Golf Cart service - is it a scam
 

I should be pleased to hear if any of you good people have had the same experience as us, as I think we may be being scammed.

We had a certain company, recommended by our neighbor, round to do an annual service on our golf cart, expecting it to be done in our drive in around an hour.

The mechanic drove it out of the garage and came back to tell us that he would need to take it into the shop as he could tell by the noise that the oil seals on the rear end had gone and oil had leaked into the motor. Not knowing any better, we agreed and ended up paying an additional $135 - $90 for the fix plus $45 pick up.

We didn't think the cart sounded any different after "the fix" but, not being experts, assumed that the work had been done (and had needed to be done).

Time for another annual service, and the same company drive the cart out of the garage and immediately came back to tell us that he "would need to take it into the shop as he could tell by the noise that the oil seals on the rear end had gone and oil had leaked into the motor."

Now, we are only here four months of the year, and have two carts so this one gets used less than half the time we are here, so something that was fixed should not go wrong again after so few additional miles. Either they did a bodged job in fixing it, or it didn't (and doesn't) need fixing and they are scamming people who don't know enough about golf carts to challenge them.


So, just wondering if anyone out there in TOTVland has been told that their cart had a similar problem and needs to go to the shop?

Sounds a little fishy, time for a second opinion.

Either it was not fixed properly the first go-round or there is something strange going on or you have a bad cart. I hope you reminded the mechanic that this had supposedly been repaired the last time they were out.

I do know that a good golf cart mechanic can very frequently tell what is wrong with a cart within seconds of driving it. I know mine can.

May I ask what company/individual did this?

I would ask this question of Frank7 in the Ask An Expert section of this forum.

I did mention it to the mechanic, and he implied that the company may fix it for free, but I expect I shall have to argue it once the bill arrives.

I agree re the "good mechanic" - that's why we didn't think anything of it the first time. But the second raised our suspicions.

I should rather not mention the company at this stage in case it is all an innocent mistake. However, if I get a lot of feedback on TOTV that this is happening to others then I shall happily reveal all.

That's my problem - I know so little about golf carts that they could tell me that the flue needed sweeping and I'd believe them :-)

I would go to Sr vs Crime at the Sheriff's office on 466 and have the golf cart company checked out. This is a free service.

What brand/year of cart? gas or electric?

Electric EZ-GO - about ten years old


The cart sounded the same (to us) last time it came back from supposedly being fixed. Maybe they meant to fix it, but just never got round to doing so and delivered it back to me after doing the annual service but without having fixed the diagnosed problem.

We put so few miles on it that it seems very unlikely that the problem would have recurred so soon.

It doesn't seem that it is a scam or I suspect that I would have received several responses here from people who had the same experience with them.

I would go to a different company and if they also said the seals needed fix then you will know.

To the OP you answered your own question the instant you questioned the repair shops integrity. Trust has been broken. so in my view you have one of two alternatives. 1) have a direct conversation with this repair shop. 2) Search for another repair shop if the conversation you had with the repair shop did not satisfy your skepticism