I searched high and low for this information when setting out on my project so I thought I’d post a wee story to help anyone else starting out on a similar journey.
I needed a WAV, specifically with a side lift and given how they often get snapped up by camper conversionists etc they’re actually not all that easy to come across when you need one.
When I did find a T5.1 with a fabulous spec and low mileage, the only fly in the ointment was it had clearly been used to ferry someone about who stayed in their wheelchair (most likely a powerchair from the factory fitted inverter option under the passenger seat) during the journey rather than travelling up front.
That meant I’d have to work out how to get into either the passenger or drivers seats, but the Bus was too good to pass, and so Baxter arrived, won my heart and started taking all my money.
Initially the workaround was to put a campervan style swivel plate on the passenger seat so I could at least travel up front.
That was a bit of a faff because the leisure battery was too tall so it had to be removed until we could make some shims or find another fix, but the swivel function was the necessity, not the leisure power and so out the battery went.
It wasn’t lost on me that the swivel plate absolutely was not designed for me to perform all manner of acrobatics as I moved through 180° to get from my wheelchair to be facing forward as a “regular” passenger, but as a temporary fix it worked out ok for a few months.
None of the companies who install 6 Way Seats would install a second hand one, I absolutely didn’t have the cash for a brand new one (£2-3k) and it felt a total waste to know that people were ripping them out of perfectly good vehicles just because they were surplus to their requirements.
“And another thing though, what are you going to do about the handbrake?” was a line I was met with a couple of times during my enquiries. Cue some googling and Ah. Yes. Right. The handbrake.
Turns out all the adaptation companies install a hella expensive aftermarket electronic handbrake that is known to be spectacularly moody and to then fail suspiciously close to its warranty expiration date, meaning that it has to be replaced in its entirety.
Well stuff that. I’m not paying £2-3k for the seat and then £2k on top for something that’s known to be pants, there must be another workaround…
Wheelchair users are remarkable troubleshooters and problem solvers - we have to be. When you’re home alone, the power cuts out and the trip switch is in an old fashioned over the door fuse box what are you going to do? Sit there feeling hungry or work out a hack to flip that trip back to life with a hastily contrived crutch and spatula combo tool? Exactly.
Add in the fact lots of guys with Spinal Cord Injury tend to have been the thrillseeking/bikey/tinker to make it go faster types and there’s a ginormous hive mind to tap into, it didn’t disappoint.
“Why don’t you do what I did, and just use a LHD drivers seat base?” What a bloke. It’s gloriously simple, but isn’t that often the way with great solutions?!
This chap had got VWUK to source him a LHD drivers seat base, he put that under the passenger seat so that the handbrake was just the other side of the gutter and happy days the job’s a good ‘un. The handbrake is within easy reach, it’s all OEM and there’s no fear of being stranded by an expensive after market part (as I type two different friends are currently waiting on their T6.1s to return due to failures of this part, I wish I was kidding).
Only, I didn’t see why I should let VWUK charge me £670+VAT for the privilege when there are bound to be hunners of LHD driver’s seat bases for T5.1s adorning the many scrappies of Germany.
So I put google translate to work and €130 inc shipping later I had a full LHD Seat base and handbrake assembly at my door in deepest Perthshire.
I found a 6 way seat base on eBay (from someone converting a WAV to a camper, surprise surprise) paid far far too much to the courier company to ensure they would actually get it to my door and had a pal who’s handy with the spanners install it for me with the help of manuals found online and pictures from other paralysed pals who had done similar.
So now I have a fabulous Caravelle with the 150 bulletproof engine, it has wireless CarPlay, a wheelchair lift on the side, an inverter & parking heater, a six way seat so I can easily get into the passenger seat or stay as the driver (with some temporary hand controls for now, because the permanent ones are £6-700 and Vdubz like to eat our money, as has been well established) twin sliders, front & rear cameras, it’s cambelt and water pump have just been done, the 40k DSG service is due soon but apart from that all is absolutely tickety boo and I’m happier than the happiest of happy things.
Motability was absolutely zero help when I was searching for a WAV - they couldn’t understand why I needed a boot as well as a lift (can you imagine getting on and off a ferry regularly to see your family as a wheelchair user sitting up front in a Caddy or similar? You’d have to unpack your entire world onto the deck when boarding and disembarking just to get in and oot the wagon… no thanks!) and so I had to go it solo. That meant I took out a loan to buy a 12 year old vehicle, something I’d never have contemplated before but by all accounts if you start with a good un and your maintain it as ZeeGermans intended, it’ll go forever, and that’s what I fully plan on doing.
What’s more, unlike Motability where you put down a huge advanced payment, give them your mobility allowance every month for 5 years and then have to hand the vehicle back at the end with no chance even of “buying” it, this one is mine and always will be.
If you’ve stayed around this far then a gold star for your forehead. However, hopefully it’s been a useful 5 minute read for someone and I’m happy to chat anytime to anyone who’s interested in retrofitting a Caravelle for their use as a wheelchair user.
I needed a WAV, specifically with a side lift and given how they often get snapped up by camper conversionists etc they’re actually not all that easy to come across when you need one.
When I did find a T5.1 with a fabulous spec and low mileage, the only fly in the ointment was it had clearly been used to ferry someone about who stayed in their wheelchair (most likely a powerchair from the factory fitted inverter option under the passenger seat) during the journey rather than travelling up front.
That meant I’d have to work out how to get into either the passenger or drivers seats, but the Bus was too good to pass, and so Baxter arrived, won my heart and started taking all my money.
Initially the workaround was to put a campervan style swivel plate on the passenger seat so I could at least travel up front.
That was a bit of a faff because the leisure battery was too tall so it had to be removed until we could make some shims or find another fix, but the swivel function was the necessity, not the leisure power and so out the battery went.
It wasn’t lost on me that the swivel plate absolutely was not designed for me to perform all manner of acrobatics as I moved through 180° to get from my wheelchair to be facing forward as a “regular” passenger, but as a temporary fix it worked out ok for a few months.
None of the companies who install 6 Way Seats would install a second hand one, I absolutely didn’t have the cash for a brand new one (£2-3k) and it felt a total waste to know that people were ripping them out of perfectly good vehicles just because they were surplus to their requirements.
“And another thing though, what are you going to do about the handbrake?” was a line I was met with a couple of times during my enquiries. Cue some googling and Ah. Yes. Right. The handbrake.
Turns out all the adaptation companies install a hella expensive aftermarket electronic handbrake that is known to be spectacularly moody and to then fail suspiciously close to its warranty expiration date, meaning that it has to be replaced in its entirety.
Well stuff that. I’m not paying £2-3k for the seat and then £2k on top for something that’s known to be pants, there must be another workaround…
Wheelchair users are remarkable troubleshooters and problem solvers - we have to be. When you’re home alone, the power cuts out and the trip switch is in an old fashioned over the door fuse box what are you going to do? Sit there feeling hungry or work out a hack to flip that trip back to life with a hastily contrived crutch and spatula combo tool? Exactly.
Add in the fact lots of guys with Spinal Cord Injury tend to have been the thrillseeking/bikey/tinker to make it go faster types and there’s a ginormous hive mind to tap into, it didn’t disappoint.
“Why don’t you do what I did, and just use a LHD drivers seat base?” What a bloke. It’s gloriously simple, but isn’t that often the way with great solutions?!
This chap had got VWUK to source him a LHD drivers seat base, he put that under the passenger seat so that the handbrake was just the other side of the gutter and happy days the job’s a good ‘un. The handbrake is within easy reach, it’s all OEM and there’s no fear of being stranded by an expensive after market part (as I type two different friends are currently waiting on their T6.1s to return due to failures of this part, I wish I was kidding).
Only, I didn’t see why I should let VWUK charge me £670+VAT for the privilege when there are bound to be hunners of LHD driver’s seat bases for T5.1s adorning the many scrappies of Germany.
So I put google translate to work and €130 inc shipping later I had a full LHD Seat base and handbrake assembly at my door in deepest Perthshire.
I found a 6 way seat base on eBay (from someone converting a WAV to a camper, surprise surprise) paid far far too much to the courier company to ensure they would actually get it to my door and had a pal who’s handy with the spanners install it for me with the help of manuals found online and pictures from other paralysed pals who had done similar.
So now I have a fabulous Caravelle with the 150 bulletproof engine, it has wireless CarPlay, a wheelchair lift on the side, an inverter & parking heater, a six way seat so I can easily get into the passenger seat or stay as the driver (with some temporary hand controls for now, because the permanent ones are £6-700 and Vdubz like to eat our money, as has been well established) twin sliders, front & rear cameras, it’s cambelt and water pump have just been done, the 40k DSG service is due soon but apart from that all is absolutely tickety boo and I’m happier than the happiest of happy things.
Motability was absolutely zero help when I was searching for a WAV - they couldn’t understand why I needed a boot as well as a lift (can you imagine getting on and off a ferry regularly to see your family as a wheelchair user sitting up front in a Caddy or similar? You’d have to unpack your entire world onto the deck when boarding and disembarking just to get in and oot the wagon… no thanks!) and so I had to go it solo. That meant I took out a loan to buy a 12 year old vehicle, something I’d never have contemplated before but by all accounts if you start with a good un and your maintain it as ZeeGermans intended, it’ll go forever, and that’s what I fully plan on doing.
What’s more, unlike Motability where you put down a huge advanced payment, give them your mobility allowance every month for 5 years and then have to hand the vehicle back at the end with no chance even of “buying” it, this one is mine and always will be.
If you’ve stayed around this far then a gold star for your forehead. However, hopefully it’s been a useful 5 minute read for someone and I’m happy to chat anytime to anyone who’s interested in retrofitting a Caravelle for their use as a wheelchair user.
