By practicing regular maintenance of your golf cart, you are preserving the life of your vehicle for years to come. The design of these carts ensures years of worry-free ownership, but without regular care, this is not possible. To help ensure you are keeping your vehicle in the best shape, there are a few pieces of advice to follow.
Don’t neglect your golf cart’s batteries
Follow these steps to ensure a long life for your batteries and to prevent damage:
- After every use, charge your batteries. Never leave your batteries discharged overnight or longer than needed.
- If your golf cart does not have a single-point watering system, be sure to check your electrolyte levels on a weekly basis and add water if needed.
- If you have a single-point watering system, look at the instructions of your owner’s manual to see how often to water the batteries. It normally is monthly, or the watering interval you’ve created.
- Make sure the batteries are charged before watering them, unless the electrolyte level is beneath the top of the plates. If this is the case, then just add enough water to submerge the plates. Afterwards, charge the batteries, and check the level. Remember it is very important to never charge the batteries when the plates are exposed above the electrolyte level. This can cause issues, and shorten your battery life. Do not overfill the batteries, make sure the battery caps are secure, and try to use distilled water.
- Make sure that the battery is securely placed, and caps are tight enough to prevent the battery from moving while you are driving. Do not overtighten as this can crack the battery, but make sure to inspect the terminal connections on a regular basis to know that they are clean and secure. If you notice any frayed wires, replace them immediately.
- To prevent corrosion, wash the tops and terminals every month of your battery. To do this, use a solution of one cup baking soda per gallon of water. Make sure that while cleaning that this solution does not enter the batteries, and thoroughly rinse the batteries. Make sure the terminals are tightened, and then allow them to dry before applying Battery Terminal Protector Spray.
Semi-annual Maintenance
For every 50 hours of operation or 6 months of use, make sure to perform regular maintenance on you Club Car Precedent.
This includes:
- Check your tire pressure.
- Have a trained technician inspect your car’s electrical system, front wheel alignment, camber and toe-in, and the brake system. Ensuring proper toe-in will cause your front tires to point slightly inward, which reduces the wear.
- Hire someone or you can personally lubricate your charger receptacle, brake system, and front suspension.
- If you have a single-point watering system, manually check or hire someone to check the electrolyte levels on every battery cell.
Annual Golf Cart Maintenance
Once a year, be sure to go to a mechanic to check your transaxle and pedal group assembly. In addition, lubricate annually or every 100 hours of operation.
