SERIAL NUMBER LOCATIONS:

COLUMBIA PAR CAR – Located under the dash on the passenger side

CLUB CAR - Located under dash near passengers left shin.  Plate indicates week and year of manufacture plus Vehicle Identification Number.

                        Older style cars pre 80’s have the serial plate stamped on the channel under the drivers or passenger seat. 

EZGO             Located under dash near passenger left shin.  Plate indicates week and year of manufacture plus Vehicle Identification Number.

                        On older models the Serial Plate could also be located in the battery compartment

WESTERN     Located under passenger seat, stamped on cross member

LEGEND        Located under drivers seat, stamped on cross member, or plate is located in the same general area. Or could be located the same as EZGO

YAMAHA      G 1 – Whole body must be tilted back to view batteries; change came in 1984 where you could flip seats forward to service batteries.  Serial is stamped under rear bumper on passenger side.

                        G 4 – Serial number is located on floorboard near drivers left foot by mid cowl.

                        Verify year by serial number listing for Yamaha.   For other model Yamaha vehicles there are approximately 7 other locations.  Its best to give us a call and describe your vehicle to us so we can save you time by looking in the right spot.

CUSHMAN    Located on the frame left of the driver’s left foot, usually  a six digit number stamped on the side frame.

TAYLOR DUNN       Located on the firewall behind the passenger’s knee.  The plate may indicate the year of manufacture as well.

OTIS                           See Cushman

Melex                          See EZGO but plate does not indicate year of manufacture

HARLEY DAVIDSON  - Located under the drivers seat in the battery compartment.

NORDSKOG, MARKETER - Located on dash in front of the drivers left knee.

GENERAL ELECTRIC

GEM               Located behind the drivers head on the rear cross strut.

BATTERY CARE GUIDE

 Answers to the most asked

Questions about battery care and maintenance.

What kind of batteries are used in Golf cars?

Golf cars use 6 “deep-cycle” six-volt batteries.  Deep-cycle batteries can be discharged deeply and recharged several times without any major damage.  A regular car battery cannot withstand this severe cycling without having its life significantly shortened.

How should I care for my batteries?

Batteries should be kept clean, charged, and have water added when required.

How do I clean my batteries?

Clean batteries once a month.  Use a fine spray with your garden hose.  Use caution around the control mechanisms.  This will help prevent corrosion of the battery cables, terminals, and frame of your golf car.  Washing should not be done in the garage or driveway.  The acid will cause permanent stains on the concrete.

Should I put baking soda or grease on my batteries to make them last longer?

It is not necessary to do this if you clean the batteries regularly.  If you need to remove acid and clean your battery pack mix a solution of 1 part baking soday to 15 parts water, ideally in a spray bottle.  spray this mixture on tops of your batteries and down the sides and onto the battery cage which holds the batteries in place.  You want to keep the batteries clean so that you do not lose power across the tops of each battery - you can lose 2 volts per battery if your tops are dirty.  Spraying down the sides and onto the cage nutralizes the acid and prevents it from eating away at the battery cage.  Wash this mixture off with water from your garden hose set about half.  Do this over gravel or on the street to avoid staining your garage or driveway.

How often should I charge my batteries?

For chargers with a manual timer usually 6 – 8 hours after 18 holes of golf or 4 – 6 hours after 9 holes. As a rule of thumb if used for 1 hour charge for 2, if used for 2 hours charge for 4 hours etc.  If you have an automatic charger, just plug it in.  It will shut off when the batteries are fully charged.  To get the longest life from your batteries avoid deep depths of discharge more that 40%.  You should ensure your car is in the neutral position and the key is turned off when charging your batteries.  As batteries age, you will need to increase the time needed to charge them.

How often should I add water?

You should check the water level in the batteries after you clean them or, once a month every two weeks during our hot summers in Phoenix especially if the batteries are older.  Check the battey cables for tightness every time you water your batteries.  If these cables work loose it creates an air gap, an air gap means resistance, resistance means heat and you could end up with a melted post.  See the picture below for an example.  By the way it is a relatively easy fix.  Give us a call or bring your battery into us and we can fix it on the spot.  It won't necessarily look the prettiest but it beats buying a new battery!

What kind of water should I use?

Use distilled, purified, ionized, filtered or reverse osmosis water.  Do not use tap water.  Tap water contains minerals that will build up in the batteries and could short out the battery plates and the battery.

How much water should I add?

The plates inside the battery should be covered with water, but the water should be below the indicator or the fill well.  You should see an air gap between the fill well and the battery electrolyte.  Never fill the batteries clear to the top

Overwatering is one of the most common causes of battery and other component failure leading to.

• Corroded brake cables – a safety issue
• Corroded controllers if the golf car is a poor design
• Corroded battery cages and corrosion removal - needle scaling
• Battery cage rebuilds and as above more expense to you  See pictures of this in our gallery

Note the corrosion build up on the battery cage picture, this corrosion  needs to be cleaned before new battery installation -  an extra charge to you.   See gallery pictures

The controller had to be replaced because acid crept into the case and destroyed the units ability to control speed again a needless expense because of overwatering your batteries. See gallery

Proper watering of your batteries will contribute to a longer lasting battery pack.  If you want to water your batteries precisely and in far less time – which means you will probably check your batteries more often – which is a good thing – consider purchasing a Single Point Watering System In 20 seconds your batteries are watered correctly and precisely, what more can we say.   www.batterywatering.com.

Give us a call for a quote on a single point watering system believe me once you have used it once you will call and thank us.

What do I have to do to store my car for the summer?  I don’t want the batteries to get ruined.

When your car is not going to be used for several weeks, or months, there are a few things you can do to help keep the batteries healthy:

·         Make sure the batteries have enough water

·         Charge them completely just before you leave

·         Try to store your car where it will be out of the direct sun

·         If possible, get a friend or neighbor to check your water and charge your batteries for 6 to 8 hours every two weeks.

(Consider how much of a friend you are if you ask someone to remove 18 to 24 battery caps, check the water level, add water if necessary and then replace the 18 to 24 battery caps – while the temperature is 120’F and then charge the cart and do this every two weeks for 4 to 6 months)

Also remember batteries do not like to be charged at temperatures over 110 F to 120 F, it’s not good for them.  Make sure they open the garage door a bit to allow some circulation of cooler air during the night.

More importantly place your batteries in cold storage, if charged they will not freeze and last longer.  At 70’F batteries will self-discharge down by 30% in 140 days; at 110’F (A Phoenix garage or car port in the summer) it only takes 20 days.  Avoiding a deep discharge will help your batteries to last longer.

Ask us about our cold storage program and how you can lower your annual cost of owning a golf cart!

How long will a set of batteries last?

Batteries will last three or four or more years if they are properly maintained.   We have seen battery packs last 5, 7 or even 8 years. Without good care we have replaced in battery packs within 6 months (no water and not charged regularly) Even if watered properly two, three or four years is the norm because of our hot Arizona climate.  Battery pack longevity is dependent upon your maintenance habits.  Improper storage and charging of these battery packs during the summers by our permanent residents dramatically reduces longevity.  – it’s hot so hot we do not use the open air golf carts so – out of sight out of mind -  Reality is- as expressed above our battery packs need to be serviced more often and more diligently in the hot summers.   This is especially true for our winter visitors.  Most winter visitors simply let their battery packs “cook” in the hot summers while they are away.  This practice simply costs you more money because you will have to replace your battery pack prematurely. 

It's amazing what comes into our shop. This battey change out cost the customer extra because the entire cage had to needlescaled with an air chisel plus the entire cage had to be rebuilt.  All because of overwatering.