. This type of issue rarely happens out-of-the-blue, and with routine maintenance your dealer should be able to see the problem starting to occur and fix it before it gets worse.

That about sums it up The bottom line is that a properly operated and maintained wheelchair van or lift should give you years of reliable service. Read your manual and work closely with Automotive Innovations to make sure your lift is ready to go whenever you are. If you have any questions or are having an issue with your wheelchair van or lift feel free to call us at 508-697-6006.