Golf Cart Maintenance

An investment in a golf cart can be sizeable and the cart itself is a reasonably complex piece of machinery. Well okay, it’s not that complex, but it has enough moving parts, electrics and mechanical parts that without proper maintenance it will eventually stop operating at an optimum level and eventually break down.

Also remember that it is used in all sorts of weather conditions including hot sun and cold rain and will normally be used in off road circumstances; that is, on grass and in water, mud and sand.

The simplest thing to do to maximise the working life of your golf cart is to keep it clean. After each use, or perhaps every few weeks depending on how much you use it and the conditions at the time, brush or hose down the outside of the cart including underneath it.

Clean mud, grass and grit away from moving parts such as the wheels and steering. Brush out the foot area, particularly around pedals and the hand brake lever.

The battery should be checked regularly for the internal water level. Use distilled water and make sure the water covers the plates inside the battery. Every few months you should clean around the battery including brushing the terminals to eliminate any build up of corrosive acids. A mixture of baking soda and water is ideal for cleaning the outside of your battery and the battery housing area. Make sure the caps are on the battery securely so that no liquid gets into the battery. Also dry it thoroughly after cleaning.

There are some items of maintenance that you won’t be able to do yourself, unless you are particularly mechanically minded. This includes attending to the oil and grease components of the cart, particularly around the wheels and other moving parts.

For these items and also for repairs or battery replacement you are probably best engaging a mechanic. There are mobile mechanics that will service and repair your cart onsite. You can either use them periodically as required or take out a service contract with them whereby they will automatically service your cart at predetermined intervals.

Electric golf carts are the most popular type of cart, but if you happen to have a cart with a combustion engine instead of an electric motor then the maintenance will be a little more extensive.

Read your owners manual from front cover to back cover to make sure you are covering everything that’s required. There will be a section on maintaining your cart, how to dismantle it or get to certain components if required.

A good golf cart can last for years and probably decades if you look after it. This is obviously well worth doing so you reduce your overall cost per use over the life of the vehicle. That way you not only get the pleasure of using it each time you are on the course, you get to do so at a very reasonable cost.