Wheelchair parts are too expensive

[swalker]

Once again I need new wheelchair tires.

The snow tires (on the drive wheels) I just wore out are only available from Permobil and can only be obtained through a Permobil dealer (NuMotion for me). They cost $540 for just the pneumatic tires.

Why do wheelchair tires cost more than car tires?

Steve

 

[gooseberry]

Have you called perm9bil? I was told they comp things and will work with you

 

[bkite]

That is outrageous. My wheelchair is not Permobil, and when I have needed tires, I have been able to match the size with tires available online through multiple dealers at very reasonable prices.
Permobil doesn't make tires, they have to order from somewhere.

 

[azgirl]

Numotion just changed out all my permobil tires and Medicare paid

 

[swalker]

After thinking about this a bit, I decided that something must be wrong.

So, I called Permobil directly to get more information.

It turns out the Permobil snow tires are only about $55 each. The price quoted by NuMotion was apparently for the tires, tubes, and rims (which come up to over $500 per pair).

I had asked NuMotion for the price on just the tires, but apparently there must have been some confusion there.

NuMotion has told me that insurance is unlikely to cover snow tires, since they are intended for outdoor use.

I am now working with NuMotion to get a new set of snow tires, regular tires, and caster tires.

Thanks for letting me vent here. I was pretty irritated when I thought I was going to have to pay over $500 for a pair of wheelchair snow tires.

Steve

 

[bkite]

You could pay cash for the snow tires and get your friendly bicycle shop to install them.

 

[swalker]

Fortunately, I have a good friend who used to work as a bike mechanic. We used to work on bikes a bit together.

We will have a good time installing them

Steve