I know a few people on motability who swear by it. One lady I meet regularly goes to the local MS centre, she gets a brand new Astra estate every 3 years, fully converted - hoist in the boot to lift her leccy chair in and out, full set of hand controls, full fire suppression system, auto tailgate open/shut, auto driver's seat deploy - and all she has to find is her fuel.
I used to know a guy who owned a panda, he had so many prangs that they decided his MS was too bad for him to drive. Over the course of two years, every body panel had been replaced. Had he not been disabled, he wouldn't have been able to afford car insurance with his track record.
I think the OP has just been unlucky with that dealer - and there's good and bad.

sludgeguts said:

I know a few people on motability who swear by it. One lady I meet regularly goes to the local MS centre, she gets a brand new Astra estate every 3 years, fully converted - hoist in the boot to lift her leccy chair in and out, full set of hand controls, full fire suppression system, auto tailgate open/shut, auto driver's seat deploy - and all she has to find is her fuel.
I used to know a guy who owned a panda, he had so many prangs that they decided his MS was too bad for him to drive. Over the course of two years, every body panel had been replaced. Had he not been disabled, he wouldn't have been able to afford car insurance with his track record.
I think the OP has just been unlucky with that dealer - and there's good and bad.

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how does that work? is she able to get to the rear of the car unaided?

custard said:

how does that work? is she able to get to the rear of the car unaided?

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maybe can with a stick and/or hanging onto the roof bars, there is a lady who goes to my tesco who does that but moves so slow she wouldn't be able to shop like it

My bad Dave used the wrong multiplier that night .. ..

Looka, most on HRDLA are so kerknockerated that they can't do what most people do, they are :

Perfectly normal looking and move normally but would be dead before they got across the ASDA car park, they are blind / deaf ? both.

Can't walk 50 yards without a heart attack.

Use a hoist or whatever to get in and out £35.000 a pop.

So arthritic you would think toothache is / was a pleasure.

Look and behave fine to others but need to ' carry ' so much medical equipment in the car to [ in case of ] survive an attack.

Are outwardly normal but cant go anywhere [ on their own ] without a ' minder '

- there are many reasons for the DLA / Blue Badge / Motability .. .. most are so buggered they couldn't even lift the jack let alone change a punctured wheel !

And that's the physical side.

- when you are old you've been there~done~that and are prepared to give the wonka to anyone for a quiet life 100% guaranteed at the end of a phone call.

And that's the mental side of being old and finding a guaranteed easier way to do things.

Peace Bro

BTW don't even ask why a deaf blind crippled person who can't see / hear / walk / think for themselves / does not see danger / no legs / no arms / has so many drugs in their body even the local chav dealer is jealous / drives a car

its a good scheme for a lot of disabled, the other choice if you can afford buy the car and get 25% off the price if you have a blue badge, honda and fiat do this.

custard said:

how does that work? is she able to get to the rear of the car unaided?

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Unaided? no. The tailgate opens on remote, she deploys the hoist then stands alongside the car, hooks up the chair & presses the 'stow' button, the hoist raises the chair and stores it in the car whilst she uses the roof rails to get to the driver's seat, by which time the chair is in & the tailgate is closed.

Of course, all this tech isn't a two-minute install, she generally has to wait a week or so after the new car is released to the dealer.

QinteQ said:

My bad Dave used the wrong multiplier that night .. ..

Looka, most on HRDLA are so kerknockerated that they can't do what most people do, they are :

Perfectly normal looking and move normally but would be dead before they got across the ASDA car park, they are blind / deaf ? both.

Can't walk 50 yards without a heart attack.

Use a hoist or whatever to get in and out £35.000 a pop.

So arthritic you would think toothache is / was a pleasure.

Look and behave fine to others but need to ' carry ' so much medical equipment in the car to [ in case of ] survive an attack.

Are outwardly normal but cant go anywhere [ on their own ] without a ' minder '

- there are many reasons for the DLA / Blue Badge / Motability .. .. most are so buggered they couldn't even lift the jack let alone change a punctured wheel !

And that's the physical side.

- when you are old you've been there~done~that and are prepared to give the wonka to anyone for a quiet life 100% guaranteed at the end of a phone call.

And that's the mental side of being old and finding a guaranteed easier way to do things.

Peace Bro

BTW don't even ask why a deaf blind crippled person who can't see / hear / walk / think for themselves / does not see danger / no legs / no arms / has so many drugs in their body even the local chav dealer is jealous / drives a car

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One of the women I used to work with (part of 'the care industry' so should have a bit of a clue) came out with "I wish I could have a brand new car given to me every three years with all expenses paid" I said, "I believe she has to pay for her own fuel" - "Yeah, but even so, car, tax, insurance, breakdown - all paid for".
"Well, if we wait a year or two, medical science might have advanced enough for you to swap bodies, I'm sure she'd much rather be paying her way in the world than have MS" - "oh, yeah" :bang:

is it true that part of the mobility contract is that any wear n tear items ( brakes, tyres puntures and so on) have to be done buy suplying dealer and paid for at dealer rates? bloke at local tyre fitters seemed to think so,

I've no idea what rate Motability pays for their national contracts, but for example :

- their tyre contract is a national one with Quick-Fit
- their breakdown -~ ditto ~ with the RAC
- their glass ~ ditto ~ with Autoglass
- their Insurance ~ ditto ~ with Royal & Sun Alliance
- their service & repair with any local main dealership

Ref the ' bloke at the local tyre fitters ' he is wrong and the evidence is here

the scheme is a very good idea if unlike the people that for some reason WORK & get higher rate DLA at the same time, they cant afford to run a car any other way.

also im sure your not allowed to receive the higher rate mobility AND work at the same time kind of a contradiction isn't it???

FractalPanda said:

also im sure your not allowed to receive the higher rate mobility AND work at the same time kind of a contradiction isn't it???

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not really because them people may not be able to get to work with out it, if in a low paid job, so instead of sitting at home on £100's a week income support benefit they get a few quid a week that gets them mobile so they get to work and pay tax that gives the little bit they do get back.

its not a means tested benefit. maybe it should be though but cut off set high, atm you could be a millionaire and still get dla

its not free money either for a lot of people who have worked before and paid national insurance, its a claim on that insurance, if some one crashes their car or their house burns down and insurance pays out people don't call that free money, but if people claim on their national insurance people call it free money

FractalPanda said:

the scheme is a very good idea if unlike the people that for some reason WORK & get higher rate DLA at the same time, they cant afford to run a car any other way.

also I'm sure your not allowed to receive the higher rate mobility AND work at the same time kind of a contradiction isn't it???

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No Dave .. .. the other way round mate. It was designed precisely for those who continue to work / earn / pay tax / contribute to society / etc. That's why you can't even apply or get onto get DLA after age 65.

Lot's of crap in the redtops / tele etc, no doubt pumped out by the conDEMS central office to stigmatise the less physically capable make it look as if the disabled are all ' pancrack fiddlers ' when in fact the fraud element [ March this year figures ] was less than 0.1%.

Where people get confused is they think the disabled are judged on the illness / disability etc - they are not. You could have a list of severe life threatening illnesses as long as your arm and get nothing - not a penny. DLA is in two parts and based on care & mobility needs:

The car, which is the subject in this thread comes only from those who are the most severe and are awarded the highest element of mobility ' needs '.

- disabled is disabled
- ill is ill
- both require care
- but ill is not disabled
- DLA is for disability, not illness
- too many people who are ill claim to be disabled

DLA is about helping with :

Care

need help with things such as washing, dressing, eating, getting to and using the toilet, or communicating your needs
need supervision to avoid you putting yourself or others in substantial danger
need someone with you when you are on dialysis
be unable to prepare a cooked main meal for yourself (if you have the ingredients), if you are aged 16 or over

Mobility

because of a physical disability, you are unable or virtually unable to walk without severe discomfort, or at risk of endangering your life or causing deterioration in your health by making the effort to walk
you have no feet or legs
you are assessed to be both 100 per cent disabled because of loss of eyesight and not less than 80 per cent disabled because of deafness and you need someone with you when you are out of doors
you are severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualify for the highest rate of care component
you need guidance or supervision most of the time from another person when walking out of doors in unfamiliar places