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swalker

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It has been awhile since I last posted about my wheelchairs. The threads where I posted are closed, so I am starting this one to share my experiences so far.

My primary wheelchair, the Permobil C500s VS, is still in the shop. NuMotion has confirmed it needs new motor, gearbox, brakes, and shock absorber on both the left and right sides. It also needs a new antiflutter kit.

The latest estimate is that we are 10 to 12 weeks away from getting insurance approval for the repairs. They filed with Medicare first. Medicare denied the claim because they allegedly do not cover that kind of wheelchair.

NuMotion is now in the process of filing with my private health insurance (United Health Care), through which I initially got the wheelchair.

The Permobil C350 is coming along nicely. Over the next few weeks I should be receiving a color LCD controller, lateral thigh supports, and a new back shell and back cushion sized properly for me.

The surprising thing is that I was able to find a C350 seat elevate actuator on ebay along with the necessary ICS general module and wiring harness. These arrived last week and we were able to install them over the weekend.

I won't know if the new-to-me seat elevate works until the wheelchair is programmed to recognize it. That will be done by NuMotion sometime in the next three weeks. At that time, I will also have them program a profile that is more useable for me (essentially, the "outdoor" profile). The only profiles currently programmed are for attendant (very slow), fast head array (slower), and slow head array (even slower).

I will keep you posted with updates as they occur.

Steve
 
Steve, thanks for the updates.

Am I correct in thinking the C500 has been a bit of a lemon? Or has it just got a huge amount of mileage on it and needs a massive overhaul due to wear and tear?
 
The C500s VS does have a lot of miles on it. It is currently at about 1,800 miles, which is a lot for a wheelchair. This will be the third time the motors have been replaced.

The first time was due to a manufacturing flaw. This happened early in the chair's life, when a gasket in the gearbox catastrophically failed.

The second time was apparently due to wear and tear. This third time is also apparently due to wear and tear.

They have always replaced the motors in pairs.

The wheelchair is certainly not a lemon. It has been a great wheelchair and has been quite reliable once we got a couple of initial problems resolved. I love it and look forward to getting it back.

It is my favorite of the four wheelchairs I now have. All of them are great, but the C500s VS is just a bit more special than the others.

Steve
 
Steve,

I've learned so much from you on this forum. Thank you for all the advice you've given me on wheelchairs. I love that you really put your chairs to the test!
 
I was really surprised to receive a letter on Friday from United Health Care stating that they have approved the repairs to the C500s VS wheelchair!

NuMotion is tracking down their copy of the notice and will then start ordering up the parts. I could have the wheelchair back in time for Christmas.

I am pretty excited, as it is the most comfortable and the most capable of my wheelchairs. I definitely look forward to getting it back.

Steve
 
That's great news Steve!
 
I'm so glad, Steve!
 
Here is the latest update. Tomorrow is the big day!

We are driving to Denver to pick up the C500s VS wheelchair tomorrow. I am so looking forward to getting that wheelchair back!

Fortunately, two wheelchairs will fit in our van. So, we will also be taking the C350 to Denver so we can have some programming done. This will hopefully allow the new-to-me seat elevate actuator to actually elevate the seat!

We will also get the C350 programming updated to have the correct profiles for my use (raising its maximum speed from 3.5 miles per hour to 4.9 miles per hour).

We will hopefully return with 2 pretty functional wheelchairs in the van!

Steve
 
We made the trip to NuMotion yesterday. Unfortunately, things did not quite go as planned.

It takes us about 2 hours to make the trip to NuMotion (4 hours round trip). When we were about 10 minutes from NuMotion, I received a call from them letting me know the C500s VS wheelchair parts were not all in. Rats. Another delay.

We were still able to meet with the tech that was going to modify some of the programming parameters on my C350.

He was able to get the set elevate function enabled, so that works now. It has been quite a journey to figure out exactly what was needed to make that work. In the end, I found a used actuator, electronic module, and wiring harness on ebay for a total of about $250. Much less than the $2,000 that Permobil wants for the new parts.

He was also able to setup the typical Indoor and Normal profiles, which gave me back the max speed on the wheelchair (now does just a bit more than 5 miles per hour).

Unfortunately, as we were wrapping things up, a parameter must have been changed that disables the speed control on the joystick. I did not realize this until after we had left.

I am considering getting my own programming dongle so that I can at least do the dealer level programming myself. I would like the OEM capability, but Permobil does not make that available.

I found a color LCD joystick on ebay and bought it. It should arrive within the next week.

Once I get all that stuff sorted out, the final step will be to figure out a practical way to raise the seat. The C350 has a low seating position and I need it higher. If I use the seat elevate function to do that, it puts the PWC into turtle mode, limiting its top speed to about 2 miles per hour. I am investigating adapter plates to see if one of those will raise it enough.

NuMotion is currently scheduled to finish up the repairs on the C500s VS and deliver that wheelchair to me next Wednesday. I really appreciate their offer to deliver it to me. The ride to Denver is getting harder for me.

Steve
 
Steve,

I'm glad they are delivering it to you, especially since it's Winter. It sounds like you have it all figured out.
 
Wow that must have been such a downer moment to get that call!

I'm thrilled they are now delivering it to you, that really restores the balance a bit.

Ad for the rest - you should def be given OEM access, even though most people def should not!
 
NuMotion delivered the C500s VS on Wednesday! It is absolutely wonderful to have it back.

While I have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to wheelchairs, the C500s VS is definitely the most comfortable and the fastest.

We have the snowtires mounted on it and it is ready to go.

I can't tell you how glad I am to have it back.

I am also blessed to have a very capable backup wheelchair. Having it made the four-month loss of my primary wheelchair a bit of an annoyance rather than a really, really big deal.

Steve
 
I forgot to mention that I took the plunge and bought a dealer level dongle for programming Permobil wheelchairs off of ebay. That allows me to access about 90% of the parameters. The OEM level dongle would allow me to access the rest of the parameters, but those dongles just don't seem to be available.

It is so nice to be able to plug the dongle into the wheelchair and program it myself (programming is really just setting parameters). I can programming it using a LCD joystick or with a Windows computer.

The last time we were at NuMotion, they did most of the C350 programming for me (which I greatly appreciate), but there were some parameters still not set to my liking.

I was able to change those parameters with the new-to-me dongle and everything worked great.

I also bought a used color LED joystick for the C350. We were able to install that and with the tweaks to the programming everything works great.

To get the C350 fully operational, we still need to reroute some wires so they are not over stressed when the seat is elevated all the way up. We also need to work on the seat height. We will tackling both of those projects in the new year.

Steve
 
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