tkw Posted January 19, 2013 Report Share Posted January 19, 2013 Hello everyone, I have had my heart set on an Edge for many years, and am now actually to the point where I can afford to buy one. I do have a question/problem that I was hoping folks here could help me out with. Long winded rambling to follow. 14 years ago, I was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident. Since my legs don't work anymore, I have a "different" way of getting in and out of a vehicle. First, I push my wheelchair up to the door opening, and place my feet into the floor well with my arms. Then I put one hand on the seat, and the other on the armrest of the door, and push myself up, and throw myself over into the seat. Where the problem comes is with the armrest on the door. The older Edges (pre '11 I believe) had a "handle" right in the middle of the armrest. '11 and up models have the handle moved very far forward, and slanted at an angle. I need to have a handle to hold onto right in the middle, so I was wondering if anyone here has any idea if the newer model Edge armrest could be modified to be more like the pre '11 models? Another question I have is about the strength of the door hinges - since I put most of my weight on the door everytime I get in and out, I am worried that eventually the hinges will give out. I currently drive a Chevy Blazer, and so far I have replaced the hinge pins and bushings twice, and have had the assist spring shoot out and almost hit me in the face twice.....so how are the hinges on the Edge? If you have made it this far, thanks for reading. If you have any questions or suggestions, I would be glad to hear them. Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkw Posted August 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2013 OK! If anyone read all that from my first post, I did end up buying a new 2103 Edge SEL about a month or so ago! My concern with not being able to get in/out from my wheelchair turned out to be not an issue at all. I love the vehicle, and am sure to have many questions for the members here. I'll start here with 3 that come to mind right now! 1. I did not get the power lift gate option, so when the gate is fully open, I cannot quite reach the hand holds to be able to pull it shut. Are there any shorter struts I could buy and have installed that would stop the gate from opening quite so far? 2. All the black plastic trim that runs along the bottoms of the outsides of the doors, and then the rest of the way around under the front & rear bumpers - I don't know if there is some kind of residue built up so soon or what, but the trim doesn't look too good already - are there any products recommended to be applied here to bring the black back out? The last time I cared about what my vehicle looked like, Armor All was the go to product for stuff like this..... 3. The USB thumb drive I play audio files from - everytime I start the vehicle, I get a message that the drive is not supported and to remove it. The music plays fine from it, and I can browse all the songs, albums, etc. it's just annoying. Is it a matter of randomly finding a different drive that works, or is there some type of formatting that needs to be done to it? Thanks, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fledgex Posted August 8, 2013 Report Share Posted August 8, 2013 Hey, welcome to the forum. I cannot answer your question tho. Hopefully someone will stop by with some answers. Congrats on the purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted August 8, 2013 Report Share Posted August 8, 2013 (edited) Welcome to Edge ownership! I think I have heard mention of only 1 other person in a similar situation, and that was with his dad (http://www.fordedgeforum.com/topic/12051-13-se/). Hopefully he is still on this forum and can help you with your questions. I have not seen any good aftermarket liftgate struts for our vehicles, unfortunately. Redline Tuning does make hood struts, but not liftgate. You could contact them for their insight on this though. Other than suggesting a rubber tipped cane or something of the sort to help with the liftgate, I don't know of a good solution for you at the moment. There are some experienced detailing folks on here that will chime in, but if the trim is plastic/rubber (i.e., not painted), you can use several "pro" level products (after cleaning the trim) to enhance and maintain the shine: CarPro DLux, Duragloss 531, Ultima tire & trim guard, etc. Mother's Back To Black is a decent entry level product, but can't speak to the durability aspect. No idea on the USB drive issue. Edited August 8, 2013 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyCallMeBT Posted August 19, 2013 Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 Hey Tim. I can't really answer any of your questions, as I don't have an Edge yet myself. Is there any way to attach a rope or cord or something to the liftgate so that you could reach it? If not from the exterior, from the interior, maybe? I have a family member in his 20's who was paralyzed from the waist down a couple of years back from a car accident. He's not yet at the point of regaining his independence. But he is doing fairly well, health-wise. I was curious what kind of modifications you made to be able to drive the Edge? I always figured that someone would have to order a specially made vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkw Posted August 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 fledgex & www - Thanks for the welcomes! Bt- I was hoping to avoid needing to attach anything, but I might have to. Probably just try to find a screw somewhere on the gate I could use to anchor a pull strap from. Before I do that though, I am going to ask the dealer their thoughts on a shorter strut substitute. As for modifications, the only thing I needed was a set of hand controls to operate the brake/gas pedal. These can range from fairly simple to complex, depending on everything from how much you want to spend, to the severity of the disability. The set I use is pretty basic, and Ford actually has a program that will pay up to $1000 towards the cost to purchase and install when purchasing the vehicle new. If your cousin can get set up with something to drive, it will be one of the best things he could do for himself. If his paralysis is waist down, he shouldn't need anything special. If you have any other questions, just fire away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted September 4, 2013 Report Share Posted September 4, 2013 http://www.mrtruck.net/droptail.htm I searched for "automatic tailgate opener". Kits like this will allow you to still open/close the liftgate manually if so desired. I don't know if these instructions are useful for the DIY'er: http://www.instructables.com/id/Tailgate-Opener/ I just saw an episode of All Girls Garage where they were outfitting a Power Wagon for a military triple amputee, so that triggered my search. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.