A golf cart is an essential part of your golfing experience. Getting from shot to shot is definitely made easier with a golf cart that’s well-maintained. Unfortunately, a lot of golf cart owners forget that this precious means of enjoyment also needs upkeep.
As a serious golfer, keeping your golf cart clean and well-maintained should be a priority. Otherwise, you’ll run into all sorts of technical problems that can start to interfere with your leisure.
This article introduces you to the basics of golf cart maintenance, including some helpful tips on how to upgrade its parts and accessories so you can ensure a long-lasting vehicle that caters to your comfort, safety, and luxury.
Some Basic Tips
- Master the Manual. Manuals are given free for a reason. Any technical questions you have about your golf cart will be answered by the cart manual. It contains the basic parts of the vehicle in its default state. If you’re thinking about upgrading or replacing certain parts, your manual is your best guide.
- Do Regular Maintenance. Your golf cart, like any other vehicle, requires regular checkup and maintenance. Routine inspections will help identify small problems before they get worse and cause permanent malfunction. Start inspecting the functional parts first, like the steering wheel and the brakes. If you find any problems with these parts, have them fixed or serviced immediately.
- Do Routine Cleanup. Dirt and debris that get into your golf cart’s engine can cause it to fail or malfunction. Cleaning your golf cart regularly mitigates this problem from happening and save you the headache of an engine breakdown in the middle of a good game.
Battery Maintenance
The battery is perhaps your golf cart’s most important and crucial part. Just a little glitch in the battery can cause dead carts or, worse, accidents. This is why, aside from buying a long-lasting battery source for your golf cart, keeping it in tip-top shape should be one of the most important maintenance priorities in your list.
When inspecting the battery, make sure to check the following:
- The battery charger is capable of renewing the battery’s full voltage.
- The terminals, posts, and connectors are free from dirt and are not rusted or corroded.
- The acid level is right. If two or more plates are not immersed in acid, you need to refill the acid.
- The battery’s cell is healthy. Use a battery hydrometer to check the cell’s health.
Tire Upkeep
Badly inflated tires demand more energy consumption from the engine, reduce the range of the cart, and even wear out the tires faster.
The solution to this is to check the tire pressure correctly to ensure that it meets the recommended level. You can find your tire’s optimum inflation level in your vehicle manual or on the tire’s sidewall itself.
Furthermore, see to it that your tire is sufficiently aligned. Keeping the tires aligned is necessary for a smooth ride, prevent rapid tire wear, and generally ensure ease of use. If you’re not sure how to do the alignment yourself, have a technician make the inspection and alignment for you.
Under the Hood
Check your golf cart’s undercarriage parts once or twice a year to see if there’s a need for any replacement. Golf cart filters, spark plugs, batteries, cables, chargers, and suspension springs need routine inspection to detect problems early and mitigate catastrophic impairments that can come up at the most inconvenient moments.
Fortunately, it’s easy to find replacement parts when needed. And once or twice a year isn’t really that demanding, as long as you keep your cart cleaned up regularly.
Lubrication Schedule
Your cart’s lubrication schedule should be specified in the manual. Failing to lubricate properly will do serious damage to your cart’s health, so see to it to iron out your schedule religiously.
Per the Club Car manual, at least the front suspension must be lubricated on a quarterly basis.
Battery Watering
Batteries need plenty of water throughout its lifespan. In order to produce electricity, your golf cart’s batteries must have access to sufficient electrolyte levels. To be able to concoct an electrolyte solution, you need a combination of electrolytes and water.
But filling the battery cells is where it gets tricky. You should be able to fill up the cells just right to avoid the harmful effects of overfilling or leaving the cells with too little water.
Too much water within the cells can cause overflowing while the battery is being charged. Too little water, on the other hand, can cause permanent damage to the battery’s lead plates in a process called sulfation. This phenomenon is the buildup of lead sulfate crystals that causes failure in lead-acid batteries and usually occurs when the battery is deprived of a full charge when some of the battery’s lead plates are not covered with water during charging.
To ensure that the battery cells are filled up to their optimum water level, use a battery watering system. The best time to replenish the water in the cells is after the battery is charged or when the lead plates are not covered by water.
Upgrades
The performance you demand from your golf cart always depends on its intended purpose, but if you want to maximize its performance or prolong its longevity, just cleaning up won’t do the work. Upgrading its parts or adding accessories can help it go a long way. The market today is full of fantastic replacement options for your golf cart parts.
If you’re looking to upgrade, here’s some great tips:
- Different tires are suited to certain kinds of terrains. If your cart is multipurpose, match it with an all-around tire type that can navigate through various types of surfaces, including grass, dirt, gravel, and grass. For more intense terrains, mud tires are the best. Most golf carts come with standard all-terrain tires, but if you want to get the best out of your vehicle’s performance, go ahead and customize.
- The same goes for the other parts of your cart. Solid breaks, shock absorbers, and suspension systems supplement the work of a good tire and ensure a smoother ride. Upgrade as desired or necessary.
- Purchase the right lift kit for ease during under-the-hood inspections.
- Add accessories to improve safety. Never underestimate the importance of quality.
Conclusion
Preventive maintenance is a big part of keeping your golf cart’s health. You can prevent a lot of detrimental issues as long as you stay consistent with the required maintenance.
Don’t ignore standard function and operation rules. Replace when you have to but don’t hesitate to explore upgrades if you’re looking to improve your cart’s performance.
