How to Winterize Your Golf Cart

Although Tennessee doesn't traditionally see the severe wintry weather that hits the northern part of the country, we do get lows in the 30s and 20s. As such, winterizing your golf cart is a necessity in our region as well. Chilly weather, golf cart care, and golf cart winter storage are important for keeping the parts and mechanics of your cart running whenever you want or need it.

Prepare Your Golf Cart for Cold Weather

An important part of routine golf cart care is seasonal golf cart maintenance, including a prewinter inspection of the battery, fluid levels, brakes, and lights while paying attention to any necessary maintenance or repairs needed to avoid further damage and to keep your golf cart running smoothly.

Battery Maintenance and Care

Whether you intend to routinely use your golf cart during the winter months or mostly store it until better weather, golf cart battery maintenance is important all year round. Without use, a golf cart battery may degrade, shortening its lifespan. A routine inspection and cleaning, with the battery discharged, should be part of your golf cart routine maintenance schedule.

Keeping the battery charged and taking your cart out for a short run on a sunny day will help keep the battery in your golf cart in good condition, or you can store it. Either way, you should clean the battery terminals with a paste made of baking soda and water using a brush. Rinse and dry it thoroughly and return it to its place in the cart or store it in a cool, dry place. Either way, routine, monthly checks of water levels are important.

Routinely Check the Fluid Levels and the Lights

Despite more limited use, just like any other time of year, it is important to periodically check your golf cart's fluids. If you haven't been driving your cart and the engine oil, the brake, or transmission fluid is low, you could have a leak that needs attention. Additionally, when temperatures drop below freezing, the water in a lead-acid battery can freeze, and engine oil can thicken, further complicating matters.

While checking the fluids, also check your golf cart lights, the bulbs, and fuses for a possible bad connection, and the switches. Look for any corrosion or the beginnings of it along the lines or at the connection points. At the same time, this is a good opportunity to clean the lenses.

Protect Tires, Exterior, and Components

For golf cart tire care in winter, clean your tires well and provide them with a weatherized protective coating. Your golf cart tires should be routinely rotated throughout the year and be inflated to the proper PSI, generally between 15 and 25, to avoid flat spots. For winter use, you may choose a slightly lower PSI level than during the warmer months.

Storage Tips for a Safe Winter

Just like your car belongs in the garage, your golf cart should be housed in a dry, covered space such as the garage, barn, or shed. Even if your cart is kept in an enclosed building, keeping it covered with a well-secured, high-quality golf cart cover helps further protection, and it is a must if you store your cart where it may be exposed to any outside elements, including rain and wind.

In the greater Nashville area, near Murfreesboro or Franklin, Tennessee, if you need golf cart maintenance tips, including winterizing golf cart advice, routine service, repairs, or parts, contact Mikey's Motors. Across middle Tennessee, Mikey's Motors is the go-to golf cart business Tennesseans count on for professional services, parts, and everything golf carts.

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