The Brotherwood Difference | Conversion Process

The Brotherwood^® Difference

Read on to find out more about how we design and manufacture our unique range of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles.

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1. Research and Development

Each Brotherwood WAV starts life as an idea – we review every car in the UK marketplace to find a vehicle that will exceed our clients’ expectations for space, comfort and quality. Once we find a perfect car, we spend up to 18 months designing and refining a conversion process that will enable our clients to travel in comfort and safety.

2. Testing

With one prototype created, we set about testing the vehicle for wheelchair passenger safety. We test against the highest industry standards, including European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) and Motability PAS2012, to ensure the highest levels of safety. Unlike many other conversions, many of our vehicles are tested to carry a 190kg wheelchair, for the ultimate peace of mind when travelling.

3. De-Trim and Preparation

With testing complete and approval gained, we are ready to start producing customer cars. The first stage is in the Trim Shop, where the full interior, carpet, headlining and doors of each car are removed and stored. This enables us to integrate our conversion into the structure of the car, without damaging any trim or interior parts. Each car is then prepared for conversion.

4. Mechanical Strip-Down

The rear axle of the car is then removed to give our engineers even more room to work in. In order to provide as much wheelchair passenger headroom as possible, some of our conversions also undergo suspension modifications, or require custom-manufactured axle carriers, to enable us to fit a comfortable level floor.

5. Fabrication

Our in-house fabrication team manufacture a lowered floor panel for each vehicle from our custom design. But they don't stop there: a long-range fuel tank of our own design, and replacement exhaust system, are also created, which allow our conversions to offer greater interior space without compromise.

6. Conversion

With the car now stripped almost to a bare shell, the conversion work can begin. The chassis is mounted on a jig and the rear floor is cut away, with our lowered floor panel welded in it's place. We can then add our custom-made shallow, counterbalanced ramp for easy wheelchair access.

7. Body Shop

Our factory incorporates high-quality paint facilities, where we can colour match replacement body panels such as bumper caps to the manufacture's original paint specification. This makes a Brotherwood conversion discrete, and no different at first glance to a standard car. However, some of our customers might prefer the opposite: custom paint finishes are available in a variety of colours.

Our Body Shop facilities also enable us to carry out repairs, and ensure that all of our Approved Used WAVs are refurbished to a high standard.

8. Re-Trim

Conversion finised, the car interior and doors are taken from storage and re-fitted. Some of our conversions require new seats to be manufactured, which are then finished in the manufacturer's original upholstery for a flawless OEM finish. The interior is also finished using carpet matching the manufacturer's specification. Once complete, the interior retains it's original manufacturer quality, with our seamlessly integrated wheelchair passenger conversion at the centre of it.

9. Quality Control

With the vehicle complete, it is then inspected by Quality Control. We pride ourselves on our quality of work and this final check is to ensure that every Brotherwood car that leaves our factory will exceed our customers' expectations.

10. Detailing & Handover

Finally the car is thoroughly cleaned and polished, inside and out. Ready for handover, each car is then delivered to our customers' home, or can be collected in person from our Dorset factory.

The completed car is handed over to a happy customer, who receives a demonstration of the cars and its features - including how to safely load and secure a wheelchair passenger.