SmartSuite: A Diagnostic Advantage for BraunAbility Wheelchair Vans
Posted by Jeff on Friday, November 21st, 2008
BraunAbility has recently released another new product to ensure your handicap van is repaired correctly the first time: BraunAbility SmartSuite. This is a computer program available for our dealers to download from our website which allows the Product Support department to plug into any of our lowered floor minivans and obtain a complete snapshot of the onboard diagnostics built in the controller.
The diagnostic plug built onto the controller will allow the technician to connect to the processor that controls the function of the ramp and kneel systems, as well as a portion of the OEM chassis inputs. This option will allow qualifying dealers to perform repairs much quicker and more reliably than in the past. Also, they will be able to run a diagnostic check on the conversion while performing routine maintenance.
BraunAbility has long believed that customer service after the sale is the key to our long term success. We are continually working to provide solid engineering to prevent breakdowns, while working with our dealer network to provide the most current technology to make our wheelchair vans the most reliable and service-friendly on the market. The new SmartSuite program is one big advantage that will work for you largely in the background - but you’ll be glad it’s there when you need it!
If you’re having an issue with your van, please let us know what the problem is by commenting below. You can also contact your nearest dealer directly.
Tags: service, Wheelchair Vans
December 9th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Dear Braun, We are very upset with our purchase of 2007 dodge grand caravan..We have had nothing but trouble with the lift..The first week of owning,had to take back to get fixed.We thought the problem was fix..Nope 2 months later we are back with the same problem. Fix again,2 days later same thing happening again..NOT WORKING!This is very annoying..Go to a place an can’t get out of van.This time they kept van for 2 weeks..When we got the van back the lift work..Well now that it has been 6 months later we are back to having problems again. This lift has been a inconvenient since week one.This lift is a in floor lift.Our other van had the fold out lift an never had trouble the 7 years we had it.Is there a recall on any of in floor lifts?Is anyone else having trouble with these in floor lifts?Wanted to leave the van today so we wouldn’t have to drive back in 2 days but they wanted us to rent a van at $50.00 a day.Brought our van back an will take back in 1 week to get fixed.Now our 28 year old son will be stuck at home for a week till this matter is fixed again.Please Help.Email us a name with a phone number to talk with someone about this matter.Not a dealer.Someone from Braunn.Thank You.12/9/08.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Hello Donna,
I am certainly upset to learn of the issues you have experienced with your 2007 Caravan. As a user of a Braun Entervan, I am aware of the importance of having dependable transportation.
The in floor ramp is definitely a more complicated design than the fold out ramp. Correct operation, periodic maintainance and adjustments are much more critical with an in floor ramp. Maintenance and service is more difficult because the ramp is imbedded in the floor requires removal of the floor to access the mechanism.
That is not an excuse, just an explanation. Even with those things in mind you should be able to expect the in floor ramp to be dependable. If you would like you may contact me directly by phone (574-946-4139 ext 3275) to discuss the issues you have experienced. I will do everything in my power to determine the source of your problem and affect a cure that will give you uninterrupted service.
Burnie Blackmon
December 26th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Hey Donna, I am also having trouble with the infloor ramp on a 2007 Toyota Sienna Braun conversion Ramp Van. I hope and pray it does not take me two months. I am totally upset and it is only 2 weeks and no repair. What is worse we were told the problem was a strip on the door sensor and the wheelchair damaged it over the past couple years by rubbing it upon exiting. But it is not our fault the door is not wide enough. So with ony 17,000 miles we just paid Braun dealer $75 and Toyota $500 and still it does not work. So Braun rep sent us to have it fixed and it did not fix it. So now we go back to Braun dealer and hopefully they will work us in in a week or two. After reading your problems with infloor and Burnies’ response I can see why the service manager would send us somewhere else. Did you ever get yours to work and if so, what did they do? Not only does the ramp no work but both power doors are inoperaable. Thank You. 12/26/2008
December 26th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Donna, I am searching for internet blogs on ramp vans. Trying to find some troubleshooting ideas on what could be the problem. Have you seen any blog besides this one? I may start one myself just for the handicapped community to have an advocate. Thanks Again. Jalynn
January 8th, 2009 at 9:54 am
Hello Jalynn,
Thank you for your additional post.
I am really sorry to hear that you continue to have a problem with your Ramp Van. The additional post has helped me better understand the problem.
I assume that your unit is also an in floor unit. If so, everything that I said to Donna would apply to your unit as well. The in floor system is much more complex than the fold out system and requires more attention to correct operation, and periodic preventative service. The Toyota has at least one additional consideration. Toyota installs a strip on the door to stop the operation if it contacts an obstruction in the doorway. It is strictly a Toyota product that we cannot remove. One thing that we can do is modify the door so that it opens a little further, which we do. We are limited on how much we can widen the door without structural modification to the door, door opening and the electrical operation of the door. That type of modification would double or triple the price of the conversion, making it completely impractical. Since I have not seen it, I cannot comment on your particular situation, but I have seen other situations where the sensor strip was damaged by a wheelchair. It is also true that a damaged door sensor will disable the system. That is the way that Toyota designed it and is not something we can change.
All of the above is good and valid information for anyone who owns or is thinking about purchasing an in floor system, especially on a Toyota chassis, but the issues discussed above would not cause both doors to fail unless the sensor on both doors was damaged. The sensor strip may have been damaged and in need of replacement, but since both doors are inoperable and replacing the sensor strip did not correct the problem, obviously there is an additional problem. I would also be willing to bet that the rear hatch is also inoperable. Toyota, through their main harness, ties both sliding doors and the rear hatch together. If there is a break in that main harness, both sliding doors and the rear hatch will fail. The harness that I am speaking of is a product that is manufactured by Toyota and unaltered by Braun except that; because of the conversion it must be relocated. While the sensor strip is strictly a Toyota product unaltered by Braun it would be necessary to go to Toyota for replacement. Since the main harness has been relocated by Braun it would certainly make more sense to take it back to a Braun dealer for repair of that item.
It is unfortunate that some components of your vehicle are the responsibility of Toyota and some parts are the responsibility of Braun. I don’t know any practical way that we can change that.
I am not aware of any other Blog for ramp vans but I am always looking. If I run across one I will certainly make you aware of it. I would certainly support the idea of you or someone starting one on your own. I am always interested in anything that will improve the lives of people living with a disability. The purpose of my participation in our blog is to provide information and hopefully solve problems. When one is living with a disability there is no such thing as too much information.
As I mentioned before, if you like, I would be happy to discuss your specific problems directly with you. The Vehicle Identification Number would also be helpful in identifying your particular vehicle in our files.
Sincerely,
Burnie B Blackmon, Jr.
Director, Special Vehicle Sales
Voice: 574-946-4139 X 3275
Fax: 574-946-3143
Email: burnie.blackmon@braun.lift.com.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Does SmartSuite work for a 1999 Town and Country with a ramp?
February 10th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
My daughter has a fold out ramp. She got about 2002. Early on the sliding door would open too far and fall of the lower track. There is a stop bolted into the floor which most of the time, will keep the door from going too far and rolling off the lower track. However, this stop is so close to the end of the track it only takes a little something to derail it. I have re-railed the door several times. We took it to the dealer as early as 2005 hoping that there was a solution. Then and every since then all they can do is change some parts which does not fix the basic problem. If only the door stop could be moved about 3/8 inches tighter I believe the problem would be solved. However preventing this adjustment is the fact that there is only a small clearance between the open door and the fold down ramp which leave little room for adjustment. I believe that Braun may have a solution for this. Please help. My daughter has driven around with the door open and the ramp held closed with a Bunge cord several times. Thank you, her dad.
February 11th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Pat,
Unfortunately, SmartSuite is a new program that works only with our new model Enetervans. We switched to a solid state control module on the 2001 lowered floor minivans with the possibility of adding this feature for future conversions. Are you having problems with your conversions that this software would be beneficial?
Jeff
February 11th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Charles,
The retro kit bumper has been very effective in eliminating the issues that your daughter has experienced. The bumper when properly installed should make it impossible to remove the door without first removing the bumper. Since I honestly doubt that you daughter is physically slamming the door past, or through the bumper, my only conclusion is that the bumper was installed without the two spacers that need to be installed between the bumper and the track pan. This won’t be easy to see but your lowered floor minivan dealer should be able to pull the bumper off and check the spacers that mount behind the bumper. Please let me know if you have any problems getting this done.
Jeff
February 12th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I thought that the SmartSuite might help diagnose my problems since no one has been able to help me. We bought the van used 5 years ago. The previous owner had problems with the ramp. They would take it to the dealer and nothing wrong would be found. We continue to have problems and it is happening more often. At times I push the remote or use an inside the van switch, the sliding door will not open nor will the ramp unfold. Other times the ramp will already be down and will not fold up. Sometimes if I wait couple minutes and try again it will work. Other times I have to watch for someone in a parking lot to assist me. I have had this to Mobilty Works but they tell me that unless the problem is happening right then they cannot help. I can’t get it over there when it isn’t working since there is no way to tell when it is going to act up. There is no rhyme or reason that I can figure out. Also, the kneeling system doen’t always work. My son checked and found that power is going to the kneeling system. Also, the chime doesn’t sound in coordination with the ramp. to be continued
February 12th, 2009 at 11:33 am
continued. It usually sounds well after the ramp is opened or closed. In fact, my husand might be driving the van. The ramp isn’t used at all yet the chime will sound while he is driving. I cannot afford to pay for hours spen trying to trace the problem. My son is very good with car reapairs and is trying to help. He was hoping that a wiring schematic might be available.
Any help is really appreciated. Thanks
April 10th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
HI
I have a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan that was converted by Braun. We have had multiple issues with this ie directional does not turn off after a turn, air conditioner issues, front brakes 4 sets 4 sets of rotors in 60000 miles but the one that is most scary is the side door opens intermittantly. Now we had to remove the ramp because sometimes when we start the van the door will open by itself nobody touching any buttons just opens an then hit the car next to us. now we make sure the doors are locked before we start the car because if not the door will sometimes open. there is no ryhme nor reason for this happening as far as i can tell. Weve wanted to remove the fuse for this but havent. Could you please let me know if this is a problem with dodge or something that you added.
Thank you Phil
August 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I have a problem with a 2000 dodge carvan handicap. it dos’t kneel when you hit the switch.
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:15 am
Hi Tim,
I’ll pass your note on to Product Support, but they’ll need a little more info in order to help you out. If you can provide your Vehicle Identification Number, your BraunAbility dealership name, and any more details describing the problem, that will give us a head start at finding a solution. Thanks!
Jack
December 7th, 2009 at 11:59 am
This response is for Pat Kneil, I do hope someone has found the source of your problem. If not perhaps I could help. I have recently spent hours trying to find the exact problem you have described with the Entervan. The solution in my case and the reason for the intermittent problem was found under the left rear quarter panel that surrounds the relay panel. If you remove that panel you will find three ring terminals that provide grounds for the relays. Remove them from there bolt and pull on each ring making sure they are properly and tightly connected to the wire. In my case on terminal was crimped but the wire had not been pushed into the terminal all the way and missed the crimp. I do hope this is what you find and the end of the persistent problem. Best to you. Diane Burgahrdt
March 28th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
I have a 2008 Toyota Sienna with foldout ramp conversion. In late December, 2009, my wife got stranded with a battery problem. We replaced the battery and assumed all was solved. In late February 2010, we had a dead battery again. This time I went to the service center where I bought the replacement battery. The battery checked out. I then went to our Toyota dealer to have the alternator checked. It was fine. I then called the Braun dealer [ 90 miles away ] and he suggested that it was likely just a single anomoly. Today [ March 28, 2010 ], the battery is dead again. I’m now thinking the Braun Control Unit is causing a slow battery drain. Anybody else having a similar problem? JPB
March 29th, 2010 at 11:30 am
The BraunAbility Dealer has a procedure to check for battery draw from our conversion. I suggest contacting the dealer and schedule a time for hiim to inspect it. Thank you, Burnie
July 4th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
I have a 2008 Caravan SXT Braun Entervan conversion - I am having problems with water accumulating in the sliding doors. Taken to Ride-Away for service once already, but the problem seems unfixed. Any others experience this? Does the conversion alter drainage holes? If so, where are the new ones?
July 6th, 2010 at 10:02 am
There is a drain hole near the front of the lower door track to drain out water. It is possible that the holes are plugged. I would take it back to the dealer and have them check to see if the holes are plugged. Burnie