Hi Nicki, You are a victim of the McDonald Syndrome, if you get my drift. But I still feel for your situation. The retail end of the conversion industry has been known to oversell their capabilities and finished product when massed produced. And that is not good. Taking a brand new or slightly used van, and redesigning it is really not that easy. The more complex the need, the more difficult to produce the finish product. And this is under perfect conditions. Granted, under near perfect conditions, it does take 4-8 weeks of time. That can also be affected by conditions that you have no control over, like weather, supply of conversion supplies, how many conversions are scheduled for that month and if the companies are paying their bills. its like going to McDonalds and buying a large soft drink and then finding out there are no straws, lol. Wait.... its McDonalds. And they have NO STRAWS that day. It happens, believe me. And you can't drinks a 40 oz drink on a hot day without a straw. I'm hoping that your base van was approved and is suitable for conversion with enough wheelbase and the heavy duty towing package options. Without it, it could add several additional weeks to the conversion process. Ahhhhh, the weather. How can you change or affect the weather. We all know that Houston has had some bad weather, but who in Houston is doing the actual conversion? Definitely, not Braun. They are in Indiana. So when the weather is that bad and Houston is under water, how do employees get to work and finish your van. Major conversion factories have computers and people to operate them. When a vehicle is entered into their system, you can or the dealer can follow the progress of the conversion until they see/read released for shipment to dealer/customer. Conversions done by garage mechanicals, don't have that luxury. Often the conversion process is broken down into 36-40 steps and the normal time it takes to perform each step. You've got to remember that a radical conversion on a mini van requires your van to start at the upholstery shop when the van is completely disassembled. Anything that can be scratched or burn must be removed, before the conversion process can be scheduled. The van may then go to fabrication shop. The van is introduced to the FAB Shop almost naked with no insides, except a wiring harness. Doors, windows and interior are completely removed. Fuel tank and exhaust system must be removed before the floor can be processed. A new fuel cell and exhaust must be ordered too. Wiring must be relocated and secured before the cutting of the floor can begin. A van can be stuck in the FAB Shop for weeks, making sure that everything comes together correctly. Then you have inspections along the way. At the Braun factory, at critical steps of fabrication, a representative inspects the chassis to ensure that all is still well, before the van goes on to the next step. Once the conversion process has taken place and passes inspection, painted and cleared, it goes back to upholstery shop and everything is put back in or reassembled. Now I've made this sound much easier than it really is and my point is that a company does not proceed to step 15.... if Step 14 isn't completed, tested and passes inspection. Once a vehicle passes all test and inspections and released to dealer, it must be transported back to that dealer somewhere in the USA. Some factories only ship once a month. Others may ship once a week. And that truck load may travel a thousand miles before your van is received at the Mobility Dealer. Once the Mobility Dealer receives it and checks everything out. It is determine if any other adaptive equipment is needed and must be installed. Now this takes additional time and will vary. (AND WE ALL KNOW THAT TIME IS YOUR MINEY) OK, when a problem is discovered, it has to be determine if its an OEM problem or a Conversion problem. If its OEM then a OEM rep has to come out and verify the problem. If its a conversion problem, the conversion company is contacted and arrangement are made for the Mobility Dealer to resolve/fix the problem and charge the conversion company for their work. This requires paperwork, and sometimes lots of paperwork and documentation. Finally, the van is almost ready and you are invited for your "First Fitting." Sounds like a Wedding, but its not. That fitting will determine how much more work has to be done to make the van available for your needs. Then there may be a second fitting and adjustments. Maybe even a 3rd and 4th for additional adjustment. These adjustments are very necessary if you are going to drive the van with primary or secondary driving controls. I know nothing about Freedom Mobility, nor their employees and salespeople. I did go to their website and read their info. I didn't see any mention if they were NMEDA Certified or carries any of the newer ISO Certification that is required these days. Some of those associations are CDRS- Ced Drivers Rehab Services ADED-Am Driver Eval D ADA- American Drivers Alliance QAP -Quality Assurance Program Lastly, you don't a vehicle that has been rushed and you driving on the streets. Make sure that your feelings, questions and complaints are in writing for historical reasons, should you need to refer to them. I really wish I could help more, but even I have limitations. Best Wishes In a message dated 7/28/2007 12:29:28 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I TOOK MY VAN TO THE DEALER ON MAY 7 AND WAS TOLD 4/6 WEEKS. MONDAY WILL BE 12 WEEKS. MY VAN ALREADY HAD AN IMS CONVERSION. SO WHAT HAPPENED WAS IT SAT AT THE DEALER FOR A WEEK BEFORE IT WAS SENT TO HOUSTON. WAS TOLD BY PEOPLE IN HOUSTON IT WAS BEING TEST DRIVEN AND WOULD BE DELIVERED TO DEALER WEEK OF JULY 2. THEN WAS TOLD BY DEALER DUE TO FLOODING HOUSTON WAS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING IT OUT. I TALKED TO HOUSTON AND WAS TOLD MY VAN WAS READY JULY 2 BUT NEW EQUIPMENT CAME OUT SO THEY CHOSE TO UPGRADE IT ALL TO THE LATEST AND GREATEST. SOUNDS LIKE A LINE OF B.S. HUH? SO, VAN WAS SUPPOSE TO BE AT DEALER JULY 20. IT WAS STILL IN HOUSTON MONDAY AT 1PM SO MY APPT TO HAVE LOCKS INSTALLED TUESDAY - CANCELLED. THEY GOT VAN TUESDAY SO I GET UP AT 4:30 TO BE AT DEALER 75 MILES AWAY AT 8AM. I GOT THERE, GOT OUT OF CHAIR, WAITED 1 1/2 HRS TO BE TOLD TEY DIDN'T HAVE CORRECT EZ LOCKS. ALSO, MY DOOR WON'T OPEN AUTOMATICALLY AND VAN ISN'T KNEELING- ARRIVED FROM HOUSTON THAT WAY. THEY HAD NEW MODULE AND SAID THEY WOULD FIX IT THURSDAY. THEY REORDERED, GOT UP AT 5:30 TO BE THER BY 10AM YESTYERDAY. LOCKS CAME IN WHICH WAS A PLUS - GOT THAT INSTALLED. SR TECH TELLS ME IT'S NOT THE MODULE BUT A WIRE/WIRES WERE CUT IN HOUSTON. HE'S GOING TO TROUBLESHOOT AND OTHER TECH IS GOING INSTALL EZ LOCKS IN VAN. MY DAD AND I ARE LEAVING THE SERVICE AREA AND HE SAYS "THERE'S YOUR DRIVER SEAT - WONDER WHERE THE PASSENGER SEAT IS". YES, YOU GUESSED IT, NO FREAKING SEAT! NO ONE KNOWS WHERE IT IS - WE ASSUME HOUSTON. WE GET BACK TO MOBILITY OFFICE AND A MAN PULLS UP IN A LEXUS AND WANTS HAND CONTROLS. I GO UP TO SERVICE TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING AND THEY PULLED TECH OFF MY VAN TO INSTALL HAND CONTROLS ON THE LEXUS THAT WAS BOUGHT IN TULSA THAT MORNING! NO APPT - JUST HAD THE $$ SO THE SR TECH HAS TO QUIT TRYING TO GET MY DOOR TO WORK AND INSTALL MY EZ LOCKS. I WAS THERE OVER 7 HRS. I'M "SUPPOSE" TO GET MY VAN TUESDAY - YEAH RIGHT! DOOR ISN'T WORKING AND WITH NO PASSENGER SEAT BECAUSE THEY ASSUME IT'S IN HOUSTON! OH, AND SR TECH IS ON VACATION NEXT WEEK. WHEELCHAIR, WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CARLOS/IDS/FREEDOM WHEELS IN HOUSTON? ANY ADVICE FOLKS BUT RIGHT NOW I WANT TO CHOKE SOMEONE! ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
