We started the month by attending the Laremont School’s Special Needs Resource Fair and Festival in Grayslake. It was a great way to connect with local community and aswer all questions related to adaptive equipment installations and custom mobility conversions AMS has to offer. Special thanks to the event organizers for the invitation!
Installation #1: Scooter Lift
Equipment Type: Scooter Lift
Vehicle: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Customer Location: South Holland, IL
Challenge Solved: Single mother with disabled child needs assistance with storing the wheelchair in the back of the SUV.
Installation Details:
- Equipment: Autochair Smartlifter L-C220
- Installation time: one day
- Special considerations: Customer needed assistance with wheelchair storage and wanted to keep the rear seats functional when the Lift is not in use. The Autochair Smartlifter L-C220 is the perfect answer due to small foot print and ability to be removed anytime
Customer Outcome: Customer able to store the wheelchair in the back and use the storage space when the Lift is not in use
Installation #2: Electronic Left Hand Push-Right Angle Hand Control
Equipment Type: Electronic Left Hand Push-Right Angle Hand Control
Vehicle: 2025 BMW X5
Customer Location: Lake Forest, IL
Challenge Solved: Due to mobility issues customer is transitioning to drive with his hands. After receiving evaluation and training from CDRS (Certified Driver Rehabilitation Specialist) customer purchased brand new vehicle and contacted us to install a left hand electronic push-right angle hand control.
Installation Details:
- Equipment: Veigel eConnect left hand Push-Right Angle Electronic Hand Control
- Installation time: 14 hours
- Special considerations: Seemless adaptive equipment integration with minimum alteration to original components is our goal. German made Veigel beautifully blends in with the luxuorius interior of the 2025 BMW X5.
Customer Outcome: After quick review of the electronic hand control system operation customer was able to drive independently.
Installation #3: Mechanical Left Foot Accelerator
Equipment Type: Mechanical Left Foot Accelerator
Vehicle: 2021 Nissan Roque
Customer Location: Sugar Grove,IL
Challenge Solved: Customer purchased a new car and needs adaptive equipment
Installation Details:
- Equipment: MPS Mechanical Left Foot Accelerator
- Installation time: 4h
- Special considerations: Proper spacing of the left foot accelerator in relation to the brake pedal is crucial to ensure safe brake/gas operation and, many times, the original foot rest on the left side has to be removed to create necessary space. Mechanical left accelerator is the quickest and most cost efficient way to operate vehicle with the left foot. Tool free quick release installation and removal provides easy way to share the vehicle with others who can operate the gas and brake pedals with their feet.
Customer Outcome: New car, new left foot accelerator. Our customer is an experienced driver using left foot accelerator and switching to a new car is not a challenge anymore.
Installation #4: Transmission
Equipment Type: Transmission
Vehicle: 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan
Customer Location: McHenry, IL
Challenge Solved: Transmission failed in a handicap van. Is it time to replace the van or invest in transmission replacement? Whichever you decide we have an answer for you. At AMS Auto we offer mobility services as well as automotive repair. This makes us One Stop Shop for your mobility and auto repair needs.
Installation Details:
- Equipment: Transmission
- Installation time: Two days
- Special considerations: Due to the cost of handicap conversion vehicle maintenace is very important and costly repairs such as transmission replacement require carefull consideration.
Customer Outcome: New transmission installed and the mobility van is back on the road
Installation #5: Left Hand Electronic Hand Control
Equipment Type: Left Hand Electronic Hand Control Vehicle: 2026 Lexus NX 350 Customer Location: Naperville, IL Challenge Solved: Customer is a right leg amputee and has finished his evaluation and training and needs his new car adapted with electronic hand controls.
Installation Details:
- Equipment: Left hand electronic push-rock Sure-Grip Featherlite Hand Control
- Installation time: one day
- Special considerations: Customer is a right leg amputee and proper behind the wheel fitment is crucial to ensure succesfull installation. Because of the prosthetic right leg customer chose steering wheel position that allows him easy entry and exit and gives him necessary legroom and visibility of the instrument cluster.
Customer Outcome: After installation we delivered vehicle to customer who now will finish the training with evaluator in his own car to ease him into driving using his own, actual hand cotrols.
Installation #6
Equipment Type: Left Hand Electronic Push-Rock Hand Control Vehicle: 2023 Subaru Outback Customer Location: Round Lake Beach, IL Challenge Solved: Returning customer purchased new car and needs new hand cotrols installed
Installation Details:
- Equipment: Left hand electronic push-rock Veigel eConnect Hand Control
- Installation time: one day
- Special considerations: Customer is a manual wheelchair user who enters vehicle with the use of transfer board and then brings the wheelchair inside after removing wheels. Position of the hand controls is important to allow safe and comfortable operation yet leave enough room between hand controls handle and B-Pillar for the wheelchair frame to be transfered inside while seating in the driver’s seat.
Customer Outcome: Another satisified customer was able to drive home independently using new set of hand controls.
Please contact us with any questions you might have related to mobility vehicles, adaptive equipment and installations and the process to have the equipment installed.
