Wednesday 26 October 2016

Permobil Problems Persist


September 27th, 2016 - My Permobil M300 once more returned from the repair shop with no definitive answer to why the 2nd new left motor stops running for no apparent reason.  Power to one side and no power to the opposite has the wheelchair only spin in circles about the dead wheel.  Permobil sales representative and Permobil U.S. showed little interest in the problem and offered no solution.

October 25th, 2016 - Just short of one month, the same problem re-occurred with the same motor.  Yesterday the motor cut out twice, refusing to run.  My service tech discovered that unplugging the motor from the wiring harness and then re-connecting it seems to somehow reset the motor allowing it to run again for what, an hour, a day, week or month?  Luckily my wife was not out of town and she was able to carry out the task which entails removing the battery cover and rear housing.  Wires are at floor level -there are several (3?) so if the right one isn't hit right away, un-plug and re-plug them all.  Yes, the connectors, wire harness and wires seem sound and does not appear to be a bad electrical connection.  Unplugging appears to reset the motor in some manner.

On my own, I doubt I could get the chair operational if it cut out on me

When the motor fails:
  • The chair is stopped on a flat surface and fails when I try to resume moving
  • The chair is under no additional load - it is not carrying anymore weight other than myself
  • It may be a coincidence however on all occasions, it failed while trying to reverse away from a desk.
  • The chair is gently used between three rooms, four if you count the washroom

Imagine if your car Dealership and Repair person cannot find why your car shuts down expectantly and the only solution that can be offered is to step out, open the hood and wiggle some wires -then hope for the best.

This Permobil M300 has lived in the repair shop almost since its purchase and I'm not entitled to ADP assistance until next year.

The question is WHEN this piece of junk will break down again, not IF and the only solution I have to get going again is to get to the rear floor level of the chair and wiggle wires.

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