Columbia Par Car ... Think twice
 

I am now going on my third set of batteries for this cart and a partial replacement of matched batteries. This is either a situation where the batteries can not handle the intended use (Interstate) or the service department does not know how to locate the cause of the problem. Either way there is a MAJOR issue with these carts. I have heard from others that they too are going through batteries every two years.

THINK TWICE

I have a 2010 Par Car and am on 4th set of batteries. I have to replace batteries about every 15/16Mos. Luckily they have still been under warranty both times. So i bought the 2 sets and had the warranty replacement on them. First you have to figure how many miles you drive a year....I have a par car street legal and I put on about 7500 miles a year, also i travel 90% of the time at about 27 MPH....I'm a high end user.... at the higher speed I'm probably using 25 to30 percent more draw on the batteries. So I figure my use @ 7500 miles a yr.... most gas carts get on a average of 40 MPG..... and @ $3.50 gal you are spending about $655 a year on gas, and I spend about $800 for batteries that last me about 30 months which figures cheaper than a gas cart.

Shouldn't you also be factoring in the cost of charging the cart? Electricity ain't free. Plus higher insurance and vehicle registration. Something tells me that the annual expenses for your Par Car are a bit higher than my Yamaha gas cart. And then there's the fact that most golf cart mechanics have nothing good to say about Par Cars and the trade-in value is a lot less than for other carts.

yes electricity cost is about $10/15 month...as far as insurance and registration that's an extra that I choose to have but not needed.....I could just convert back to slower mode if I wish....as far as the mechanics since purchasing the cart I haven't had any maintenance issues. The big PLUS for me is the quietness of the ride and no smell....btw I had a Yamaha for 7 years before this and it was a great cart

The onboard charger on these carts is from China, and if you research these message boards, you will see it as a source of many problems, including improper charging and shortened battery life. If you had to replace it, it would be cheaper just to convert to a standard, reliable offboard charger. Ken Spano and others have done this, and it solves the problem of the defective onboard charger.

Got a 2007. On the second set of batteries counting the original batteries and, the original on-board charger. Go figure.

Couldn't get rid of mine fast enough just look at how low the resale value is of Par Cars
Mine left acid spots all over my drive way and garage
Yes I all way filled after charging
Nice Looking carts got a great range that's about all

I have had good luck by just using a $14 timer. Got it from Amazon to keep from over charging.

You obviously have good batteries, a working charger, and proper charging and maintenance skills. The ParCar is no different than nearly all the other brands - an electric motor, powered by batteries, which are re-charged through a charger. If you have good batteries and a good charger, the only problem area is the operator.

That is interesting: you essentially get two sets of batteries for $800 with the warranty. So, you are paying a bit less than $400/year for batteries. If you add in 2 cents/mile for electricity cost then you are a bit below $550/year as opposed to $655/year for gas in a gas cart plus maintenance (oil, filters, belts, starter battery). I am curious about what condition the batteries must be in to trigger a warranty replacement. Thanks.

$800 for batteries that lasted 30 months is $320 per year. That's quite a bit less than $400. Add $150 per year and that $470 per year compared to $655 for gas.

Still, I know several people who own Par Cars and most are not happy with them.I have heard some people say that they love them, but I have heard a lot of negatives. I don't hear those kinds of negatives about most other carts with the exception of the GEM and Think.

I rounded up ;-)

"a bit" = $80

Any comments on the Star EV?

tuccillo.....I bought a cheap bubble hydrometer at walmart $5 .....i start checking batteries usually after 8 to 10 months when i see a difference in the range i get in my travels.....as soon as i find a bad cell in a battery i notify whoever i purchased them from....this time it was battery boys....they will change out the bad battery .....after the 3rd exchange they decided to just change the rest it was easier for them.

I assume the battery warranty is complete replacement (not prorated) for 2-years and if you use the warranty the 2 years does not get "reset"? In other words, the warranty is still two years from the initial purchase for the replacement set? Thanks.

I purchased a Star Cart 6 month ago. The cart is wonderful. I love it and the range on batteries are great. Never had an issue and there staff is awesome. Very kind and friendly.
I would totally recommend Star Car

Par Car Battery Short Life
 

Well it appears I have a bad cell in one battery that is 26 months old and less than 200 hours .

I have charged , used the battery minder, replaced water, etc as prescribed.

Par Car wants to replace all the batteries for around $ 1100. bucks, a little costly in my mind.

200 hours on a set of batteries is not going to get it and neither is battery cost of $550. per year.

Any good ideas on where I can get good batteries ? I currently have Interstate.

Thanks

That is a bummer for sure, 26 months is too short a time and unacceptable.

You could try to extend the pack by buying one two year old battery as a replacement, but it would take much more info about the other 7 batteries to know if worth it.

My last pack of 8 consisted of Trojan T105s purchased from Spano on 2/17/2010 for $771.76.

good luck.

Had a 2007 Par Car. A battery and repair nightmare. Once out of the warranty I had $2500 in repairs too numerous to detail. Not the most pleasant service department to deal with. The worst thing about an electric cart is when the batteries start loosing "strength" you start loosing range/distance. Should I go to Havana and use the cart because I may have trouble getting home (1 1/2 years after battery replacement). When the batteries were new I could do that trip and have just under 1/2 a charge left. Went to a Yamaha gas cart 3 years ago and now all I do is put in gas a couple times a month with no worries about distance since I get 240 miles on a tank.

We have a 2006 Par Car. We've replaced our batteries once. We can golf, go out to dinner, and still have lots of power left. Our Par Car has never needed any kind of maintenance. I'm a huge fan of Par Cars.

There have been many studies on the cost per mile between gas and electric carts. There are so many variables that every one can and does cause lots of questions. Cost per gallon of gas used, how many batteries, cost of batteries, what number of miles were used, cost of electricity, how old are the batteries, who was driving, type of driving, trade in value, annual maintenance, and as many more that you can think of.

However every study I have seen and I am sure it is a small number compared to the total number out there, gas always has come out slightly cheaper per mile. Not enough to cause any of us to buy for that reason only, but still always cheaper.

So all the talk about cost me so much a year vs cost of gas is meaningless. The biggest difference between the two types is how quiet you want and how much range you want. Those are really the only two factors that matter.

I have one of each and like them both. Love the quiet of the electric. Love the no worries range of the gas. Most carts you see being towed are electric and in most cases, the cause was operator error.

We do too, and I so agree. The electric one is a Par Car and we find it excellent. Our Gas Yamaha is my favorite.

I had the battery on my car die recently. It was not quite 3 yrs old and it was a 48 month battery. When I brought my new battery at Sams Club the guy installing the new one told me that the extreme heat down in Fl will kill them quicker. Could be the same with golf carts. Just saying.

Heat and batteries
 

I was told the same thing about heat being hard on your batteries. Long story short: We go north every summer and my electric sit in the hot garage so after replacing the batteries twice in three years I agreed that the heat was "killing" them and bought a gas cart the next time around. Too much trouble to do anything else.

The newer gas models are quiter and do not smell like the older ones.

Took delivery of our Par Car in October and will take delivery of our Star EV the beginning of January. We are fans of electric and don't feel range is compromised. I don't want to spend that much time in a golf cart and I don't plan on taking it to Daytona or Disney....so for us, 240 miles from a gas cart is range overkill. Plug them in every night, battery minder when we are gone for more than a couple weeks and I suspect we will be ok. However, if I ever do want to go the Daytona or Disney I might consider gas. Before we moved here we would be card carrying snowbirds and always rented gas carts. I only mention that as we didn't go electric without experience with gas and lot of conversations with owners of both.

I recently looked at brand new gas carts at The Villages Golf Carts.
I said to the salesman "I hear the newer carts don't smell like the older ones".
He said "Oh yes they do, but you don't have to worry about it. It's the people behind you that will smell it".
I wasn't impressed with the sales pitch.

If the price ever goes down, lithium-ion batteries in electric carts will be the way to go.

In my experience that is true - 3 to 4 years for a car battery. An exception might be AGM batteries, which seem to last a long time. The one is my Miata went about 9 years.