This scooter maintenance checklist keeps things running smoothly.
A mobility scooter is an investment that requires regular service to maintain its value over time. The last thing you want is to depend on an unreliable machine when you’re running important errands or chores. Nobody wants to wonder if they can make it on an important trip – the point of a scooter is to retain your freedom.
Everything needs to run smoothly for you to integrate it into your lifestyle, and mobility scooter maintenance is a key ingredient for that.
Electric scooter maintenance is accomplished through daily routines over its lifetime. Follow this scooter maintenance checklist of five essential steps to ensure your unit works better and lasts longer than it otherwise would. It’ll teach you everything you need about how to maintain a scooter in good condition.
1. Charge Your Battery Every Night
The battery is the heart of your scooter, and keeping your batteries in good health is a crucial element in keeping it running smoothly. Electric scooters use either a lead-acid or lithium-ion battery, depending on the model, and the latter is becoming the industry standard.
In each case, you’ll want to charge your battery every night and avoid very deep discharges to extend the battery’s life to the fullest. It’s also important to store your battery (and your electric scooter) in a cool place to avoid overheating.
Also avoid shocking your system or letting your battery terminals get loose or dirty. This could cause loss of power and significantly reduce its lifespan. And the battery isn’t the only piece you should regularly monitor.
2. Monitor Battery, Tire, and Engine Health
Proactively monitoring your unit’s health can help lower scooter maintenance cost. It’s important to do regular checkups of your scooter’s battery, tires, and engine to ensure everything is running in optimal condition. We already discussed the importance of the battery above, so we’ll talk about the rest here.
You should always perform routine checkups before and after driving your mobility scooter. Check tire balance, inflation, and rotation. Also check any moving parts to ensure they’re running the way they’re supposed to.
Cleaning your unit is a major part of keeping things running smoothly, so let’s examine how to do that.
3. Regularly Clean Your Scooter
It’s easy for your scooter to get dirty as you use it outdoors. Dirt, mud, dust, insects, and debris are bound to cover the unit. If left unchecked, they can easily seep into the cracks and hinder your vehicle’s performance. That’s why you should always wipe your unit with a damp rag to keep it clean.
Battery connections and any moving parts (like your wheel axles) should also be kept clean. This keeps debris from clogging the scooter and hindering its performance. Water, dirt, and other things can otherwise build up and cause problems with starting and moving your unit.
This is just one of many things that put unnecessary stress on your motor.
4. Avoid Unnecessary Motor Stress
It’s important to stay within the recommended uses of your scooter. If you attempt to push it beyond its manufactured limits, you risk putting unnecessary stress on the motor and its parts. Buying a scooter with a high weight capacity, for example, is preferable to loading your scooter over capacity and wearing everything down.
Running your motor faster, hotter, and longer than it’s meant for causes wear and tear on the moving parts. This will inevitably lead to your unit breaking down easier and failing to provide the same level of speed and safety.
If you want to know how to test a mobility scooter motor, an Ohmmeter is the way to do it. You can test the resistance of the brake to determine whether electricity is properly flowing. If not, you may need to replace the engine.
Of course, if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, you’ll want to involve the professionals.
5. Trust Certified Repair Professionals
A mobility scooter is an investment, and you want to protect that investment proactively. That’s why it’s important to ensure all repairs and maintenance are performed by certified professionals. A two-year in-home service plan makes this a reality.
With this coverage, you’ll enhance the unit’s manufacturer warranty to include any diagnostics and labor. Replacement parts are typically covered by the warranty. Regardless of what’s necessary, these technicians will make the repairs without voiding any further protection from the manufacturer.
If you already tried this mobility scooter troubleshooting guide and need assistance, a certified professional is the way to go. But don’t just take our word for it – get a service plan on your next scooter purchase to find out for yourself.
