How to Prep Your Golf Car for Winter Storage
- mainstreetgolfcars
- Dec 3, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: May 8
Get your golf car ready for winter with simple tips to protect, store, and keep it in top shape until it's ready to come out of hibernation.
Before reading this article, please see the following notes:
This information serves as a reference guideline; it's recommended to follow all manufacturer instructions.
Reader accepts all responsibility on serving their own golf car. Reader needs to know what they are doing and are fully capable of replacing of the directions listed below.
How To Store Your Golf Car (Gas & Electric)
Storing your gas or electric golf car correctly can save you money and hassles later on.
The following steps are for both gas and electric.
All tires store at 30psi, this will help eliminate flat spots on the tires.
Clean under the seat, use water with a spray degreaser like Simple Green, compressed air, or even a leaf blower.
Dirt holds moisture, which can contribute to rust and corrosion.
All golf car batteries use sealed weather proactive connectors and pretty much everything is water tight.
Most golf cars have many mechanical moving parts that will break not if it will break, but will break sooner than later.
Things like pedals that are mostly open on the bottom side where debris collects and can cause electrical or mechanical failure.
Store your car clean and find something to cover it. A soft tarp, old blankets or a storage cover. It helps when bringing your golf car out of storage.
Have a safe golf car and avoid break downs.
Lastly all lead acid batteries will not freeze if fully charged and are in good condition up to -40 degrees. That’s temperature not wild chill. Wind does not affect non-living things.
Storing Your Golf Car (Gas)
Today’s fuels do not have a long shelf life and can break down its chemical compound. (Add a fuel stabilizer, like Sta-Bil.) Sta-Bil makes different types so make sure you use the one that is blue. This is good with having a plastic fuel tank. Stay away for using the red additive.
Make sure your battery is fully charged and, in some cases, disconnect the negative cable to help eliminate battery drain down.
Storing Your Golf Car (Electric)
With lead acid batteries make sure your water is at the proper level.
Just above the inside plates about an 1/8 inch or about an 1/8 of an inch below the inner in lip which is about ¾ below the top of the battery.
Make sure the battery cables and battery posts are clean and tight.
Loose cables can cause electrical issues and damage or destroy the battery. They can also stop your charger from charging.
Once you have parked your golf car in its location, lift the seat bottom and switch the tow/run switch to tow. (older cars may not have this).
Plug the charger in and leave it plugged in throughout the storage. Newer chargers will monitor the batteries and will turn back on when needed. Older chargers from about 2008 and older will only turn off and not back on. This is where you need to set a reminder for about every 6 weeks to unplug the charger for about 15 seconds and plug it back in. This will reset the charger to recharge the batteries.
All lead acid batteries are charged with short chargers and should always stay on the charger when not being used.
Long over charging batteries will shorten the life of the battery.
When batteries are being charged, they cause heat and heat is a battery’s worst enemy. Heat will cause faster water evaporation and the plates inside the batteries to warp.
Storing You Golf Car (Lithium Battery)
There are two types of Lithium Batteries:
One is a single pack, which is an enclosed type of lithium battery which is controlled by a Battery Monitoring System, also known as BMS.
The second is a set of 6 – 8 Volt or 8 – 6 Volt Batteries. These you want to stay away from.
Lithium batteries are never stored at 100%.
Charge you lithium battery to about 90 % and turn the battery off.
A lithium battery will lose about 1% of charge pre-month. (They have a very long shelf life.)
Lithium batteries will not charge below 30 degrees but can be used to 32 degrees below zero.
Once you’ve turned off the lithium battery there is nothing else to do but cover the golf car give it a pat good night for a long winter nap.
Final Note
Eliminate break downs and ensure safety by having you golf car serviced at least once a year with PM (Preventive Maintenance).
We're Here to Help!
At Mainstreet Golf Cars, we’re here for the handy and the hopeful - if you’ve got a cigar box of tool, some ambition, and a little bit of handiness, we’ve got your back.
We know that there are people who like to work on their own stuff and can run into a dead end when it comes to repairing it. We fully understand that and are willing to help walk you through getting your golf car back up and running.
We hope this free information will give you a better understanding of what your golf car is all about. Caring and sharing is old school, and that makes the world a better place!
If you have any questions, concerns or need to talk through storing your golf car give us a call. We would be more than happy to help with your needs!
Phone: 630.216.9272
Email: Info@MainstreetGolfCars.com