When we saw the cart below at the Dewees Marina on the Isle of Palms this morning, we knew we had another blog topic.
Different owners have different philosophies about their golf carts. A number of golf carts have been on Dewees for 10+ years. The wear and tear shows, especially on steel framed golf carts. Owners of these older golf carts prize the low price and are willing to put up with a few repair hassles along the way.
Other people, including us, like to have golf carts that are going to run almost all the time so long as they’re charged up overnight. We buy used Club Cars that are 2 or 3 years old with brand new batteries, lights, a flip down back seat (to convert into a luggage rack), and a flip down windshield. We particularly like the newer Precedent Club Cars because the batteries sit inside a protective tub. The tub tends to shield the batteries from the sand, salt and water on Dewees. When our carts get to be 5 or 6 years old, we like to sell them and get newer carts. We’ve found that this keeps our run time up and our repair time down.
Whatever your philosophy, it’s important to keep the water in your batteries at the right height. Too high and the vital battery acid will boil off during charging. Too low and the lead in the battery will be exposed. Both conditions shorten the life of your batteries. If treated well, your golf cart batteries should last 5+ years. If you’re not sure what the right height is, then be sure to ask the golf cart dealer.
If you run into tire trouble, you can get assistance from Public Safety. They’ll come help you. They can often help with tasks like swapping out a tire. There’s a fee, but it’s better than being stranded without a golf cart for several days. If you can change the tire yourself, then we recommend you take the deflated tire to Gerald’s Tires for repair. They’re friendly, helpful and charge a reasonable price.
If you need more expensive repairs, the names of several golf cart repair places are listed under Contractors on the Dewees Island POA website.